What does μή · κωλύω mean in the Bible?
μή · κωλύω is a Greek phrase meaning "(adverb) not, (conjunction) lest; also (as an interrogative implying a negative answer (whereas expects an affirmative one)) whether".
Greek · G3361, G2967
Μὴ κωλύετε
Not · to prevent
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
μή G3361 not
Pronunciation mḗ
Subjective negation: denies what one thinks or believes, not absolute fact; used with non-indicative moods
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κωλύω G2967 to prevent
Pronunciation kōlýō
Means to obstruct or forbid actively, often preventing someone from doing something desired.
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What does Μὴ κωλύετε (mē kōlyete) mean in the Bible?
μή · κωλύω is a Greek phrase meaning "(adverb) not, (conjunction) lest; also (as an interrogative implying a negative answer (whereas expects an affirmative one)) whether".
Full entry for Μὴ κωλύετε (G3361, G2967) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for G3361, G2967?
G3361, G2967 is connected to 1,036 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Greek phrase. (adverb) not, (conjunction) lest; also (as an interrogative implying a negative answer (whereas expects an affirmative one)) whether
Source Gloss
(adverb) not, (conjunction) lest; also (as an interrogative implying a negative answer (whereas expects an affirmative one)) whether
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 3 Aligned forms 1036
Matt 1:19 · Matt 1:20 · Matt 2:12 · Matt 3:9 · Matt 3:10 · Matt 5:13 · Matt 5:17 · Matt 5:18 · Matt 5:20 · Matt 5:26 · Matt 5:29 · Matt 5:30 · Matt 5:34 · Matt 5:39 · Matt 5:42 · Matt 6:1 945×
Matt 7:9 · Matt 7:10 · Matt 9:15 · Matt 11:23 · Mark 2:19 · Luke 5:34 · Luke 10:15 · Luke 17:9 · Luke 18:7 · Luke 22:35 · John 3:4 · John 4:12 · John 4:33 · John 6:67 · John 7:31 · John 7:35 57×
Matt 18:10 · Matt 24:4 · Mark 13:5 · Mark 13:36 · Luke 11:35 · Luke 21:8 · Acts 5:26 · Acts 13:40 · Acts 23:10 · Acts 27:17 · Acts 27:29 · Acts 27:42 · 1 Cor 8:9 · 1 Cor 9:27 · 1 Cor 10:12 · 2 Cor 2:7 34×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 23 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 13 aorist 8 imperfect 2
Voice
active 20 passive 3
Mood
indicative 8 imperative 6 participle 4 infinitive 4 subjunctive 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 19:14 κωλύετε present active imperative imperative Mark 9:38 ἐκωλύομεν imperfect active indicative background Mark 9:39 κωλύετε present active imperative imperative Mark 10:14 κωλύετε present active imperative imperative Luke 6:29 κωλύσῃς aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Luke 9:49 ἐκωλύομεν imperfect active indicative background Luke 9:50 κωλύετε present active imperative imperative Luke 11:52 ἐκωλύσατε aorist active indicative completed Luke 18:16 κωλύετε present active imperative imperative Luke 23:2 κωλύοντα present active participle participle Acts 8:36 κωλύει present active indicative ongoing Acts 10:47 κωλῦσαί aorist active infinitive infinitive Acts 11:17 κωλῦσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Acts 16:6 κωλυθέντες aorist passive participle participle Acts 24:23 κωλύειν present active infinitive infinitive Acts 27:43 ἐκώλυσεν aorist active indicative completed Romans 1:13 ἐκωλύθην aorist passive indicative completed 1 Corinthians 14:39 κωλύετε present active imperative imperative 1 Thessalonians 2:16 κωλυόντων present active participle participle 1 Timothy 4:3 κωλυόντων present active participle participle Hebrews 7:23 κωλύεσθαι present passive infinitive infinitive 2 Peter 2:16 ἐκώλυσεν aorist active indicative completed 3 John 1:10 κωλύει present active indicative ongoing
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
Μὴ κωλύετε is built from this root:
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain