What does ἀνακρίνω (anakrínō) mean in the Bible?
Ἀνακρίνω means to examine, question, investigate, evaluate, or discern. Pilate says he examined Jesus and found no guilt in the charges.
Greek · G350
ἀνακρίνω
To investigate
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ἀνακρίνω G350
Pronunciation anakrínō
What does ἀνακρίνω (anakrínō) mean in the Bible?
Ἀνακρίνω means to examine, question, investigate, evaluate, or discern. Pilate says he examined Jesus and found no guilt in the charges.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀνακρίνω (G350) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G350?
The BSB source-word alignment has 16 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include judges (2), raising questions (2), [and] called to account (1), [and] examined (1), are being examined (1).
Where does ἀνακρίνω (anakrínō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 23:14. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (10), Acts (5), Luke (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Ἀνακρίνω means to examine, question, investigate, evaluate, or discern. Pilate says he examined Jesus and found no guilt in the charges. Authorities examine the apostles over a healing, while Herod interrogates guards after Peter's escape and then orders their deaths. Paul says the things of God's Spirit are spiritually discerned, and Luke praises Bereans who examine the Scriptures daily to test Paul's message.
Examination can serve justice, hostile control, careful learning, or Spirit-enabled evaluation. The verb does not guarantee fairness or a correct result. Examiner, standard, evidence, power relationship, and response must be considered before questioning is praised as discernment or condemned as interrogation.
How the Bible Uses It
Ἀνακρίνω describes investigation or discernment. Pilate, councils, Herod, spiritually receptive hearers, and Bereans show examination shaped by different standards and moral purposes.
- Luke.23.14
And said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined Him here in your presence and found Him not guilty of your charges against Him.
Pilate publicly reports that his examination found Jesus innocent, making the later surrender to execution a failure of justice despite acknowledged evidence.
- Acts.4.9
If we are being examined today about a kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was healed,
The apostles are formally examined for a good deed, and Peter redirects the inquiry toward the name and resurrection of Jesus through whom the man stands healed.
- 1Cor.2.14
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Spiritual realities are discerned through the Spirit rather than autonomous human capacity, explaining rejection without making believers immune from scriptural testing.
- Acts.12.19
After Herod had searched for him unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there.
Herod's examination of the guards occurs under coercive power and ends in execution, contrasting investigation aimed at blame with fair pursuit of truth.
- Acts.17.11
Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
The Bereans eagerly receive the message and examine Scripture daily, joining openness with verification instead of choosing gullibility or reflexive suspicion.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It judges 2× 1 Corinthians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 4:4
raising questions 2× 1 Corinthians 10:25, 1 Corinthians 10:27
[and] called to account 1× 1 Corinthians 14:24
[and] examined 1× Acts 17:11
are being examined 1× Acts 4:9
By examining 1× Acts 24:8
discerned 1× 1 Corinthians 2:14
examined 1× Acts 28:18
have examined [Him] 1× Luke 23:14
he examined 1× Acts 12:19
I am judged 1× 1 Corinthians 4:3
I do not even judge 1× 1 Corinthians 4:3
is not subject to anyone’s judgment 1× 1 Corinthians 2:15
scrutinize 1× 1 Corinthians 9:3
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 23:14 ἀνακρίνας to have examined [Him] Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Acts 4:9 ἀνακρινόμεθα to are being examined Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Plural Acts 12:19 ἀνακρίνας to he examined Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Acts 17:11 ἀνακρίνοντες to [and] examined Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural Acts 24:8 ἀνακρίνας to By examining Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Acts 28:18 ἀνακρίναντές to examined Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 1 Corinthians 2:14 ἀνακρίνεται to discerned Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 2:15 ἀνακρίνει to judges Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 2:15 ἀνακρίνεται to is not subject to anyone’s judgment Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular 1 Corinthians 4:3 ἀνακριθῶ to I am judged Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 1st Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 23:14
Aligned rows 16
Books represented 3
Luke 1 Acts 5 1 Corinthians 10
Source forms
ἀνακρίνας 3x anakrinas Luke 23:14, Acts 12:19, Acts 24:8
ἀνακρίνεται 3x anakrinetai 1 Corinthians 2:14, 1 Corinthians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 14:24
ἀνακρίνοντες 3x anakrinontes Acts 17:11, 1 Corinthians 10:25, 1 Corinthians 10:27
ἀνακριθῶ 1x anakrithō 1 Corinthians 4:3
ἀνακρίναντές 1x anakrinantes Acts 28:18
ἀνακρίνει 1x anakrinei 1 Corinthians 2:15
ἀνακρινόμεθα 1x anakrinometha Acts 4:9
ἀνακρίνουσίν 1x anakrinousin 1 Corinthians 9:3
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 3x Luke 23:14, Acts 12:19, Acts 24:8
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular 3x 1 Corinthians 2:14, 1 Corinthians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 14:24
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 3x Acts 17:11, 1 Corinthians 10:25, 1 Corinthians 10:27
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 1x Acts 28:18
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 1st Person Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 4:3
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 4:3
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 2:15
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Plural 1x Acts 4:9
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use examination with transparent standards, evidence, and safeguards; questioning becomes abusive when power predetermines conclusions or punishes truthful answers.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that ἀνακρίνω always describes a fair or spiritually valid process.
- Do not use spiritual discernment language to place leaders or private revelations beyond scriptural examination.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Thorough investigation or cross-examination, often in judicial contexts including interrogation under pressure.
Strong's G350
Lexical occurrences 16 verses Greek text appearances 16 times Word forms 3 forms 16 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Acts 17:10-15 Source Gloss
to investigate
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Thorough investigation or cross-examination, often in judicial contexts including interrogation under pressure.
to examine, investigate, question (Lft., Notes, 181 f.): Act.17:11, 1Co.2:14-15 4:3-4 9:3 10:25 10:27 14:24; in forensic sense (MM, VGT, see word; esp. of examination by torture; see Field, Notes, 120 f.), Luk.23:14, Act.4:9 12:19 24:8 28:18.
Synonymssee: ἐξετάζω
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 23:14 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀνακρίνας anakrinav
I examine, inquire into
Read verse Acts 4:9 Verb First Person Plural Present Passive Indicative
ἀνακρινόμεθα anakrinomeqa
I examine, inquire into
Read verse Acts 12:19 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀνακρίνας anakrinav
I examine, inquire into
Read verse Acts 17:11 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀνακρίνοντες anakrinontev
I examine, inquire into
Read verse Acts 24:8 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀνακρίνας, anakrinav
I examine, inquire into
Read verse Acts 28:18 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀνακρίναντές anakrinantev
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 2:14 Verb Third Person Singular Present Passive Indicative
ἀνακρίνεται. anakrinetai
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 2:15 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἀνακρίνει anakrinei
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 2:15 Verb Third Person Singular Present Passive Indicative
ἀνακρίνεται. anakrinetai
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 4:3 Verb First Person Singular Aorist Passive Subjunctive
ἀνακριθῶ, anakriqw
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 4:3 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἀνακρίνω. anakrinw
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 4:4 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀνακρίνων anakrinwn
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 9:3 Verb Present Active Participle Dative Plural Masculine
ἀνακρίνουσιν anakrinousin
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 10:25 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀνακρίνοντες anakrinontev
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 10:27 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀνακρίνοντες anakrinontev
I examine, inquire into
Read verse 1 Corinthians 14:24 Verb Third Person Singular Present Passive Indicative
ἀνακρίνεται anakrinetai
I examine, inquire into
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 16 Tenses Aorist, Present Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 9×
Present Active Acts 17:11 · 1 Cor 10:25 · 1 Cor 10:27 · 1 Cor 4:4 · 1 Cor 9:3 5×
Aorist Active Luke 23:14 · Acts 12:19 · Acts 24:8 · Acts 28:18 4×
Indicative states a fact or reality 6×
Present Passive 1 Cor 2:14 · 1 Cor 2:15 · 1 Cor 14:24 · Acts 4:9 4×
Present Active 1 Cor 2:15 · 1 Cor 4:3 2×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Passive 1 Cor 4:3 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 16 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 11 aorist 5
Voice
active 11 passive 5
Mood
participle 9 indicative 6 subjunctive 1
NT Occurrences
Luke 23:14 ἀνακρίνας aorist active participle participle Acts 4:9 ἀνακρινόμεθα present passive indicative ongoing Acts 12:19 ἀνακρίνας aorist active participle participle Acts 17:11 ἀνακρίνοντες present active participle participle Acts 24:8 ἀνακρίνας aorist active participle participle Acts 28:18 ἀνακρίναντές aorist active participle participle 1 Corinthians 2:14 ἀνακρίνεται present passive indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 2:15 ἀνακρίνει present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 2:15 ἀνακρίνεται present passive indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 4:3 ἀνακριθῶ aorist passive subjunctive subjunctive 1 Corinthians 4:3 ἀνακρίνω present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 4:4 ἀνακρίνων present active participle participle 1 Corinthians 9:3 ἀνακρίνουσίν present active participle participle 1 Corinthians 10:25 ἀνακρίνοντες present active participle participle 1 Corinthians 10:27 ἀνακρίνοντες present active participle participle 1 Corinthians 14:24 ἀνακρίνεται present passive 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)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
To investigate or scrutinize carefully.
Additional Occurrences
Luke 23:13–25 ἀνακρίνας anakrínō
Having examined, investigated
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 16 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀνακρίνω is built from these roots:
Why This Word Matters
Highlights active testing of teaching against Scripture. Acts 17:10-15
For the Preacher and Teacher
Examination is only as faithful as its standard and purpose. Pilate's inquiry reaches an innocent verdict, yet political surrender makes the finding ineffective. The council questions apostles about an undeniable act of healing and receives a Christ-centered answer. Herod's investigation seeks accountability under lethal coercion after divine deliverance disrupts his prison.
Paul explains that God's gifts require Spirit-enabled discernment, not merely unaided categories, while Berean examination shows that spiritual receptivity gladly tests teaching by Scripture. Churches should welcome careful questions, document evidence, protect due process, and submit even admired teachers to God's word. Discernment becomes corrupt when leaders predetermine guilt, punish honest inquiry, or invoke spirituality to avoid transparent evaluation.
Anchor passage
Luke.23.14
Doctrinal connections
- Luke 23:13-25, examined innocence and failed justice
- Acts 4:5-12, interrogation becoming resurrection witness
- Acts 12:18-23, coercive examination under Herod
- Acts 17:10-12, eager reception tested by Scripture
- 1 Corinthians 2:10-16, Spirit-enabled discernment
- Deuteronomy 19:15-21, careful inquiry and just witness
Ἀνακρίνω combines up or through with judging and can denote judicial investigation, questioning, scrutiny, or discernment. Context supplies the forum and standard.
From Old to New Testament
Israel's judges must investigate diligently and avoid partiality, while prophets expose corrupt courts. The Spirit enables believers to examine teaching under the apostolic word.
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