To live/return
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G390 means to turn back or return and, figuratively, to conduct oneself or live. 12, Paul appeals to conscience that he conducted himself with God-given holiness and sincerity rather than worldly wisdom.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀναστρέφω (G390) · Open the biblical lexicon
G390 means to turn back or return and, figuratively, to conduct oneself or live. 12, Paul appeals to conscience that he conducted himself with God-given holiness and sincerity rather than worldly wisdom.
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include conduct himself (1), conduct yourselves (1), I will return (1), live (1), lived (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Acts 5:22. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (2), Hebrews (2), 1 Peter (1), 1 Timothy (1).
G390 means to turn back or return and, figuratively, to conduct oneself or live. In 2Cor. 1. 12, Paul appeals to conscience that he conducted himself with God-given holiness and sincerity rather than worldly wisdom. In 1Tim. 3. 15, the letter teaches how people should conduct themselves in God's household. In 1Pet. 1. 17, believers are to live in reverent fear during their time as foreigners.
G390 opens teaching on observable conduct, household order, conscience, reverence, solidarity under persecution, and former patterns left behind. It does not reduce faith to reputation, make church leaders controllers of private life, or portray cultural foreignness as moral superiority. Conduct is embodied over time and remains open to examination rather than resting on a leader's self-description.
G390 covers returning, overturning, dwelling, and the manner in which people live or behave. Letter contexts emphasize conduct in the world, church household, temporary sojourn, persecution, and ministry relationships.
For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
Paul's conscience testifies to conduct marked by holiness, sincerity, and God's grace in relation to the Corinthians.
In case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
The church as God's household needs conduct consistent with its identity as pillar and foundation of truth.
Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners.
Believers call on an impartial Father and therefore live reverently during their temporary sojourn.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. to live/return
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
11 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
Read verseI overturn, turn upside down, return, mid. and pass: I conduct myself, live
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.
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.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 10 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
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)
ἀναστρέφω is built from these roots:
G390 treats Christian life as a manner of conduct visible in relationships. Paul appeals to conscience, but not to private certainty alone. His conduct among the Corinthians can be examined for sincerity, holiness, grace, and freedom from manipulative worldly wisdom. First Timothy connects behavior to the church's identity as God's household and servant of truth.
Structures, qualifications, care, money, and teaching all matter because the household's conduct can support or contradict its confession. First Peter places conduct before an impartial Father during a temporary sojourn, joining reverence with holiness and hope. Faithful application welcomes evidence, maintains transparent boundaries, and lets stated theology be tested against treatment of people.
Conscience needs formation and correction; it is not an immunity claim. Honorable conduct does not guarantee praise, since Hebrews includes solidarity with people publicly persecuted.
1Tim.3.15
G390 is a Greek verb whose literal senses involve turning, returning, or overturning and whose common figurative sense is to live or conduct oneself. Context and voice distinguish movement from manner of life.
Wisdom and covenant texts repeatedly describe walking before God, while the New Testament uses conduct language to translate that embodied life into households, congregations, and public witness. Jesus' life supplies the pattern, and apostolic letters join honorable conduct to grace, accountability, love, and hope under pressure.