περιπατέω
To walk
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What does περιπατέω (peripatéō) mean in the Bible?
περιπατέω (peripatéō) is a Greek word meaning "to walk". περι-πατέω, -ῶ [in LXX chiefly for הָלַךְ pi. Describes sustained lifestyle direction rather than isolated acts. This term runs through the canonical themes of Faith, Messiah.
Full entry for περιπατέω (G4043) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Literal walking becomes metaphorical conduct of life; how one lives reflects spiritual character.
to walk: absol., Mat.9:5, Mrk.5:42, Luk.5:23, Jhn.1:36; with pred., γυμνός, Rev.16:15; ἐπάνω Luk.11:44; διά, with genitive, Rev.21:24; ἐν, Mrk.11:27 12:38, Jhn.7:1 11:54, Rev.2:1, al.; ἐν τ. σκοτίᾳ, figuratively, Jhn.8:12 12:35, 1Jn.1:6-7 Jn 2:11; ἐπί, with genitive, Mat.14:26; id. with dative, Mat.14:25, 29; μετά, Jhn.6:66, Rev.3:4; παρά, with accusative, Mat.4:18. Metaphorical, of living, passing one's life, conducting oneself (like ἀναστρέφομαι in Xen., Plut., LXX, π.; M, Pro.11:1-31; Deiss., BS, 194) : ἀκριβῶς, Eph.5:15; ἀτάκτως, 2Th.3:6 3:11; εὐσχημόνως, Rev.13:13, 1Th.4:12; ἀξίως, with genitive, Eph.4:1, Col.1:10, 1Th.2:12; καθώς (ὥς), Eph.4:17 5:8, 15, Php.3:17, 1Th.4:1; οὕτως ὥς, 1Co.7:17; before nom. qual., Php.3:18; with dative, Act.21:21, Rom.13:13, 2Co.12:18, Gal.5:16; before ἐν, Rom.6:4, 2Co.4:2 5:7 10:3, Eph.2:2, 10 4:17 5:2, Col.3:7 4:5, Heb.13:9, 2Jn.4 Jn 6, al.; ἐν Χριστῷ, Col.2:6; κατά, with accusative, Mrk.7:5, Rom.8:4 14:15, 1Co.3:3, 2Co.10:2, 2Jn.6 (cf. ἐν-περιπατέω).
Why This Word Matters
Describes sustained lifestyle direction rather than isolated acts. 1 John 1:5-10
John addresses habitual direction of life, not momentary lapses. The Christian life is marked by a trajectory in the light. 1 John 2:3-6
John emphasizes lifestyle consistency. True faith produces observable patterns aligned with Christ’s character.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 12×
Imperative command or strong request 14×
Indicative states a fact or reality 30×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 27×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 12×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 94 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)
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
New Testament Witnesses
Additional Occurrences
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain