What does πυνθάνομαι (pynthánomai) mean in the Bible?
G4441 means to inquire, ask, or seek information. John uses it when a father asks when his son recovered and when Peter signals another disciple to ask Jesus about the betrayer.
Greek · G4441
πυνθάνομαι
To inquire
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πυνθάνομαι G4441
Pronunciation pynthánomai
What does πυνθάνομαι (pynthánomai) mean in the Bible?
G4441 means to inquire, ask, or seek information. John uses it when a father asks when his son recovered and when Peter signals another disciple to ask Jesus about the betrayer.
Reader summary
Full entry for πυνθάνομαι (G4441) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4441?
The BSB source-word alignment has 12 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include he asked (3), [and] asked (1), [and] began to question them (1), and asked (1), he inquired as to (1).
Where does πυνθάνομαι (pynthánomai) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:4. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (7), John (2), Luke (2), Matthew (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G4441 means to inquire, ask, or seek information. John uses it when a father asks when his son recovered and when Peter signals another disciple to ask Jesus about the betrayer. The word is not the usual broad verb for asking. It often has the feel of seeking a specific piece of information. Pastorally, that matters because questions in John can serve faith, clarity, fear, or pressure. The official's inquiry helps him recognize that Jesus' word and his son's healing belong together. The upper-room inquiry exposes the disciples' uncertainty under the shadow of betrayal.
For John-focused use, the safest path is to let the immediate passage set the claim, then let the word clarify how the scene moves toward witness, faith, resistance, or worship.
How the Bible Uses It
G4441 marks inquiry for information. In John it appears in a healing-confirmation scene and in the upper-room question about betrayal, showing that questions can seek clarity in very different spiritual settings.
- John.4.52
So he inquired as to the hour when his son had recovered, and they told him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.”
The official inquires about the hour his son recovered. The question helps him connect Jesus' word with the healing.
- John.13.24
So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about.
Peter signals for the beloved disciple to ask Jesus who will betray Him. Inquiry appears in a tense table scene marked by uncertainty.
- Acts.4.7
They had Peter and John brought in and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
Acts 4:7 shows inquiry in an official setting, where leaders question the apostles about power and name.
Passage contextCanonical parallel
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 he asked 3× Matthew 2:4, Luke 18:36, Acts 21:33
[and] asked 1× Luke 15:26
[and] began to question them 1× Acts 4:7
and asked 1× Acts 23:19
he inquired as to 1× John 4:52
I ask 1× Acts 10:29
Learning 1× Acts 23:34
of acquiring 1× Acts 23:20
to ask 1× Acts 10:18
to ask [Jesus] 1× John 13:24
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 2:4 ἐπυνθάνετο to he asked Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular Luke 15:26 ἐπυνθάνετο to [and] asked Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular Luke 18:36 ἐπυνθάνετο to he asked Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular John 4:52 Ἐπύθετο to he inquired as to Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular John 13:24 πυθέσθαι to to ask [Jesus] Verb - Aorist Infinitive Middle Acts 4:7 ἐπυνθάνοντο to [and] began to question them Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural Acts 10:18 ἐπυνθάνοντο to to ask Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural Acts 10:29 πυνθάνομαι to I ask Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Singular Acts 21:33 ἐπυνθάνετο to he asked Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular Acts 23:19 ἐπυνθάνετο to and asked Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 2:4
Aligned rows 12
Books represented 4
Matthew 1 Luke 2 John 2 Acts 7
Source forms
ἐπυνθάνετο 5x epynthaneto Matthew 2:4, Luke 15:26, Luke 18:36, Acts 21:33
ἐπυνθάνοντο 2x epynthanonto Acts 4:7, Acts 10:18
Ἐπύθετο 1x Epytheto John 4:52
πυθέσθαι 1x pythesthai John 13:24
πυθόμενος 1x pythomenos Acts 23:34
πυνθάνεσθαι 1x pynthanesthai Acts 23:20
πυνθάνομαι 1x pynthanomai Acts 10:29
Parsing patterns
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular 5x Matthew 2:4, Luke 15:26, Luke 18:36, Acts 21:33
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular 1x John 4:52
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Middle 1x John 13:24
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular 1x Acts 23:34
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural 1x Acts 10:18
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural 1x Acts 4:7
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Singular 1x Acts 10:29
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive 1x Acts 23:20
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use this word to make space for honest questions while still testing the direction of the heart.
- Keep John 13 tense and relational. The question about betrayal is not curiosity; it arises under the weight of Jesus' warning.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every inquiry in Scripture is a sign of unbelief. John 4:52 helps the official see the connection between Jesus' word and healing.
- Do not claim that every question is spiritually neutral. Questions can be shaped by faith, fear, pressure, or resistance.
- Do not turn Peter's indirect inquiry in John 13:24 into a model for avoiding direct obedience. The scene is about troubled uncertainty around betrayal.
Pastoral applicationPassage context
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to inquire
Strong's G4441
Lexical occurrences 12 verses Greek text appearances 12 times Word forms 3 forms 12 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to inquire
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
1to inquire: with accusative of thing(s), Jhn.4:42, Act.23:20; before quæst. indir., Mat.2:4, Luk.15:25 18:36, Act.10:18 21:33; quæst. dir., Act.4:7 10:20 23:10; before παρά, with genitive of person(s), Mat.2:4, Jhn.4:52.
2to learn by inquiry: before ὅτι, Act.23:34.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
12 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 2:4 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
ἐπυνθάνετο epunqaneto
I ask, inquire
Read verse Luke 15:26 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
ἐπυνθάνετο epunqaneto
I ask, inquire
Read verse Luke 18:36 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
ἐπυνθάνετο epunqaneto
I ask, inquire
Read verse John 4:52 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Middle Deponent Indicative
ἐπύθετο epuqeto
I ask, inquire
Read verse John 13:24 Verb Second Aorist Middle Deponent Infinitive
πυθέσθαι puqesqai
I ask, inquire
Read verse Acts 4:7 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
ἐπυνθάνοντο, epunqanonto
I ask, inquire
Read verse Acts 10:18 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
ἐπυνθάνοντο epunqanonto
I ask, inquire
Read verse Acts 10:29 Verb First Person Singular Present Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
πυνθάνομαι punqanomai
I ask, inquire
Read verse Acts 21:33 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
ἐπυνθάνετο epunqaneto
I ask, inquire
Read verse Acts 23:19 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Middle or Passive Deponent Indicative
ἐπυνθάνετο, epunqaneto
I ask, inquire
Read verse Acts 23:20 Verb Present Middle or Passive Deponent Infinitive
πυνθάνεσθαι punqanesqai
I ask, inquire
Read verse Acts 23:34 Verb Second Aorist Middle Deponent Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
πυθόμενος puqomenov
I ask, inquire
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 12 Tenses Imperfect, Aorist, Present Voices Middle
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 9×
Imperfect Middle Matt 2:4 · Luke 15:26 · Luke 18:36 · Acts 21:33 · Acts 23:19 · Acts 4:7 · Acts 10:18 7×
Aorist Middle John 4:52 1×
Present Middle Acts 10:29 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 2×
Aorist Middle John 13:24 1×
Present Middle Acts 23:20 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 1×
Aorist Middle Acts 23:34 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 12 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
imperfect 7 aorist 3 present 2
Voice
middle 12
Mood
indicative 9 infinitive 2 participle 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 2:4 ἐπυνθάνετο imperfect middle indicative background Luke 15:26 ἐπυνθάνετο imperfect middle indicative background Luke 18:36 ἐπυνθάνετο imperfect middle indicative background John 4:52 ἐπύθετο aorist middle indicative completed John 13:24 πυθέσθαι aorist middle infinitive infinitive Acts 4:7 ἐπυνθάνοντο imperfect middle indicative background Acts 10:18 ἐπυνθάνοντο imperfect middle indicative background Acts 10:29 πυνθάνομαι present middle indicative ongoing Acts 21:33 ἐπυνθάνετο imperfect middle indicative background Acts 23:19 ἐπυνθάνετο imperfect middle indicative background Acts 23:20 πυνθάνεσθαι present middle infinitive infinitive Acts 23:34 πυθόμενος aorist middle participle participle
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)
For the Preacher and Teacher
This word helps teachers speak about questions without either shaming them or romanticizing them. The official asks about timing and receives confirmation that Jesus' word was effective at the very hour of healing. Peter's indirect question in John 13 arises from troubled uncertainty around betrayal. Both are real inquiries, but they serve different moments.
John does not present faithful discipleship as questionless. He also does not treat every question as humble faith. The context determines whether inquiry is moving toward trust, clarity, avoidance, or opposition. The word invites careful pastoral handling of how people ask when they do not yet see clearly.
Anchor passage
John.4.52
Doctrinal connections
- John.4.52 - primary John anchor for inquiry, clarity, and indirect asking.
- John.13.24 - supporting passage for inquiry, clarity, and indirect asking.
- Acts.4.7 - supporting passage for inquiry, clarity, and indirect asking.
To inquire or ask for information is a reviewed display gloss for G4441. In this John-focused companion, the local discourse foregrounding data shows 2 John use(s), with tense patterns summarized as aorist 2. Use these grammar signals as support for reading the passage, not as a replacement for context.
From Old to New Testament
The broader Scripture connection should remain modest: inquiry, clarity, and indirect asking is visible in the cited passages, while the full theological claim must come from each passage's context rather than from the word alone.
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