What does σιγάω (sigáō) mean in the Bible?
G4601 means to be silent, stop speaking, or keep something concealed. 39, people order a blind beggar to be silent, but he cries out more loudly to Jesus.
Greek · G4601
σιγάω
To keep silent (transitively or intransitively)
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σιγάωG4601
Pronunciationsigáō
What does σιγάω (sigáō) mean in the Bible?
G4601 means to be silent, stop speaking, or keep something concealed. 39, people order a blind beggar to be silent, but he cries out more loudly to Jesus.
Reader summary
Full entry for σιγάω (G4601) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4601?
The BSB source-word alignment has 10 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include are to be silent (1), concealed (1), fell silent (1), had finished speaking (1), he should remain silent (1).
Where does σιγάω (sigáō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 9:36. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (3), Acts (3), Luke (3), Romans (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G4601 means to be silent, stop speaking, or keep something concealed. In Luke. 18. 39, people order a blind beggar to be silent, but he cries out more loudly to Jesus. In Acts. 15. 12, the assembly becomes silent to listen to Barnabas and Paul report God's work among Gentiles. In 1Cor. 14. 30, a current speaker should become silent when another receives a revelation, supporting ordered and shared participation.
G4601 opens teaching on silencing that excludes, silence that listens, speakers yielding the floor, temporary secrecy, and disputed congregational speech instructions. It does not forbid abuse reports, permanently silence women, or make quietness proof of submission.
How the Bible Uses It
G4601 describes enforced or resisted silence, attentive assemblies, speakers pausing, women told to be silent in a specific congregational argument, testimony temporarily kept, and a mystery formerly concealed. Purpose and power decide whether silence protects, orders, listens, or oppresses.
- Luke.18.39
Those who led the way admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
The crowd tries to silence a blind man seeking mercy, but he cries out more loudly and Jesus stops for him.
- Acts.15.12
The whole assembly fell silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.
The Jerusalem assembly falls silent in order to hear evidence of God's work among Gentiles.
- 1Cor.14.30
And if a revelation comes to someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop.
One speaker should yield and become silent when another receives a revelation, keeping congregational speech shared and orderly.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itare to be silent1×1 Corinthians 14:34
concealed1×Romans 16:25
fell silent1×Acts 15:12
had finished speaking1×Acts 15:13
he should remain silent1×1 Corinthians 14:28
kept this to themselves1×Luke 9:36
should stop1×1 Corinthians 14:30
silence1×Acts 12:17
they fell silent1×Luke 20:26
to be silent1×Luke 18:39
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 9:36ἐσίγησανtokept this to themselvesVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralLuke 18:39σιγήσῃtoto be silentVerb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person SingularLuke 20:26ἐσίγησανtothey fell silentVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralActs 12:17σιγᾶνtosilenceVerb - Present Infinitive ActiveActs 15:12Ἐσίγησενtofell silentVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularActs 15:13σιγῆσαιtohad finished speakingVerb - Aorist Infinitive ActiveRomans 16:25σεσιγημένουtoconcealedVerb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Genitive Neuter Singular1 Corinthians 14:28σιγάτωtohe should remain silentVerb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular1 Corinthians 14:30σιγάτωtoshould stopVerb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular1 Corinthians 14:34σιγάτωσανtoare to be silentVerb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowLuke 9:36
Aligned rows10
Books represented4
Luke3Acts3Romans11 Corinthians3
Source forms
ἐσίγησαν2xesigēsanLuke 9:36, Luke 20:26
σιγάτω2xsigatō1 Corinthians 14:28, 1 Corinthians 14:30
Ἐσίγησεν1xEsigēsenActs 15:12
σεσιγημένου1xsesigēmenouRomans 16:25
σιγᾶν1xsiganActs 12:17
σιγάτωσαν1xsigatōsan1 Corinthians 14:34
σιγῆσαι1xsigēsaiActs 15:13
σιγήσῃ1xsigēsēLuke 18:39
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural2xLuke 9:36, Luke 20:26
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular2x1 Corinthians 14:28, 1 Corinthians 14:30
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xActs 15:12
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active1xActs 15:13
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular1xLuke 18:39
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Genitive Neuter Singular1xRomans 16:25
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Plural1x1 Corinthians 14:34
Verb - Present Infinitive Active1xActs 12:17
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not use silence texts to stop reports of abuse, harassment, fraud, danger, or other matters requiring protection and lawful reporting.
- Do not apply 1 Corinthians 14 as a slogan that permanently excludes all women from prayer, prophecy, questions, testimony, or teaching without addressing the letter's full context.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that G4601 makes silence inherently godly or speech inherently disorderly.
- Do not claim that church confidentiality can cancel mandatory reporting, evidence preservation, or access to independent help.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Enforced silence or restraint—often ecclesial context of speakers being required to cease speaking
Strong'sG4601
Lexical occurrences9 versesGreek text appearances9 timesWord forms4 forms9 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkLuke 9:28-36Source Gloss
to keep silent (transitively or intransitively)
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Enforced silence or restraint—often ecclesial context of speakers being required to cease speaking
(σιγή), [in LXX for חָרַשׁ, חָשָׁה, etc. ;]
1intrans., to be silent, keep silence: Luk.9:36 18:39 20:26, Act.12:17 15:12-13, 1Co.14:28 14:30 14:34.
2Trans., to keep secret; pass., to be kept secret: Rom.16:25.
Synonymsἡσυχάζω, σιωπάω
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 9:36Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐσίγησαν,esighsan
I keep silent
Read verseLuke 20:26Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐσίγησαν.esighsan
I keep silent
Read verseActs 12:17Verb Present Active Infinitive
σιγᾷν,sigan
I keep silent
Read verseActs 15:12Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
Ἐσίγησεesighsen
I keep silent
Read verseActs 15:13Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
σιγῆσαιsighsai
I keep silent
Read verseRomans 16:25Verb Perfect Passive Participle Genitive Singular Neuter
σεσιγημένου,sesighmenou
I keep silent
Read verse1 Corinthians 14:28Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Imperative
σιγάτωsigatw
I keep silent
Read verse1 Corinthians 14:30Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Imperative
σιγάτω.sigatw
I keep silent
Read verse1 Corinthians 14:34Verb Third Person Plural Present Active Imperative
σιγάτωσαν·sigatwsan
I keep silent
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 groups4Aligned forms9TensesAorist, PresentVoicesActive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality3×
Aorist ActiveLuke 9:36 · Luke 20:26 · Acts 15:123×
Imperativecommand or strong request3×
Present Active1 Cor 14:28 · 1 Cor 14:30 · 1 Cor 14:343×
Subjunctivepossibility, probability, or purpose1×
Aorist ActiveLuke 18:391×
Infinitiveverbal noun — the action in abstract2×
Present ActiveActs 12:171×
Aorist ActiveActs 15:131×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 9 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist5present4
Voice
active9
Mood
imperative3indicative3infinitive2subjunctive1
NT Occurrences
Luke 9:36ἐσίγησανaorist active indicativecompletedLuke 18:39σιγήσῃaorist active subjunctivesubjunctiveLuke 20:26ἐσίγησανaorist active indicativecompletedActs 12:17σιγᾶνpresent active infinitiveinfinitiveActs 15:12Ἐσίγησενaorist active indicativecompletedActs 15:13σιγῆσαιaorist active infinitiveinfinitive1 Corinthians 14:28σιγάτωpresent active imperativeimperative1 Corinthians 14:30σιγάτωpresent active imperativeimperative1 Corinthians 14:34σιγάτωσανpresent active imperativeimperative
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.
Biblical Witnesses
intransitive: disciples remained silent about the transvision experience
intransitive: instruction for maintaining silence in congregational assembly
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 9 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
σιγάω is built from this root:
σιγήG4602
For the Preacher and Teacher
G4601 shows that silence can either create space or take it away. The crowd tries to silence a blind man whose need interrupts them, but Jesus hears, stops, and restores him. Acts portrays constructive silence when an assembly listens to testimony before reaching a contested decision. First Corinthians 14 requires multiple speakers to yield: a tongue-speaker without interpretation is silent, a prophet pauses when another receives revelation, and disputed instructions about women occur within a letter that already assumes women pray and prophesy.
No one group owns an unlimited microphone. Faithful application establishes turn-taking, interpretation, weighing, and listening while protecting disclosures of harm. Confidentiality has legitimate uses, but secrecy cannot override safeguarding, reporting, or justice. Silence becomes Christian when it serves attention, truth, peace, and another person's voice, not when power uses it to avoid accountability.
Anchor passage
Acts.15.12
Doctrinal connections
- G4601: Jesus hears a marginalized person whom the crowd tries to silence.
- G4601: attentive silence allows the church to receive testimony before deliberation.
- G4601: ordered worship requires speakers to yield rather than monopolize the gathering.
- G4601: tongues without interpretation pause so the church is built up intelligibly.
- G4601: women's silence instruction must be read with women praying and prophesying in the same letter.
- G4601: a formerly concealed mystery is revealed in Christ, showing that secrecy is not always permanent.
G4601 is a Greek verb meaning keep silent, cease speaking, or keep something secret. It can be intransitive for a speaker's pause or transitive and passive for information kept concealed.
From Old to New Testament
Wisdom praises timely silence and timely speech, prophets condemn suppressed justice, Jesus hears silenced people, and apostolic gatherings order speech so the whole body can discern. Jesus' silence before accusers differs from the silencing of vulnerable petitioners, and apostolic order makes room for shared discernment and testimony.