What does σπεύδω (speúdō) mean in the Bible?
σπεύδω (speúdō): Connotes urgent haste with eager desire, not merely speed but willingness to act quickly.
Greek · G4692
σπεύδω
To hasten
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
σπεύδω G4692
Pronunciation speúdō
What does σπεύδω (speúdō) mean in the Bible?
σπεύδω (speúdō): Connotes urgent haste with eager desire, not merely speed but willingness to act quickly.
Full entry for σπεύδω (G4692) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4692?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include hurry (2), [Zacchaeus] hurried (1), hasten (1), he was in a hurry (1), they hurried off (1).
Where does σπεύδω (speúdō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 2:16. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (3), Acts (2), 2 Peter (1).
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 hurry 2× Luke 19:5, Acts 22:18
[Zacchaeus] hurried 1× Luke 19:6
hasten 1× 2 Peter 3:12
he was in a hurry 1× Acts 20:16
they hurried off 1× Luke 2:16
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 2:16 σπεύσαντες to they hurried off Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural Luke 19:5 σπεύσας to hurry Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Luke 19:6 σπεύσας to [Zacchaeus] hurried Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Acts 20:16 ἔσπευδεν to he was in a hurry Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 22:18 Σπεῦσον to Hurry Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular 2 Peter 3:12 σπεύδοντας to hasten Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 2:16
Aligned rows 6
Books represented 3
Luke 3 Acts 2 2 Peter 1
Source forms
σπεύσας 2x speusas Luke 19:5, Luke 19:6
ἔσπευδεν 1x espeuden Acts 20:16
σπεύδοντας 1x speudontas 2 Peter 3:12
σπεύσαντες 1x speusantes Luke 2:16
Σπεῦσον 1x Speuson Acts 22:18
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Luke 19:5, Luke 19:6
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular 1x Acts 22:18
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 1x Luke 2:16
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Acts 20:16
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural 1x 2 Peter 3:12
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Connotes urgent haste with eager desire, not merely speed but willingness to act quickly.
Strong's G4692
Lexical occurrences 6 verses Greek text appearances 6 times Word forms 3 forms 6 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Acts 20:13-16 Source Gloss
to hasten
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 2:16 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
σπεύσαντες, speusantev
I hasten, desire earnestly
Read verse Luke 19:5 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
σπεύσας speusav
I hasten, desire earnestly
Read verse Luke 19:6 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
σπεύσας speusav
I hasten, desire earnestly
Read verse Acts 20:16 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἔσπευδε espeuden
I hasten, desire earnestly
Read verse Acts 22:18 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Imperative
Σπεῦσον speuson
I hasten, desire earnestly
Read verse 2 Peter 3:12 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
σπεύδοντας speudontav
I hasten, desire earnestly
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 6 Tenses Aorist, Imperfect, Present Voices Active
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 4×
Aorist Active Luke 19:5 · Luke 19:6 · Luke 2:16 3×
Present Active 2 Pet 3:12 1×
Indicative states a fact or reality 1×
Imperfect Active Acts 20:16 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Aorist Active Acts 22:18 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 4 imperfect 1
Voice
active 5
Mood
participle 3 indicative 1 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
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 Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
To hasten or make haste.
Showing 1 selected witness from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
σπεύδω is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Reveals Paul’s intentional urgency toward Jerusalem. Acts 20:13-16
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
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