What does ἀντέχομαι (antéchomai) mean in the Bible?
ἀντέχομαι (antéchomai): To hold firmly to something with devoted attachment, implying active loyalty despite opposing forces.
Greek · G472
ἀντέχομαι
ἀντέχομαι (antéchomai): To hold firmly to something with devoted attachment, implying active loyalty despite opposing forces.
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 theConnect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ἀντέχομαιG472
Pronunciationantéchomai
What does ἀντέχομαι (antéchomai) mean in the Bible?
Full entry for ἀντέχομαι (G472) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G472?
The BSB source-word alignment has 4 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include he will be devoted to (2), He must hold firmly (1), help (1).
Where does ἀντέχομαι (antéchomai) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 6:24. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Thessalonians (1), Luke (1), Matthew (1), Titus (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 Ithe will be devoted to2×Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13
He must hold firmly1×Titus 1:9
help1×1 Thessalonians 5:14
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 6:24ἀνθέξεταιtohe will be devoted toVerb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person SingularLuke 16:13ἀνθέξεταιtohe will be devoted toVerb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular1 Thessalonians 5:14ἀντέχεσθεtohelpVerb - Present Imperative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person PluralTitus 1:9ἀντεχόμενονtoHe must hold firmlyVerb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 6:24
Aligned rows4
Books represented4
Matthew1Luke11 Thessalonians1Titus1
Source forms
ἀνθέξεται2xanthexetaiMatthew 6:24, Luke 16:13
ἀντέχεσθε1xantechesthe1 Thessalonians 5:14
ἀντεχόμενον1xantechomenonTitus 1:9
Parsing patterns
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular2xMatthew 6:24, Luke 16:13
Verb - Present Imperative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Plural1x1 Thessalonians 5:14
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Masculine Singular1xTitus 1:9
Evidence Summary
Revelation
Greek word. To hold firmly to something with devoted attachment, implying active loyalty despite opposing forces.
Strong'sG472
Lexical occurrences4 versesGreek text appearances4 timesWord forms3 forms4 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkTitus 1:5-9Source Gloss
to cling to
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
To hold firmly to something with devoted attachment, implying active loyalty despite opposing forces.
(ἀντί, ἔχω), [in LXX for חָזַק hi., etc. ;]
1trans., to hold against.
2Intrans., to withstand. Mid. 1. in cl., to hold out against.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
4 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 6:24Verb Third Person Singular Future Middle Deponent Indicative
ἀνθέξεται,anqexetai
I hold fast to
Read verseLuke 16:13Verb Third Person Singular Future Middle Deponent Indicative
ἀνθέξεται,anqexetai
I hold fast to
Read verse1 Thessalonians 5:14Verb Second Person Plural Present Middle or Passive Deponent Imperative
ἀντέχεσθεantecesqe
I hold fast to
Read verseTitus 1:9Verb Present Middle or Passive Deponent Participle Accusative Singular Masculine
ἀντεχόμενονantecomenon
I hold fast to
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 groups3Aligned forms4TensesFuture, PresentVoicesMiddle
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality2×
Future MiddleMatt 6:24 · Luke 16:132×
Imperativecommand or strong request1×
Present Middle1 Thess 5:141×
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality1×
Present MiddleTitus 1:91×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 4 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present2future2
Voice
middle4
Mood
indicative2imperative1participle1
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 adhere strongly and remain loyal to something in the face of pressure.
Showing 1 selected witness from 4 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀντέχομαι is built from these roots:
Why This Word Matters
Elders must not treat doctrine casually; they are required to cling to the trustworthy word so they can both build up the faithful and confront error.Titus 1:5-9
Canonical Themes
Revelation
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.