What does τελευτάω (teleutáō) mean in the Bible?
G5053 commonly describes dying or reaching the end of life. Matthew 2:19 marks Herod's death as the changed circumstance after which Joseph is told to return from Egypt.
Greek · G5053
τελευτάω
To decease
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τελευτάωG5053
Pronunciationteleutáō
What does τελευτάω (teleutáō) mean in the Bible?
G5053 commonly describes dying or reaching the end of life. Matthew 2:19 marks Herod's death as the changed circumstance after which Joseph is told to return from Egypt.
Reader summary
Full entry for τελευτάω (G5053) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5053?
The BSB source-word alignment has 11 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include died (4), must be put to death (2), dead [man] (1), dies (1), has just died (1).
Where does τελευτάω (teleutáō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:19. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (4), Acts (2), Mark (2), Hebrews (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G5053 commonly describes dying or reaching the end of life. Matthew 2:19 marks Herod's death as the changed circumstance after which Joseph is told to return from Egypt. Luke 7:2 describes a valued servant who is sick and about to die, bringing mortality, care, and social relationship into view. John 11:39 records that Lazarus has been dead four days, allowing the narrative to state death's physical reality before Jesus acts.
Hebrews 11:22 remembers Joseph speaking about Israel's exodus when his own end approached. The verb does not itself explain why someone died, determine eternal destiny, or make every death peaceful. It helps readers speak plainly about mortality, unfinished grief, bedside care, historical transition, and faithful hope. Pastoral use should avoid blame, euphemism that obscures reality, predictions about timing, and pressure to perform certainty or serenity near death.
Passage contextCanonical parallelsource_lexiconPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
G5053 marks the end of mortal life in narratives, family histories, illness, royal transition, and faithful remembrance. The surrounding passage, not the verb alone, supplies cause, moral evaluation, grief, and hope.
- Matt.2.19
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
Herod's death changes the immediate threat landscape and precedes divine guidance for Joseph's return, without making all danger disappear.
- Luke.7.2
There a highly valued servant of a centurion was sick and about to die.
A centurion's highly valued servant is ill and nearing death, drawing urgent care across boundaries of status and ethnicity.
- John.11.39
“Take away the stone,” Jesus said. “Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. “It has already been four days.”
Martha names the bodily reality of Lazarus's four-day death before Jesus commands the stone removed.
- Heb.11.22
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones.
At life's end Joseph speaks in faith about the exodus and gives instructions concerning his bones, joining mortality to covenant hope.
Book contextPassage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itdied4×Matthew 2:19, Matthew 22:25, Acts 2:29, Acts 7:15
must be put to death2×Matthew 15:4, Mark 7:10
dead [man]1×John 11:39
dies1×Mark 9:48
has just died1×Matthew 9:18
to die1×Luke 7:2
when his end was near1×Hebrews 11:22
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 2:19ΤελευτήσαντοςtodiedVerb - Aorist Participle Active - Genitive Masculine SingularMatthew 9:18ἐτελεύτησενtohas just diedVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularMatthew 15:4τελευτάτωtomust be put to deathVerb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person SingularMatthew 22:25ἐτελεύτησενtodiedVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularMark 7:10τελευτάτωtomust be put to deathVerb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person SingularMark 9:48τελευτᾷtodiesVerb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularLuke 7:2τελευτᾶνtoto dieVerb - Present Infinitive ActiveJohn 11:39τετελευτηκότοςtodead [man]Verb - Perfect Participle Active - Genitive Masculine SingularActs 2:29ἐτελεύτησενtodiedVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularActs 7:15ἐτελεύτησενtodiedVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 2:19
Aligned rows11
Books represented6
Matthew4Mark2Luke1John1Acts2Hebrews1
Source forms
ἐτελεύτησεν4xeteleutēsenMatthew 9:18, Matthew 22:25, Acts 2:29, Acts 7:15
τελευτάτω2xteleutatōMatthew 15:4, Mark 7:10
τελευτᾷ1xteleutaMark 9:48
τελευτᾶν1xteleutanLuke 7:2
Τελευτήσαντος1xTeleutēsantosMatthew 2:19
τελευτῶν1xteleutōnHebrews 11:22
τετελευτηκότος1xteteleutēkotosJohn 11:39
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular4xMatthew 9:18, Matthew 22:25, Acts 2:29, Acts 7:15
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular2xMatthew 15:4, Mark 7:10
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Singular1xMatthew 2:19
Verb - Perfect Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Singular1xJohn 11:39
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xMark 9:48
Verb - Present Infinitive Active1xLuke 7:2
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular1xHebrews 11:22
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Coordinate pastoral presence with competent medical, hospice, legal, and family support while respecting the dying person's consent and stated wishes.
- Offer resurrection hope in language that permits fear, pain, anger, silence, unfinished questions, and the full course of grief.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that G5053 reveals why a particular person died or announces that person's final standing before God.
- Do not claim that faith requires rejecting appropriate end-of-life care, pain relief, medical facts, or advance planning.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To die or complete one's life, emphasizing death as life's natural conclusion or endpoint.
Strong'sG5053
Lexical occurrences11 versesGreek text appearances12 timesWord forms4 forms11 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkMatthew 2:19Source Gloss
to decease
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek 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 2:19Verb Aorist Active Participle Genitive Singular Masculine
τελευτήσαντοςteleuthsantov
I end, finish, die
Read verseMatthew 9:18Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐτελεύτησεν·eteleuthsen
I end, finish, die
Read verseMatthew 15:4Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Imperative
τελευτάτω·teleutatw
I end, finish, die
Read verseMatthew 22:25Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐτελεύτησε·eteleuthsen
I end, finish, die
Read verseMark 7:10Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Imperative
τελευτάτω·teleutatw
I end, finish, die
Read verseMark 9:44Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
τελευτᾷ,teleuta
I end, finish, die
Read verseMark 9:46Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
τελευτᾷ,teleuta
I end, finish, die
Read verseMark 9:48Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
τελευτᾷ,teleuta
I end, finish, die
Read verseLuke 7:2Verb Present Active Infinitive
τελευτᾷν,teleutan
I end, finish, die
Read verseActs 2:29Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐτελεύτησεeteleuthsen
I end, finish, die
Read verseActs 7:15Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐτελεύτησενeteleuthsen
I end, finish, die
Read verseHebrews 11:22Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
τελευτῶνteleutwn
I end, finish, die
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 forms11TensesAorist, Present, PerfectVoicesActive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality5×
Aorist ActiveMatt 9:18 · Matt 22:25 · Acts 2:29 · Acts 7:154×
Present ActiveMark 9:481×
Imperativecommand or strong request2×
Present ActiveMatt 15:4 · Mark 7:102×
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality3×
Aorist ActiveMatt 2:191×
Perfect ActiveJohn 11:391×
Present ActiveHeb 11:221×
Infinitiveverbal noun — the action in abstract1×
Present ActiveLuke 7:21×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 10 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present5aorist4perfect1
Voice
active10
Mood
indicative4participle3imperative2infinitive1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 2:19Τελευτήσαντοςaorist active participleparticipleMatthew 9:18ἐτελεύτησενaorist active indicativecompletedMatthew 15:4τελευτάτωpresent active imperativeimperativeMatthew 22:25ἐτελεύτησενaorist active indicativecompletedMark 7:10τελευτάτωpresent active imperativeimperativeMark 9:48τελευτᾷpresent active indicativeongoingLuke 7:2τελευτᾶνpresent active infinitiveinfinitiveJohn 11:39τετελευτηκότοςperfect active participleparticipleActs 7:15ἐτελεύτησενaorist active indicativecompletedHebrews 11:22τελευτῶνpresent active participleparticiple
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
Herod's death, marking end of life narrative
Prescriptive usage with θανάτῳ, legal death penalty
Centurion's servant at point of death
Lazarus in tomb, death completed four days prior
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 11 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
τελευτάω is built from this root:
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.
For the Preacher and Teacher
G5053 gives the New Testament an ordinary verb for an extraordinary human boundary. Herod's death changes political circumstances, but Matthew still narrates continuing danger and further guidance. Luke's account of the servant centers urgent concern for someone valued by his household; the approaching death is neither moral failure nor abstract lesson. John refuses denial by locating Lazarus four days into death, and Martha's realism belongs inside a story that also contains grief, anger, confession, and resurrection power.
Hebrews remembers Joseph at life's end looking beyond himself toward God's promise and the future movement of his people. These contexts encourage honest end-of-life ministry. Caregivers may say that a person is dying, pursue comfort and appropriate treatment, listen for unfinished concerns, support family members, and hold hope without manufacturing a miracle claim.
A faithful death is not measured by calm speech, pain tolerance, family presence, or a particular emotional performance. G5053 also does not settle debates about medical decisions or timing; those require clinical facts, consent, law, wisdom, and prayer. Christian proclamation can name death as an enemy and resurrection as hope while giving grief its full human weight.
Anchor passage
John.11.39
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 2 shows a ruler's death changing circumstances while danger and guidance continue.
- Luke 7 places approaching death within compassionate concern that crosses social boundaries.
- John 11 names bodily death honestly before displaying Jesus' grief and life-giving authority.
- Hebrews 11 remembers Joseph's final words as covenant hope extending beyond his lifetime.
- Scripture calls death an enemy without treating grief, medicine, or lament as failures of faith.
- Christ's resurrection grounds hope while leaving the timing and manner of individual dying under creaturely limits.
G5053 is a Greek verb related to reaching an end and commonly used in the New Testament for dying. Tense and context locate a completed death, an approaching end, or a reported life conclusion; the verb itself does not specify cause.
From Old to New Testament
Old Testament narratives speak directly of ancestors and rulers dying while carrying promises across generations. New Testament uses of G5053 continue that plain mortality language and sit beside Jesus' compassion, resurrection signs, apostolic hope, and honest grief.
Canonical parallelPastoral application