To subordinate; reflexively, to obey
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Hypotassō means to arrange under, submit, or recognize an ordered relationship. Titus applies it to wives in households, enslaved people under masters, and citizens under rulers; First Peter addresses wives whose husbands do not obey the word.
Reader summary
Full entry for ὑποτάσσω (G5293) · Open the biblical lexicon
Hypotassō means to arrange under, submit, or recognize an ordered relationship. Titus applies it to wives in households, enslaved people under masters, and citizens under rulers; First Peter addresses wives whose husbands do not obey the word.
The BSB source-word alignment has 38 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include submit (6), Submit yourselves (5), subject (2), [and] placed (1), [and] submissive (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 2:51. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (9), 1 Peter (6), Romans (6), Hebrews (5).
Hypotassō means to arrange under, submit, or recognize an ordered relationship. Titus applies it to wives in households, enslaved people under masters, and citizens under rulers; First Peter addresses wives whose husbands do not obey the word. These settings are socially and pastorally distinct. The verb never grants unlimited authority, cancels obedience to God, or authorizes abuse.
The same canon commands husbands to love sacrificially and honor wives as co-heirs, masters to answer to the heavenly Master, and believers to obey God rather than people when authorities command evil. Submission is therefore accountable conduct under God's lordship, bounded by truth, justice, and the dignity of every image-bearer.
Hypotassō describes ordered relation in households and public life. Titus and Peter address people navigating marriage, enslavement, and civic authority, but all human ordering remains limited beneath God's authority and ethical commands.
To be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be discredited.
Titus 2:5 includes being subject to one's own husband within a larger vision of reverent, self-controlled household conduct that should not bring reproach upon God's word. It does not command submission to abuse.
Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,
Titus 2:9 tells enslaved believers to be subject to masters and well-pleasing rather than argumentative. The instruction addresses witness within an unjust institution without declaring slavery morally good.
Remind the believers to submit to rulers and authorities, to be obedient and ready for every good work,
Titus 3:1 tells believers to be subject to rulers and authorities, obedient and ready for every good work. Civic order is joined to gentleness and gospel remembrance, not blind compliance with evil.
Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your husbands, so that even if they refuse to believe the word, they will be won over without words by the behavior of their wives
First Peter 3:1 addresses wives, including those married to husbands disobedient to the word. Their conduct may bear witness, while the chapter also commands husbands to honor wives as co-heirs and places all believers under Christ's suffering example.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Military term: to rank under authority; reflexively, to submit oneself willingly to proper order.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 40 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I place under, subject to
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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.
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.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 37 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
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 passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 6 selected witnesses from 38 lexical occurrence verses.
Demonstrates Christ’s voluntary obedience.1 Peter 3:1-7
Emphasizes voluntary alignment under God’s authority.James 4:7–10
Clarifies that submission is voluntary alignment within God’s design, not coerced inferiority.Luke 2:41–52
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Hypotassō has often been detached from the people and pressures addressed in its passages. Titus speaks into households shaped by the ancient world, including slavery, and First Peter addresses wives with unbelieving husbands. The apostles seek faithful witness and ordered conduct without deifying human authority. Elsewhere the same letters require honor, gentleness, sacrificial example, and accountability before God.
Submission is not inferiority, silence, ownership, or permission to harm. A believer may seek safety, report abuse, resist unlawful commands, and obey God above people. Churches must never place the burden of preserving appearances on the vulnerable. Faithful order serves truth and good, recognizes limited offices and responsibilities, and remains accountable to the Lord who judges every authority.
Titus.3.1
Hypotassō combines hypo with tassō and can mean arrange under, subject, submit, or place in an ordered relation. Voice and context matter, especially when the form describes voluntary conduct rather than imposed subjugation.
Israel honors rulers and household obligations while prophets confront kings, protect the oppressed, and insist that obedience to God outranks human command. Jesus defines authority through service rather than domination.