What does ἀπατάω (apatáō) mean in the Bible?
ἀπατάω (apatáō) is a Greek word meaning "to trick".
Greek · G538
ἀπατάω
To trick
Reading a lexicon entry
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ἀπατάωG538
Pronunciationapatáō
What does ἀπατάω (apatáō) mean in the Bible?
ἀπατάω (apatáō) is a Greek word meaning "to trick".
Full entry for ἀπατάω (G538) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G538?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [who] was deceived (1), deceive (1), he deceives (1).
Where does ἀπατάω (apatáō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Ephesians 5:6. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Timothy (1), Ephesians (1), James (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[who] was deceived1×1 Timothy 2:14
deceive1×Ephesians 5:6
he deceives1×James 1:26
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowEphesians 5:6
Aligned rows3
Books represented3
Ephesians11 Timothy1James1
Source forms
ἀπατάτω1xapatatōEphesians 5:6
ἀπατῶν1xapatōnJames 1:26
ἠπατήθη1xēpatēthē1 Timothy 2:14
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular1x1 Timothy 2:14
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xEphesians 5:6
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular1xJames 1:26
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to trick
Strong'sG538
Lexical occurrences3 versesGreek text appearances4 timesWord forms3 forms3 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
to trick
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.
Ephesians 5:6Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Imperative
ἀπατάτωapatatw
I deceive, lead into error
Read verse1 Timothy 2:14Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Indicative
ἠπατήθη,hpathqh
I deceive, lead into error
Read verse1 Timothy 2:14Verb Aorist Passive Participle Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀπατηθεῖσαapathqeisa
I deceive, lead into error
Read verseJames 1:26Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀπατῶνapatwn
I deceive, lead into error
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 forms3TensesPresent, AoristVoicesActive, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Imperativecommand or strong request1×
Present ActiveEph 5:61×
Indicativestates a fact or reality1×
Aorist Passive1 Tim 2:141×
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality1×
Present ActiveJas 1:261×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 3 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present2aorist1
Voice
active2passive1
Mood
indicative1imperative1participle1
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)
Word Origins
ἀπατάω is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.
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.