γεύω G1089
To taste; literally of eating or drinking, figuratively of experiencing something firsthand, especially death or divine grace.
At its root γεύομαι means simply to taste food or drink, but in the NT it is far more often used figuratively — to experience or come to know something by personal encounter. The expression 'taste death' (Matt 16:28; John 8:52; Heb 2:9) became a vivid idiom for undergoing death, preserved across languages from Spanish 'gustar' to German 'schmecken.' The literal sense appears at key narrative moments: Jesus tasting soured wine on the cross (Matt 27:34) and the master of the feast tasting water turned to wine at Cana (John 2:9). Both senses share the core image of direct, firsthand contact.
Senses
1. experience, come to know — The figurative sense: to experience or partake of something personally and directly, especially used in the idiom 'taste death' (Matt 16:28; Mark 9:1; Heb 2:9), meaning to undergo death. Also applied to tasting 'the heavenly gift' and 'the goodness of the Lord' (Heb 6:4-5; 1 Pet 2:3). Spanish 'gustar' and French 'goûter' preserve the same metaphorical extension from physical taste to experiential knowledge. The figurative usage accounts for two-thirds of NT occurrences. 10×
AR["الَّذينَ-ذَاقوا", "ذَاقوا", "ذُقتُم", "سَيَذُوقُ", "نَذُوقَ", "يَذوق", "يَذوقوا", "يَذوقَ", "يَذُوقُوا", "يَذُوقُونَ"]·ben["আস্বাদ-করেন", "আস্বাদন-করবে", "আস্বাদন-করিতে", "তোমরা-স্বাদ-পেয়েছ", "যারা-আস্বাদ-করেছিল", "স্বাদ-নেবে"]·DE["kostet", "schmecken"]·EN["having-tasted", "he-might-taste", "he-will-taste", "shall-taste", "to-taste", "will-taste", "you-tasted"]·FR["goûter"]·heb["טְעַמְתֶּם", "טָעֲמוּ", "יִטְעֲמוּ", "יִטְעַם", "לִטְעֹם"]·HI["चखना", "चखे", "चखे-हुए", "चखेंगे", "चखेइनगे", "चखेगा", "तुमने-चखा-है"]·ID["Ia-mengecap", "akan-mencicipi", "akan-merasakan", "ia-merasakan", "kamu-telah-merasakan", "mencicipi,", "merasakan", "yang-mengecap"]·IT["gustare"]·jav["badhé-ngraosaken", "ngicipi", "ngraosaken", "panjenengan-ngraos", "raos,", "sampun-ngicipi"]·KO["맛보시려-함이니", "맛보았으면", "맛보지", "맛보지-못할-것이다", "맛보지-않겠다고", "맛보지-않을-것이다", "맛본-자들이고"]·PT["provará", "provarão", "provasse", "provastes", "que-provaram"]·RU["вкусивших", "вкусил", "вкусили", "вкусит", "вкусят", "не-вкушать"]·ES["gustara", "gustarán", "gustasteis", "probar", "probará", "que-gustaron"]·SW["aionje", "ataonja", "kuonja", "mmeonja", "onja", "walioonja", "wataonja"]·TR["tadacak", "tadacaklar", "tadanları", "tatmamak", "tatmayacak", "tatsın", "tattıysanız"]·urd["تم-نے-چکھا", "چکھنا", "چکھنے-والوں", "چکھیں-گے", "چکھے", "چکھے-گا"]
2. taste physically, eat — The literal, physical sense of tasting or eating food and drink. At Matt 27:34 Jesus tastes the soured wine but refuses to drink; at John 2:9 the master of the feast tastes the water-become-wine. Acts 10:10 and 20:11 use it for taking a meal, and Col 2:21 quotes ascetic prohibitions: 'do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.' The multilingual glosses here — Spanish 'gustes,' 'habiendo gustado' — track the same concrete, sensory meaning. 5×
AR["أَنْ-يَذُوقَ", "تَذُقْ", "ذَاقَ"]·ben["আস্বাদন-করলেন", "আস্বাদন-করে", "খেতে", "খেয়ে", "স্বাদ-নাও!"]·DE["kostet", "schmecken"]·EN["having-tasted", "taste", "tasted", "to-taste"]·FR["goûter"]·heb["טָעַם", "לֶאֱכֹל", "תִּטְעַם"]·HI["खाकर", "खाना", "चखकर", "चखा", "चखो"]·ID["kecap!", "makan", "mencicipi"]·IT["gustare"]·jav["dhahar,", "ngicipi", "ngraosaken", "sampun-nedha,", "sasampunipun-nyicipi,"]·KO["맛보고", "맛보기-를", "맛보았다", "맛보지-말라", "먹은-후에"]·PT["proves", "provou", "tendo-provado", "tendo-provado,"]·RU["вкусив,", "вкушай", "есть", "попробовав", "попробовал"]·ES["comiendo", "gustes", "habiendo-gustado", "probar", "probó"]·SW["akionja", "alionja", "kula,", "uonje"]·TR["tadınca", "tat", "tatmayı", "tattı"]·urd["مت-چشو", "چکھ-کر", "چکھا", "کھانا"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
γεύω, future γεύσω Refs 4th c.BC+: aorist ἔγευσα Refs 5th c.BC+: —middle, future γεύσομαι Refs 8th c.BC+: aorist ἐγευσάμην Refs; γεύσεται, -σόμεθα, Epic dialect for -ηται, -ώμεθα, Refs 8th c.BC+: 3rd.pers. plural optative γευσαίατο Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect γέγευμαι Refs 4th c.BC+: pluperfect ἐγέγευντο Refs 5th c.BC+:—give a taste of, γλυκὺν γεύσας τὸν αἰῶνα Refs 5th c.BC+ __II middle, γεύομαι,…