ἐπαγγ-έλλω G1861
To promise (especially of God's solemn, covenantal pledges); secondarily, to profess or lay claim to something.
In the NT, ἐπαγγέλλομαι is overwhelmingly the word for divine promise — God's covenantal commitments to Abraham and his descendants, the promise of eternal life, the Holy Spirit, and the coming kingdom. Paul builds major theological arguments on what God 'promised' (Rom 4:21; Gal 3:19; Heb 6:13; 10:23; 11:11), and the related noun ἐπαγγελία is one of the great NT theological terms. A minor but distinct usage appears in the Pastorals, where it means to profess or lay public claim to something — women professing godliness (1 Tim 2:10) or those professing knowledge (1 Tim 6:21).
Senses
1. promise (divine or solemn commitment) — The dominant sense: to promise, especially of God's solemn covenantal commitments. Covers God's promise to Abraham (Acts 7:5; Rom 4:21; Heb 6:13), the promise of eternal life (Titus 1:2; 1 John 2:25), and the promised Holy Spirit (Gal 3:19). Spanish 'ha prometido' and French 'promettre' correspond directly. Mark 14:11 applies the word to Judas's co-conspirators promising him money — the only non-divine promise in the NT usage. The verb's middle voice emphasizes the promiser's personal commitment. 13×
AR["قد-وُعِدَ", "واعِدينَ", "وَاعِد", "وَعَدَ", "وَعَدَ-بِهِ", "وَعَدَنا", "وَعَدَهُ", "وَعَدُوا"]·ben["তিনি-প্রতিজ্ঞা-করেছিলেন,", "তিনি-প্রতিজ্ঞা-করেছেন", "প্রতিজ্ঞা-করলেন", "প্রতিজ্ঞা-করে", "প্রতিজ্ঞা-করেছিলেন", "প্রতিজ্ঞা-করেছেন", "প্রতিজ্ঞা-দেওয়া-হয়েছে,", "প্রতিশ্রুতি-দিলেন", "প্রতিশ্রুতি-দেয়"]·DE["verheissen", "ἐπηγγείλατο"]·EN["having-promised", "he-has-promised", "he-promised", "it-has-been-promised", "promised", "promising"]·FR["promettre"]·heb["הִבְטִיחַ", "הִבְטִיחוּ", "הֻבְטַח", "מַבְטִיחִים", "מַבְטִיחַ"]·HI["प्रतिज्ञा-करते-हुए,", "प्रतिज्ञा-करने-वाला;", "प्रतिज्ञा-करने-वाले।", "प्रतिज्ञा-की", "प्रतिज्ञा-की-है", "वअद-किय-गय,", "वचन-दिय", "वादा-करते-हुए", "वायदा-किया"]·ID["Dia-janjikan", "Ia-berjanji,", "berjanji", "dijanjikan", "dijanjikan,", "menjanjikan", "menjanjikan,", "menjanjikan.", "setelah-berjanji", "telah-berjanji;"]·IT["epeggeilanto", "promettere"]·jav["dipunjanjekaken,", "ingkang-sampun-prajanji", "janji", "njanjikaken", "njanjikaken,", "sami-janji", "sampun-dijanjèkaken", "sampun-dipun-janjekaken,", "sampun-janji", "sampun-prajanji", "sampun-prasetya"]·KO["그-가-약속하셨다", "약속되었느니라,", "약속하며,", "약속하셨다", "약속하셨으니", "약속하신-이가", "약속하신-이를", "약속하였다", "약속했다"]·PT["foi-feita-a-promessa", "prometendo", "prometeram", "prometeu", "que-prometeu", "tendo-prometido"]·RU["Обещавшего", "Обещавший", "Он-обещал", "обещавший", "обещал", "обещано", "обещающие", "пообещали"]·ES["ha-prometido", "ha-sido-prometido", "habiendo-prometido", "prometiendo", "prometieron", "prometió", "que-prometió"]·SW["aliahidi", "aliahidiwa", "alichoahidi", "alituahidi", "aliyeahidi", "ameahidi", "wakamwahidi", "wakiwaahidi"]·TR["söz-verdiler", "vaat-eden", "vaat-edeni", "vaat-edenler", "vaat-edildi", "vaat-etti", "vadetmişti"]·urd["اُس-نے-وعدہ-کیا-تھا", "وعدہ-دیتے-ہوئے،", "وعدہ-کرنے-والا", "وعدہ-کرنے-والے", "وعدہ-کرنے-والے-کو", "وعدہ-کیا", "وعدہ-کیا-گیا-تھا", "وعدہ-کیا-ہے"]
2. profess, claim, lay claim to — A secondary sense: to profess, make a public claim, or lay claim to a quality. Found only in the Pastoral Epistles — women 'professing godliness' through good works (1 Tim 2:10) and those who by 'professing' knowledge have swerved from the faith (1 Tim 6:21). Spanish 'profesando' and 'que profesan' capture this well. Unlike sense 1, the focus is not on a future commitment but on a present public declaration about oneself, closer to the classical Greek usage of making an announcement or claim. 2×
AR["إِذِ-ادَّعَوْها", "يَدَّعينَ"]·ben["দাবি-করে,", "প্রতিজ্ঞাকারী"]·DE["verheissen"]·EN["professing"]·FR["promettre"]·heb["מַבְטִיחִים", "מַבְטִיחוֹת"]·HI["दव-करते-हुए", "दव-करने-वअलि"]·ID["mengaku", "yang-mengaku"]·IT["promettere"]·jav["ngaku", "ngaku,"]·KO["공언하는-자들에게", "공언하며,"]·PT["professando", "que-professam"]·RU["исповедующим", "исповедуя"]·ES["profesando", "que-profesan"]·SW["wakidai", "wanaodai"]·TR["iddia-eden", "iddiasında-olanlar"]·urd["دعوٰی-کرتے-ہوئے", "دعوٰی-کرنے-والی"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐπαγγ-έλλω, aorist passive -ηγγέλθηνRefs—tell, proclaim, announce, Refs 8th c.BC+; especially proclaim by authority, notify publicly, ἐ. [τὴν ἐκεχειρίαν] Refs 5th c.BC+:— passive, to be proclaimed, Refs 5th c.BC+; βουλῆς -θείσης a meeting having been summoned, Refs 2nd c.AD+:—middle, cause proclamation to be made, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 give orders, command, absolutely, Refs: c.accusative et…