ἐρῶ G2046
To say, speak, or tell; used actively of declaring something and passively in prophetic fulfillment formulas ('what was spoken').
A versatile verb of speech encompassing both active declaration and passive citation. In its active voice, it covers the full range of saying, telling, and speaking — Jesus' direct commands, parables, and promises all employ this word. Its passive forms are especially prominent in Matthew's prophetic fulfillment formulas ('that which was spoken through the prophet'), where the emphasis shifts from the speaker to the authoritative utterance itself. The Spanish 'diga/dirá' and German 'sagen/spricht' capture this same everyday-yet-weighty quality of speech.
Senses
1. to say, speak, tell — The primary active sense: to say, speak, or tell something to someone. This covers every active-voice occurrence — declarations, commands, predictions, and dialogues. In Matt 21:3 Jesus instructs the disciples to say 'The Lord needs them,' and in Matt 7:22 it appears in eschatological declaration. The breadth of inflected forms (future, perfect, aorist) shows this was the workhorse verb of spoken communication. 66×
AR["سَيَقولُ","سَيَقُولُ","قالَ","قَالَ","يَقولُ","يَقُولَ","يَقُولُ"]·ben["তিনি-বলবেন","না","বলবে","বলবেন","বলেছেন"]·DE["sagen","spricht"]·EN["has-told","he-has-said","he-will-say","will-he-say","will-say","will-speak"]·FR["dire"]·heb["אָמַר","יֹאמַר"]·HI["उसने-कहा","कहा-है","कहेगा","कहेगी"]·ID["Dia-akan-berkata","Dia-berkata","Ia-akan-berkata","Ia-berkata","akan-berkata","berkata","ia-akan-berkata"]·IT["dire"]·jav["Panjenenganipun-badhé-ngandika,","Panjenenganipun-ngandika","Panjenenganipun-sampun-ngandika:","badhe-matur","badhé-matur","badhé-ngandika","badhé-ngendika","panjenenganipun-badhe-ngendika","piyambakipun-ngucapaken","sampun-ngandika","satunggaling-tiyang-badhé-ngandika"]·KO["말씀하셨다","말씀하실-것이다","말하리라","말하리오","말하리요","말하면","말하지","말할-것이니","말할-것이다"]·PT["diga","dirá","disse-me","disse:"]·RU["-создавшему","скажет","сказал"]·ES["diga","dirá","ha-dicho","le-dirá","me-ha-dicho"]·SW["Kwa-nini","akuambie","ameniambia","amesema:","atasema","atawaambia","itasema"]·TR["amin-","dedi","demiştir","diyecek","söyledi","söyleyecek"]·urd["کہا-ہے","کہے","کہے-گا","کہے-گی"]
Matt 7:22, Matt 13:30, Matt 17:20, Matt 21:3, Matt 21:25, Matt 25:34, Matt 25:40, Matt 25:41, Mark 11:31, Luke 4:23, Luke 12:10, Luke 12:19 (+38 more)
2. that which was spoken — The passive sense used in prophetic fulfillment and quotation formulas: 'that which was spoken' or 'it was said.' Heavily concentrated in Matthew (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 3:3), this usage frames Old Testament prophecy as divinely delivered speech now finding its target. The passive construction elevates the utterance itself — it is not merely someone's words but an authoritative declaration now being fulfilled. French 'dire' and German 'spricht' both preserve the root speech sense even in these formulaic contexts. 31×
AR["المَذْكُورُ","المَقولَ","المَقولَةَ","المَقولُ","المَقُولُ","الْمَقُولُ","قِيلَ","مَا-قِيلَ","مَقولُ","مَقولِ","مَقُولُ","وَ-قِيلَ"]·ben["কথিত","কথিত-হয়েছিল","বলা","বলা-হয়েছিল","বলা-হয়েছিল,","বলা-হয়েছে","বলা-হয়েছে-যা"]·DE["spricht"]·EN["It-was-said","having-been-said","having-been-spoken","it-was-said","spoken"]·FR["dire"]·heb["הַ-","הַנֶּאֱמָר","הָאָמוּר","נֶּאֱמָר","נֶאֱמַר","נֶאֱמָר"]·HI["-भविष्यवक्ता","कह-हुअ","कहा-गया","कहा-गया-है","कहा-हुआ"]·ID["Dikatakan","difirmankan","dikatakan","yang-dikatakan"]·IT["dire"]·jav["Dipun-ngandikakaken","dipun-ngandikakaken","dipunngendikakaken","ingkang-dipun-ngandikakaken","ingkang-dipunandika","ingkang-dipunngandikakaken","ingkang-dipunngendikakaken","ingkang-kawicara","kasebat"]·KO["말씀된","말씀된-것이","말씀하셨다","말씀하신","말씀하신-것","말씀하신-것-을","말씀하신-것-이","말씀하신-것이","말씀하신-자","말해진","집작하듯이"]·PT["Foi-dito","dito","foi-dito","que-foi-dito"]·RU["Сказано","речённое","речённую","сказанное","сказанный","сказано"]·ES["Fue-dicho","dicha","dicho","fue-dicho"]·SW["Ilisemwa","aliyesemwa","ilisemwa","iliyosemwa","kupitia","lililosemwa","lilo-semwa","na"]·TR["Söylendi","söylendi","söylenen","söyleneni","söylenmiş-olan","sözü-edilen"]·urd["کہا-گیا","کہا-ہوا","کہی-گئی","کہی-گئی-تھی","کہی-ہوئی"]
3. sense 3 — A single occurrence in John 15:15 where Jesus says 'I have called you friends,' using this verb in a performative, status-conferring declaration rather than simple reporting. The multilingual evidence — English 'I-have-called,' Spanish 'he-llamado' — highlights the naming or designating force, making this a speech-act of relational transformation rather than mere information transfer. 1×
AR["دَعَوْتُ"]·ben["বলেছি"]·DE["sagen"]·EN["I-have-called"]·FR["dire"]·heb["אָמַרְתִּי"]·HI["कहा-है-मैंने"]·ID["Aku-menyebut"]·IT["dire"]·jav["Kawula-nyebat"]·KO["불렀다"]·PT["tenho-chamado"]·RU["назвал-Я"]·ES["he-llamado"]·SW["nimewaita"]·TR["çağırdım"]·urd["کہا ہے"]
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
ἐρῶ, Attic dialect future of εἴρω (B), Refs 5th c.BC+, Ionic dialect and Epic dialect ἐρέω (later as present, Refs 2nd c.BC+; optative ἐροίην Refs 5th c.BC+imperfect ἤρεον (variant{εἴρεον}) Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect active εἴρηκα Refs 5th c.BC+: pluperfect εἰρήκειν Refs 1st c.AD+:—passive, perfect εἴρημαι Refs 8th c.BC+; Ionic dialect 3rd.pers. plural εἰρέαται Refs 5th c.BC+, contraction εἰρῆται…