ἔχω G2192
Have, possess; hold fast; be in a state; be pregnant; regard as; neighboring (middle participle)
The Greek verb echo is among the most frequent in the New Testament, appearing over 700 times. At its core it means 'to have' or 'to possess,' but its semantic reach extends far beyond ownership. Combined with adverbs it becomes quasi-copular ('kalos echo' = 'I am well'), with 'en gastri' it means 'to be pregnant,' and in the middle participle echomenos it means 'next' or 'neighboring.' Spanish distinguishes tener (possess) from estar (be in a state), neatly separating the two largest senses. This versatility makes echo one of the workhorses of koine Greek grammar.
1. possess / have — General possession or having (680x) — the overwhelming default sense. Spanish tiene, French avoir, and German haben all map here without ambiguity. Matt 8:20 ('the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head') and Matt 13:12 ('whoever has, to him more will be given') show echo in its most basic possessive function, covering material goods, qualities, relationships, and abstract attributes alike. 680×
AR["لَهُ"]·ben["আছে","আছে;","আছে।"]·DE["haben","hat"]·EN["has","has-it","he-has"]·FR["avoir"]·heb["יֵשׁ","יֵשׁ-לוֹ","יֶשׁ-לוֹ","יֶשׁ־לוֹ","לוֹ","שֶׁיֵּשׁ-לוֹ"]·HI["में","रखत","रखत-है","रखता-है","है","हैं"]·ID["Ia-mempunyai.","Ia-mempunyai;","ada","dia-punya","dimiliki","ia-miliki","ia-punya","memiliki","mempunyai","mempunyai."]·IT["avere"]·jav["dipungadhahi","dipungadhahi,","gadhah","gadhah,","ingkang-dipungadhahi","kagungan","kagungan!","kagungan.","kagungan;","oleh"]·KO["가졌다","가졌다고","가지고-있는","가지고-있다","가지면","가진","가진-것","가진-것도","가진다","있는-것입니까","있다"]·PT["tem","tem.","tem;"]·RU["имеет","имеет."]·ES["tiene"]·SW["alivyo-nacho","alivyo-navyo","ana","ana-pepo!","anacho","anao.","anaye.","anaye;","anayo","hana","ina","mara","mwenye","na","nacho"]·TR["sahip-olan","var","var.","var;","vardır","varsa","yoktur"]·urd["رکھتا","رکھتا-ہے","ہے"]
Matt 5:23, Matt 8:20, Matt 9:6, Matt 11:18, Matt 13:12, Matt 13:12, Matt 13:12, Matt 13:21, Matt 13:27, Matt 13:44, Matt 18:25, Matt 21:3 (+38 more)
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
2. be in a state (quasi-copular) — Quasi-copular 'to be in a state' (9x), where echo plus an adverb expresses condition rather than possession. Spanish estar (not tener) signals this shift clearly. Mark 2:17 ('those who are sick,' kakos echontes) and Mark 5:23 ('my daughter is at the point of death,' eschatos echei) show the verb functioning as 'to be' with an adverbial complement — a well-documented koine Greek idiom. 9×
AR["-","أَنا","أَنَا","أَنْ-يَكُونَ","الَّذينَ-حالُهُم","تَكُونُ","حالُهُم","هِيَ"]·ben["আছি","আছে","আছে-যাদের","আছে?","আছে।","আমি-আছি"]·DE["haben","hat"]·EN["I-have","are","having","is","they-are","to-be"]·FR["avoir"]·heb["אֲנִי","בָּרַע","הֵם","חוֹלִים","יֵשׁ-לָהּ","לִהְיוֹת"]·HI["ताकि","बीमार","मैं-रखता-हूं","रखनेवालों-को","हूँ","हैं","हैं।","होना"]·ID["ada","ada.","adalah","adalah?","aku","aku-adalah","keadaan-mereka","yang-mempunyai","yang-menderita."]·IT["avere"]·jav["ana.","gadhah","gadhah,","kalenggahanipun?","kula-gadhah","nandang.","piyambakipun-gadhah","wonten."]·KO["가진다","나는-가지고-있다","사람들이","있느냐","있는지","있다고","있습니다.","자들이"]·PT["está.","estão.","são","tenho","tenho,"]·RU["есть","имеет","имею","имею,","имеют","имеющие","имеющие."]·ES["estoy","está","están","ser","teniendo","tienen"]·SW["kuwa.","ni","niko","nina","wagonjwa","wako","walio.","yako","yuko."]·TR["-ım","olanların","olanların.","olduğunu","olmak","tasarım","var.","vardır","varlar"]·urd["حال-والے","رکھتے-ہیں","ہونا","ہوں","ہے"]
3. be pregnant (ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχω) — Idiomatic 'to be pregnant' (en gastri echo, 7x), a fixed collocation meaning 'to have in the womb.' Matt 1:18 (Mary 'was found to be with child') and Matt 24:19 ('woe to those who are pregnant') use this phrase. Spanish que tiene(n) and German haben preserve the literal 'have' construction, while the context makes the specialized meaning unmistakable. 7×
AR["-","الحامِلاتِ","الحُبْلى","حالُهُ","حَامِلَاتٍ","حَامِلَةً","سَتَحْمِلُ"]·ben["আছে","থাকা","থেকে","ধারণ-করবে,","ধারণ-করে","ধারণকারীদের"]·DE["haben","hat"]·EN["having","will-have"]·FR["avoir"]·heb["בַּבֶּטֶן","הָיָה","הָרָה","הָרוֹת","נוֹשְׂאוֹת","תַּהֲרֶה"]·HI["धारण-करेगी","रखती-हुई","रखने-वालियों","रखनेवाला","रखनेवालियों","वअलि"]·ID["akan-mengandung,","mengandung","parah","sedang-mengandung","yang-memiliki","yang-mengandung"]·IT["avere"]·jav["badhé-ngandhut,","gadhah","gadhah;","ingkang-gadhah,","ngandhut","sami-gadhah"]·KO["가진-여자에게","가진-자들에게","가질-것이다","있는","있는-자들에게"]·PT["que-tem","que-têm","tendo","terá"]·RU["будет-иметь","имеющая","имеющей","имеющим","имея"]·ES["que-tengan","que-tiene","que-tienen","tendrá","teniendo"]·SW["-","akiwa-na-mimba","aliyekuwa","atakuwa-na-mimba","walio-nazo","wenye"]·TR["olan,","olana","olanlara","taşıyacak","taşıyan","taşıyanlara"]·urd["بیمار","رکھتی","رکھنے-والی","رکھنے-والیوں","رکھنے-والیوں-پر","رکھے-گی","ہونے-والیوں-پر"]
4. hold / grasp / hold fast — To hold, grasp, or hold fast (6x), emphasizing retention or physical grip rather than static possession. Mark 16:8 ('trembling and astonishment held them') and 1Tim 3:9 ('holding the mystery of the faith') show both literal and metaphorical gripping. Spanish ten (imperative 'hold!') and the participial 'holding' in multiple languages distinguish this active, volitional sense. 6×
AR["أَخَذَتْهُنَّ","اِحْفَظْ","اِعْذُرْنِي","تَمَسَّكْ","مُتَمَسِّكينَ"]·ben["ধর","ধরেছিল","ধারণকারী","রাখ"]·DE["haben","hat"]·EN["have","hold","holding","was-holding"]·FR["avoir"]·heb["אָחַז","הֶחֱזַק","הַחֲזֵק","מַחֲזִיקִים"]·HI["पकड़ा-था","रख","रखने-वअले"]·ID["anggaplah","memegang","menguasai","peganglah"]·IT["avere"]·jav["gadhah","gadhaha","gadhahen","panjenengan-gadhah"]·KO["가져라","가졌다","가진","여겨"]·PT["tem","tendo"]·RU["имей","имело","имеющим"]·ES["ten","teniendo","tenme","tenía"]·SW["ilikuwa-imewashika","nisamehe","shika","wakiishikilia","weka"]·TR["kabul-et","tut","tutan","vardı"]·urd["تھی","رکھ","رکھنے-والے"]
5. regard as / consider — To regard as or consider (5x), where echo takes a double accusative or predicate complement. Matt 14:5 ('he held him as a prophet') and Matt 21:26 ('they all hold John as a prophet') show estimation rather than possession. Spanish lo tenian ('they regarded him') preserves the same construction. Phil 2:29 ('hold such people in honor') extends this into ethical exhortation. 5×
AR["اعْتَبِروا","كَانَ-لَهُمْ","كَانُوا-يَحْسِبُونَهُ","يَعتَبِرونَ","يَعتَبِرونَهُ"]·ben["ধরত","মনে-করত","মনে-করে","রাখ"]·DE["haben","hat"]·EN["have","held","hold","they-held","they-were-holding"]·FR["avoir"]·heb["הֶחֱזִיקוּ","הַחֲזִיקוּ,"]·HI["मन्ते-थे","मानते-थे","मानते-हैं","समझो,"]·ID["anggaplah","menganggap","mereka-anggap"]·IT["avere"]·jav["gadhahi","nganggep","nganggep.","sami-nganggep"]·KO["가지라,","여겼다","여기고-있었다","여기다","여긴다"]·PT["tende","tinham","tinham.","têm"]·RU["имейте","имели","почитали","почитали.","почитают"]·ES["lo-tenían","tened","tenían","tienen"]·SW["Iōannēs","waheshimuni","walimhesabu","walimwona"]·TR["sayıyorlardı","tutun","tutuyordu","tutuyorlar","tutuyorlardı"]·urd["رکھو","سمجھتے-تھے","سمجھتے-ہیں"]
6. next / neighboring (middle: ἐχόμενος) — Middle participle echomenos meaning 'next, adjoining, neighboring' (4x). Spanish siguiente/cercanas and German-based glosses mark the spatial or temporal adjacency. Mark 1:38 ('let us go to the neighboring towns'), Luke 13:33 ('the next day'), and Acts 20:15 show this specialized participial form functioning as an adjective entirely detached from the verb's possessive core. 4×
AR["التَّالِي","الْقُرَى-الْمُجَاوِرَةِ"]·ben["কাছের","পরদিন","পরবর্তী"]·DE["haben","hat"]·EN["following","neighboring"]·FR["avoir"]·heb["הַ-בָּא","הַבָּא","סְמוּכוֹת"]·HI["अगले","अगले-दिन","पास-के"]·ID["berikutnya","terdekat"]·IT["avere"]·jav["candhakipun","cedhak","salajengipun"]·KO["다음","다음-","다음-날에","인근의"]·PT["seguinte","vizinhas"]·RU["следующий","соседние"]·ES["cercanas","siguiente"]·SW["inayofuata","siku-inayofuata","za-karibu"]·TR["ertesi","yakındaki"]·urd["اگلے","اگلے-دن","قریب-کے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἔχω, __A2nd pers. singular ἔχεισθα conjecture in Refs 7th c.BC+; 2nd pers. singular subjunctive ἔχῃσθα Refs 8th c.BC+imperfect εἶχον, Epic dialect ἔχον Refs 8th c.BC+, Ionic dialect and poetry ἔχεσκον Refs 8th c.BC+future ἕξω, Epic dialect infinitive ἑξέμεναι Refs 3rd c.BC+ (of momentary action, especially in sense check, see below Refs 4th c.BC+, not found in Attic dialect Inscrr. or Refs; 2nd…