πορ-εύω G4198
To go, proceed, travel; figuratively: to walk or conduct oneself in a manner of life
The standard Greek verb for purposeful movement from one place to another, poreuomai appears across the New Testament in commands, narratives, and theological metaphors alike. Jesus sends the Magi away with 'go (poreuthentes) and search diligently for the child' (Matt 2:8), and the Great Commission hinges on the same participle: 'go (poreuthentes) and make disciples' (Matt 28:19). Beyond literal travel, the word carries a rich figurative load inherited from Septuagintal usage, describing how one 'walks' through life — Zechariah and Elizabeth 'walking (poreuomenoi) in all the commandments of the Lord' (Luke 1:6). The journey sense emerges in narratives of extended travel, particularly in Acts, where Paul's Damascus road experience is framed by the verb three separate times (Acts 9:3; 22:6; 26:13), turning a geographical route into a theological turning point.
2. walk, conduct oneself (figurative) — A figurative extension meaning to walk, conduct oneself, or live in a certain manner — 8 occurrences where physical motion becomes a metaphor for moral or spiritual behavior. Luke 1:6 provides the paradigm: Zechariah and Elizabeth 'were walking in all the commandments.' In the epistles, the sense turns darker: unbelievers 'walked in licentiousness' (1 Pet 4:3), false teachers 'walk after the flesh' (2 Pet 2:10), and scoffers 'walk according to their own lusts' (2 Pet 3:3; Jude 1:16). This mirrors the Septuagint's use of poreuomai to translate Hebrew halakh in its ethical-behavioral sense, a connection visible when Korean salmda ('to live') replaces gada ('to go'). 8×
amh["ሄዱ","የሚሄዱ"]·AR["سائِرينَ","سالكون","سالِكينَ","سلكوا","سَائِرَةً","سَالِكَيْنِ"]·ben["গমন-করল","চলছিল","চলছিলেন","চলমান","চলে","যায়"]·ces["chodící","šli"]·dan["gik-de,","vandrende,","vandrende;"]·DE["gehen","geht","gingen-sie","wandelnd"]·ell["επορεύθησαν,","πορευόμενοι,","πορευόμενοι·"]·EN["going","having-walked","they-went","walking"]·FR["aller","ils-allèrent,","marchant,","marchant;"]·guj["ચાલનારા,","ચાલનારા;","ચાલ્યા,"]·hat["mache"]·hau["sun-bi","suna-tafiya"]·heb["הַהוֹלְכִים","הוֹלְכִים","הוֹלֶכֶת","הולכים","הלכו","שֶׁהָלְכוּ"]·HI["चलती-हुई","चलते-हुए","चलने-वाले","चलनेवाले","चले"]·hun["jártak","járók"]·ID["berjalan","berjalan,","hidup","mereka-berjalan","sambil-berjalan"]·IT["andare","camminando","camminarono"]·jav["kang-mlampah","lumampah","mlampah,","sampun-lumampah"]·JA["彼らは歩んだ","歩む者たち","歩んでいる者たち"]·KO["가며","가며,","행하는","행하는-자들을,","행하는-자들이요","행하였고","행하였던"]·mar["चालणारे,","चालणारे;","चालले,"]·mya["လျှောက်လှမ်းလျက်","သွားခဲ့ကြ"]·nld["wandelende","zijn-zij-gegaan"]·nor["gikk-de","vandrende"]·pnb["ٹُر-پئے","ٹُرن-والے"]·pol["chodzący","poszli"]·PT["andando","andaram","tendo-andado"]·ron["au-mers,","umblând,","umblând;"]·RU["идущая","пошли","ходившие","ходящие","ходящих"]·ES["andando","caminando","fueron","habiendo-andado"]·SW["ikienda","mkitembea","wakienenda","wakitembea","walienda"]·swe["gick","vandrande"]·tam["நடக்கிறவர்கள்","நடந்தார்கள்"]·tel["నడిచిరి","నడుచుచు","నడుచుచున్నారు"]·tgl["lumakad","lumalakad"]·TH["เดินไป"]·TR["gidenler","yürüdüler,","yürüyen","yürüyenler,","yürüyenler;","yürüyerek"]·ukr["пішли","ходячи"]·urd["چلتی-ہوئی","چلتے-ہوئے","چلتے-ہوئے،","چلنے-والوں،","چلنے-والے","چلے"]·VI["bước-đi","họ-đã-đi"]·yor["tí-wọ́n-ń-rìn,","tí-wọ́n-ń-rìn;","wọ́n-rìn,"]·yue["行-咗","行-緊"]·ZH["他们行走了","行事的"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. go, proceed (physical movement) — The core sense of physical movement — to go, proceed, depart, or move from one location to another — accounting for 139 of 154 occurrences. This covers imperatives ('go your way,' Matt 2:8; 8:9; 9:13), narrative movement ('he went into a village,' Luke 10:38), and travel within a scene. Spanish ir, French aller, German gehen, and Korean gada all converge on this straightforward motion meaning. The aorist passive participle poreutheis ('having gone') functions as a standard narrative transition marker throughout the Gospels and Acts. 139×
AR["إِذْ-ذَهَبَ","اذهَبا","اذهَبنَ","اذهَبوا","اذْهَبُوا","اذْهَبْ","اِذهَبوا","اِذْهَبُوا","اِذْهَبْ","ذاهِبينَ","ذَاهِبًا","ذَاهِبَةً","ذَاهِبِينَ","ذَهَبَ","مُنْطَلِقينَ","يَذْهَبُ"]·ben["গিয়ে","গিয়ে,"]·DE["gehen","geht"]·EN["Going","Having-gone","going","having-gone"]·FR["aller"]·heb["הָלְכ-וּ","הָלְכָה","הָלְכוּ","הָלַךְ","הֹלֵךְ","הוֹלְכִים","הוֹלֵךְ","לְכ-וּ","לְכוּ","לֵךְ","לֵכ-וּ","לֵכוּ"]·HI["जअकर","जकर","जाकर"]·ID["Pergilah","Pergilah,","pergi","pergilah","setelah-pergi"]·IT["andare"]·jav["Sasampunipun-késah","Tindak,","Tindaka","Tindaka,","kesah","késah","sasampunipun-késah","tindak","tindak,","tindaka"]·KO["가서"]·PT["Indo","Tendo-ido","indo","tendo-ido","tendo-ido,"]·RU["Пойдя","Шедшие","пойдя","пойдя,","пошедши","пошедшие"]·ES["Habiendo-ido","Yendo","habiendo-ido","yendo"]·SW["-","Mkienda","Nendeni","Nendeni,","akaenda","akienda","lakini","nenda","nendeni","tukienda","ukienda","wakienda"]·TR["Gidip","Gidip,","giderek","gidip","gidip,"]·urd["جا-کر","جاکر"]
Matt 2:8, Matt 2:20, Matt 8:9, Matt 9:13, Matt 11:4, Matt 17:27, Matt 18:12, Matt 21:6, Matt 22:15, Matt 25:16, Matt 26:14, Matt 27:66 (+38 more)
3. journey, travel (extended trip) — An emphasis on the journey or extended travel itself — 7 occurrences where the focus is on the process of traversing a route or undertaking a trip rather than simple directional movement. Paul 'journeying' toward Damascus (Acts 9:3; 22:6; 26:13), Jesus traveling through villages en route to Jerusalem (Luke 13:22), and the Ethiopian eunuch 'going on his way' after baptism (Acts 8:39) all foreground the traveling experience. German reisen and Spanish viajar occasionally surface in translations here, distinguishing the journey frame from the simple 'go' of sense 1. 7×
AR["السَّائِرِينَ","ذاهِبًا","سَائِرًا","سَيْرِ","سَيْرِهِمْ","سِرْنَا"]·ben["আমরা-যাচ্ছিলাম","গিয়ে","যাইতেছিলদেরকে","যাওয়ার","যাত্রাকারী","যেতে"]·DE["gehen","geht"]·EN["going","having-gone","traveling","we-were-journeying"]·FR["aller"]·heb["בְּלֶכְתִּי","הָלַךְ","הָלַכְנוּ","הוֹלְכִים","לֶכֶת","לָלֶכֶת"]·HI["चलतेहुए।","चले","जाकर","जाते-समय","जाते-हुए"]·ID["berjalan","kami-pergi","pergi","perjalanan","sedang-pergi,","yang-pergi."]·IT["andare"]·jav["ingkang-mlampah.","kang-késah","kang-késah,","lumampah,","nalika-késah,","tindak","tindak,"]·KO["가는-동안","가는-자들을","가는-중에","가셔서","가실-때에","우리가-갔다"]·PT["ir","tendo-ido","tendo-ido,","viajando.","viajávamos,"]·RU["идти","идущему","идущих","мы-шли,","сойдя","сойдя,"]·ES["habiendo-ido","ir","yendo","íbamos"]·SW["akienda","alienda","kusafiri","nilipokuwa-nikisafiri","tulikwenda","waliokuwa-wakisafiri"]·TR["gidenlerin","giderek","giderken","giderlerken","gitmekte","yola-koyulduk"]·urd["جا-کر،","جاتے-ہوئے","جانے","چل-پڑے","چلتے-ہوئے","چلنے-والوں-پر","گیا"]
Related Senses
H3212 1. go, depart, travel (884×)H1980 1. to go, travel (Qal) (283×)H1980 2. to walk in conduct (Qal) (132×)G0565 1. go away, depart physically (112×)H3212 2. walk in, follow a way (79×)G5217 1. go, proceed (78×)H1980 3. to walk about, traverse (Hitpael) (63×)H5162 1. comfort, console (Piel) (51×)G4043 1. conduct oneself, live (48×)G4043 2. walk physically (47×)H5162 2. relent, repent, change mind (Nifal) (35×)G3340 1. repent, change one's mind (34×)H1980 4. to walk habitually (Piel) (30×)H4546 1. highway, raised road (25×)H5637 1. be stubborn, rebellious (17×)G0391 1. conduct, way of life, behavior (13×)H3212 4. lead, bring, cause to go (13×)G1485 1. custom, habit, established practice (12×)H5162 3. be comforted, receive comfort (Nifal) (10×)G0390 1. conduct oneself, live (7×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
πορ-εύω, future -σωRefs 5th c.BC+aorist ἐπόρευσα, poetry πόρευσα Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive and middle, future πορεύσομαι LXX+5th c.BC+aorist ἐπορευσάμην (only compounds ἐν-, προ-, Refs 5th c.BC+, etc.: perfect πεπόρευμαι Refs 5th c.BC+:(πόρος): __I active, make to go, carry, convey, by land or water, τινα Refs 6th c.BC+: with doubleaccusative, carry or ferry over, [Νέσσος] ποταμὸν.. Βροτοὺς μισθοῦ…