Word study
Necessary
4 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “necessary”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “necessary” or one of its forms.
Compare the Greek words side by side
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἀναγκαῖος anankaîosnecessary, essentialtranslated this way 5 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G316Adjective · Translated: necessary 4, close 1, indispensable 1, more necessary 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you beforehand and make arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. This way, your gift will be prepared generously and not begrudgingly.
- ἀνάγκη anánkēnecessity, constraint, compulsiontranslated this way 4 times of its 17 uses · Strong’s G318Noun · Translated: necessary 4, must 2, need 2, distress 2Full study and all 17 verses →
Romans 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority , not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.
Hebrews 9:16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to establish the death of the one who made it,
- δεῖ deîit is necessary, inevitabletranslated this way 2 times of its 98 uses · Strong’s G1163Verb · Translated: must 51, ought 11, should 4, you should have 3Full study and all 97 verses →
Luke 24:26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”
Acts 1:21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
- χρεία chreíaneed, necessity, businesstranslated this way 1 time of its 48 uses · Strong’s G5532Noun · Translated: need 32, needs 11, needed 2, necessary 1Full study and all 46 verses →
Luke 10:42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Short definition: Dodson Greek Lexicon (2010, public domain). Full entry: G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922, public domain). Strong’s Greek Dictionary (1890) in the edition by Ulrik Sandborg-Petersen (CC0). These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.