Word study
Presume
4 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: presume, presuming. 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 “presume” or one of its forms.
Compare the Greek words side by side
Greek words (New Testament)
- δοκέω dokéōI think, seem, appear, it seemstranslated this way 2 times of its 62 uses · Strong’s G1380Verb · Translated: think 17, thinks 6, thought 5, seems 4Full study and all 61 verses →
Matthew 3:9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
John 5:39 You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me,
- τολμάω tolmáōI dare, endure, am boldtranslated this way 2 times of its 14 uses · Strong’s G5111Verb · Translated: dare 6, dared 4, presume 2, boldly 1Full study and all 14 verses →
Romans 15:18 I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed,
Jude 1:9 But even the archangel Michael, when he disputed with the devil over the body of Moses, did not presume to bring a slanderous charge against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
- νομίζω nomízōI think, supposetranslated this way 2 times of its 15 uses · Strong’s G3543Verb · Translated: think 3, assumed 3, presuming 2Full study and all 15 verses →
Acts 14:19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.
Acts 16:27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped.
- λογίζομαι logízomaiI reckon, count, decidetranslated this way 1 time of its 40 uses · Strong’s G3049Verb · Translated: credited 11, consider 4, think 2, regarded 2Full study and all 39 verses →
2 Corinthians 10:2 I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh.
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.