Word study
Worthy
1 Hebrew and 6 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “worthy”. 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 “worthy” or one of its forms.
Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- מִשְׁפָּט mishpâṭjudgmenttranslated this way 3 times of its 406 uses · Strong’s H4941Noun · Translated: justice 111, ordinances 73, judgments 40, judgment 40Full study and all 394 verses →
Deuteronomy 21:22 If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a tree,
Jeremiah 26:11 Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man is worthy of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears!”
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἄξιος áxiosworthy, worthy of, deservingtranslated this way 32 times of its 40 uses · Strong’s G514Adjective · Translated: worthy 32, keeping 2, deserve 2Full study and all 39 verses →
Matthew 10:10 Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.
Luke 7:4 They came to Jesus and pleaded with Him earnestly, “This man is worthy to have You grant this,
- ἀξίως axíōsworthily, in a manner worthy oftranslated this way 6 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G516Adverb · Translated: manner worthy 6Full study and all 6 verses →
Romans 16:2 Welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her with anything she may need from you. For she has been a great help to many people, including me.
Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:
- ἱκανός hikanóssufficient, worthy, many, muchtranslated this way 5 times of its 38 uses · Strong’s G2425Adjective · Translated: worthy 5, large 5, many 5, long 4Full study and all 38 verses →
Matthew 3:11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Mark 1:7 And he proclaimed: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
- ἀξιόω axióōI account or treat as worthytranslated this way 4 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s G515Verb · Translated: consider myself worthy 1, thought it best 1, consider 1, count you worthy 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Luke 7:7 That is why I did not consider myself worthy to come to You. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
2 Thessalonians 1:11 To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of faith,
- καταξιόω kataxióōI deem worthytranslated this way 3 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s G2661Verb · Translated: counted worthy 2, considered worthy 1Full study and all 3 verses →
Luke 20:35 But those who are considered worthy to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.
Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
- εὐλογητός eulogētósworthy of praise, blessedtranslated this way 3 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G2128Adjective · Translated: Blessed 5, worthy of praise 3Full study and all 8 verses →
Romans 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.
2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not lying.
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. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. 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.