verb
arnomō
Strong’sG720
I deny, repudiate
stem arn-33 times in the New Testamentin 13 of 27 books21 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
To deny – to say no, to declare that something is not true or not the case, as opposed to affirming it 123. This can be used absolutely, simply meaning to say no, or with a following clause, meaning to deny that something is so 13.
To disown or refuse to acknowledge a person – to deny having any connection with someone, as in refusing to acknowledge Jesus or disowning oneself 1.
To refuse or reject a thing, abjure it – to decline to do something, or to repudiate and turn away from something rather than merely denying a statement about it 13. Strong's likewise brings out this sense of contradicting, disavowing, or rejecting, alongside plain refusal 2.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
ἀρνέομαι, -οῦμαι, depon.,
[in LXX: Ge 18:15 (כּחשׁ pi.), Wi 12:27 16:16 17:10, IV Mac 8:7 10:15*;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G720 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
future -ήσομαιRefs 5th c.BC+ (ἀπ-), NTaorist passive ἠρνήθην frequently in Attic dialect, Refs 5th c.BC+: also aorist middle ἠρνησάμηνRefs 8th c.BC+; rare in Trag. and Attic dialect, Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἤρνημαιRefs 4th c.BC+:—deny, disown, τεὸν ἔπος ἀρνήσασθαιRefs 8th c.BC+; ἀρνούμενοι ἔπαινοι negative praises, Refs 1st c.AD+
2 refuse, τόξον.. δόμεναί τε καὶ ἀρνήσασθαιRefs 8th c.BC+; ἀ. χρείαν decline, renounce a duty or office, Refs 4th c.BC+; ζωὰν ἀ., of a suicide, Refs 3rd c.BC+; ἀ. ἀνθρώπους cast aside humanity, Refs 4th c.AD+
3 absolutely, say No, decline, ὁ δ᾽ ἠρνεῖτο στεναχίζωνRefs 8th c.BC+
4 in expressing denial, with infinitive, either without μή, deny that.., Refs 5th c.BC+; or with μή, say that.. not.., Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐδ᾽ αὐτὸς ἀρνεῖται μὴ οὐ.. Refs 2nd c.AD+; also οὐκ ἂν ἀρνοίμην τὸ δρᾶν Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀ. ὅτι οὐ.., ὡς οὐ.., Refs 5th c.BC+
5 in expressing refusal, with infinitive, ἀ. εἶναι χρηστούςRefs 5th c.BC+: poetry also with participle, οὐ γὰρ εὐτυχῶν ἀρνήσομαιRefs 5th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| arnolōἀρνοῦνται | happening now · theypresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person plural | deny | 1× |
| arnoteἠρνεῖτο | was happening · he/she/itimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | denied | 1× |
| arnemiἀρνήσομαι | will happen · Ifuture middle indicative 1st person singular | deny | 1× |
| arnesiἀρνήσῃ | will happen · youfuture middle indicative 2nd person singular | denied | 1× |
| arnetiἀρνήσεται | will happen · he/she/itfuture middle indicative 3rd person singular | deny | 1× |
| arneniἀρνησόμεθα | will happen · wefuture middle indicative 1st person plural | deny | 1× |
| arnesaἠρνήσω | happened · youaorist middle indicative 2nd person singular | deny | 2× |
| arnetaἠρνήσατο | happened · he/she/itaorist middle indicative 3rd person singular | denied | 8× |
| arnevaἠρνήσασθε | happened · yeaorist middle indicative 2nd person plural | denied | 2× |
| arnelaἠρνήσαντο | happened · theyaorist middle indicative 3rd person plural | rejected | 1× |
| arnotēἤρνηται | has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | denied | 1× |
| arneteiaἀρνήσηταί | happened · he/she/itaorist middle subjunctive 3rd person singular | denies | 1× |
| arnetarἀρνησάσθω | happened · he/she/itaorist middle imperative 3rd person singular | deny | 1× |
| arnorōἀρνεῖσθαι | happening now · the “to …” formpresent middle or passive infinitive | deny | 1× |
| arneraἀρνήσασθαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist middle infinitive | deny | 1× |
| arnorōntosἀρνούμενος | happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative singular masculine | denies | 3× |
| arnorōntoisἀρνούμενοι | happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine | deny | 2× |
| arnorōntoiuἀρνουμένων | happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive plural masculine | denied | 1× |
| arnerantosἀρνησάμενός | happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine | denies | 1× |
| arnerantoisἀρνησάμενοι | happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative plural masculine | denying | 1× |
| arnorēntoisἠρνημένοι | has happened · subjectperfect middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine | denying | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 86, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 20 occurrences
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | arnomō | arnome | arnomē | arnomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | arnosō | arnose | arnosē | arnoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | arnotō | arnote1×ἠρνεῖτο | arnotē1×ἤρνηται | arnotelē |
| we 1st person plural | arnonō | arnone | arnonē | arnonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | arnovō | arnove | arnovē | arnovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | arnolō1×ἀρνοῦνται | arnole | arnolē | arnolelē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | arnemi1×ἀρνήσομαι | arnema |
| you 2nd person singular | arnesi1×ἀρνήσῃ | arnesa2×ἠρνήσω |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | arneti1×ἀρνήσεται | arneta8×ἠρνήσατο |
| we 1st person plural | arneni1×ἀρνησόμεθα | arnena |
| ye 2nd person plural | arnevi | arneva2×ἠρνήσασθε |
| they 3rd person plural | arneli | arnela1×ἠρνήσαντο |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 1 occurrence
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | arnomeiō | arnomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | arnoseiō | arnoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | arnoteiō | arnoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | arnoneiō | arnoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | arnoveiō | arnoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | arnoleiō | arnoleiē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | arnemeia |
| you 2nd person singular | arneseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | arneteia1×ἀρνήσηταί |
| we 1st person plural | arneneia |
| ye 2nd person plural | arneveia |
| they 3rd person plural | arneleia |
Commands — imperative mood, 1 occurrence
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | arnosōr | arnosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | arnotōr | arnotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | arnovōr | arnovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | arnolōr | arnolēr |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | arnesar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | arnetar1×ἀρνησάσθω |
| ye 2nd person plural | arnevar |
| they 3rd person plural | arnelar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | arnomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | arnosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | arnotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | arnonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | arnovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | arnoloiō |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | arnemoia |
| you 2nd person singular | arnesoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | arnetoia |
| we 1st person plural | arnenoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | arnevoia |
| they 3rd person plural | arneloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 2 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | arnorō1×ἀρνεῖσθαι | arnorē | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | arneri | arnera1×ἀρνήσασθαι |
Used as an adjective — participle, 9 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | arnorōntos6×ἀρνούμενος | arnorēntos1× | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | arnerintos | arnerantos2×ἀρνησάμενός |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
arn is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Words built on the same stem
Other words sharing the exact same stem — not merely related in meaning.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
33 occurrences, every one of them listed
arnolō“deny”happening now · theypresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person plural1×
Titus 1:16theon homologalō oidarē, tei de ergei arnolō, bdeluktois arōntois kai apeithois kai pros …… God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and …
arnote“denied”was happening · he/she/itimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
Mark 14:70tos de palin arnote. kai meta mikrem palin tois parastēarēntois …But he denied it again. After a little while …
arnemi“deny”will happen · Ifuture middle indicative 1st person singular1×
Matthew 10:33… an arneteia min emprosthen toiu anthrōpoiu, arnemi kamis auton emprosthen tou patrou mu …… Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.
arnesi“denied”will happen · youfuture middle indicative 2nd person singular1×
John 13:38“denied”… ouk mē alektōros fōnateia heōs hou arnesi min tris.… before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.[’’]
arneti“deny”will happen · he/she/itfuture middle indicative 3rd person singular1×
2 Timothy 2:12… hupomenanō, kai sumbasilani; ei arneni, kakeinos arneti nin;… we deny Him, He will also deny us;
arneni“deny”will happen · wefuture middle indicative 1st person plural1×
2 Timothy 2:12ei hupomenanō, kai sumbasilani; ei arneni, kakeinos arneti nin;… also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;
arnesa“deny”happened · youaorist middle indicative 2nd person singular2×
Revelation 2:13… kratasō tem onomem mu, kai ouk arnesa tan pistian mu kai en tai …… to My name. You did not deny your faith in Me, even in …
Revelation 3:8… tērasa mu ton logon, kai ouk arnesa tem onomem mu.… kept My word and have not denied My name.
arneta“denied”happened · he/she/itaorist middle indicative 3rd person singular8×
Matthew 26:70tos de arneta emprosthen pantoiu legarōntos; Ouk oidamē tinem …But he denied it before them all: “I do …
Matthew 26:72kai palin arneta meta horkou hoti Ouk oidamē ton …And again he denied it with an oath: “I do …
Mark 14:68tos de arneta legarōntos; Oute oidamē oute epistomō sis …But he denied it. “I do not know or …
Luke 22:57tos de arneta legarōntos; Ouk oidamē auton, gunaikar.But Peter denied it. “Woman, I do not know …
John 1:20“deny”kai homologata kai ouk arneta, kai homologata hoti Mis ouk amō …He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”
John 18:25… sis ek toiu mathētoiu autou asō? arneta ekeinos kai legata; Ouk amō.… also one of His disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
John 18:27palin oun arneta Petros; kai eutheōs alektōros fōnata.Peter denied it once more, and immediately a …
Hebrews 11:24pistia Mōusos megos generantos arneta legorō huios thugatrau Faraō,… faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of …
arneva“denied”happened · yeaorist middle indicative 2nd person plural2×
Acts 3:13“denied”… Iēsun, hon vis men paradōava kai arneva kata prosōpem Pilatou, krinarantou ekeinou apoluarō;… His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him.
Acts 3:14“denied”vis de ton hagion kai dikaion arneva kai aiteva andron fonevon charizira vi,You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
arnela“rejected”happened · theyaorist middle indicative 3rd person plural1×
Acts 7:35Houton ton Mōuson, hon arnela legarantois; Tinos sin katastēata archonton kai …This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you …
arnotē“denied”has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
1 Timothy 5:8… malista oikeioiu ouk pronoatō, tan pistian arnotē kai atō apistou cheirōnos.… especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than …
arneteia“denies”happened · he/she/itaorist middle subjunctive 3rd person singular1×
Matthew 10:33hotinos de an arneteia min emprosthen toiu anthrōpoiu, arnemi kamis …But whoever denies Me before men, I will also …
arnetar“deny”happened · he/she/itaorist middle imperative 3rd person singular1×
Luke 9:23… Ei tinos thelatō opisō mu erchorō, arnetar heauton kai airatar ton stauron autou …… to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross …
arnorō“deny”happening now · the “to …” formpresent middle or passive infinitive1×
Acts 4:16… katoikarōntoi Ierousalēm fanerem, kai ouk dunonō arnorō;… occurred through them, and we cannot deny it.
arnera“deny”happened · the “to …” formaorist middle infinitive1×
2 Timothy 2:13ei apistanō, ekeinos pistos menatō; arnera heauton ouk dunotō.… He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
arnorōntos“denies”happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative singular masculine3×
1 John 2:22… atō tos pseustos ei mē tos arnorōntos hoti Iēsus ouk atō tos christos? …… it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This …
1 John 2:22… christos? houtos atō tos antichristos, tos arnorōntos ton patron kai ton huion.… Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:23pantos tos arnorōntos ton huion oude ton patron echatō; …Whoever denies the Son does not have the …
arnorōntois“deny”happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine2×
2 Peter 2:1… apōleiau, kai ton agorazaranton autoin despoton arnorōntois, epagarōntois heautoi tachinan apōleian;… will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them — bringing …
Jude 1:4… despoton kai kurion nu Iēsun Christon arnorōntois.… a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus …
arnorōntoiu“denied”happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive plural masculine1×
Luke 8:45… tos Iēsus; Tinos tos hapterantos mu? arnorōntoiu de pantoiu legata tos Petros; Epistator, …… Me?” Jesus asked. But they all denied it. “Master,” said Peter, “the people …
arnerantos“denies”happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine1×
Luke 12:9tos de arnerantos min enōpion toiu anthrōpoiu aparniti enōpion …But whoever denies Me before men will be denied …
arnerantois“denying”happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative plural masculine1×
Titus 2:12“denying”paideuarōntas nin, hina arnerantois tan asebeian kai tain kosmikain epithumiain …It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to …
arnorēntois“denying”has happened · subjectperfect middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine1×
2 Timothy 3:5… morfōsian eusebeiau tan de dunamian autau arnorēntois; kai houtoin apotreposōr.having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such …