adjective
axios
Strong’sG514
worthy, worthy of, deserving
stem axi-41 times in the New Testamentin 10 of 27 books7 of 26 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
ἄξιος basic sense is of equal weight or value, worth as much as something else 13 — the oldest use, found in comparisons of price or value 3.
From this comes the more common sense worthy, deserving, fitting 124. Applied to people or things, it describes what deserves recognition, honor, or reward — being "worthy of" someone or something, often followed by what the worth is measured against 124. It can also be used in a negative sense, of someone deserving blame or punishment 13. Closely related is the meaning fitting, suitable, appropriate, describing what is proper or due in a given situation, as in what is "meet" or "befitting" 13.
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
ἄξιος, -α, -ον
(< ἄγω, in sense, to weigh), [in LXX for בֵּן (De 25:2), מָלֵא, שָׁוָה; freq. in Wis, II Mac;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G514 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidax'-ee-os
deserving, comparable or suitable (as if drawing praise)
Fromprobably from G71;
King Jamesdue reward, meet, (un-)worthy.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
(ος, ον Refs 4th c.AD+ counterbalancing,Refs: hence properly weighing as much, of like value, worth as much as, with genitive, βοὸς ἄ.Refs 8th c.BC+; νῦν δ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἑνὸς ἄξιοί εἰμεν Ἕκτορος we are not—all together—worth one Hector,Refs 8th c.BC+; so πολλοῦ ἄ. worth much, Refs 5th c.BC+; παντός, τοῦ παντὸς ἄ., Refs 5th c.BC+; παντὸς ἄ., with infinitive, Refs 5th c.BC+; λόγου ἄ., ={ἀξιόλογος}, Refs 5th c.BC+; σπουδῆς, μνήμης ἄ., Refs 6th c.BC+; μείονος, ἐλάττονος ἄ., Refs 5th c.BC+; also εἰς ὀγδοήκοντα μνᾶς ἄ. worth up to a sum of.., Refs 4th c.BC+
2 with dative person, σοὶ δ᾽ ἄξιόν ἐστιν ἀμοιβῆς 'tis worth a return to thee, i.e. will bring thee a return, Refs 8th c.BC+
3 absolutely, worthy, goodly, ἄξια δῶραRefs 8th c.BC+; ἄ. ὦνος a goodly price, Refs 8th c.BC+; ὅθεν κέ τοι ἄξιον ἄλφοι it would bring thee a good price,Refs 5th c.BC+
3.b in Attic dialect in an exactly opposite sense, 'good value for the money', i.e. cheap, Refs 5th c.BC+: comparative,Refs 5th c.BC+
4 deserved, meet, due, δίκηRefs 5th c.BC+; ἄξια δράσας ἄξια πάσχων fit suffering for fit deeds, Refs 5th c.BC+
5 of persons, οἱ ἑωυτοῦ ἄξιοι those of one's own rank, his peers, Refs 5th c.BC+
6 sufficient for, with genitive, ἄ. τοῦ πολέμου τὰ χρήματαRefs 4th c.BC+
7 αἰδοῦς ἀξίαν.. τὴν προθυμίαν μᾶλλον ἢ θράσους more like modesty than rashness, Refs 4th c.BC+
II after Refs 8th c.BC+, in moral relation, worthy, estimable, of persons and things, Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐδὲν ἀξία nothing worth, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2 worthy of, deserving, mostly with genitive of things, ἄξιον φυγῆς, ἄξια στεναγμάτων, γέλωτος, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2.b with genitive of things et dative person, ἡμῖν δ᾽ Ἀχιλλεὺς ἄξιος τιμῆς is worthy of honour at our hands, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3 with infinitive, Προθοήνορος ἀντὶ πεφάσθαι ἄ. worthy to be killed instead of him, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἄξιοι δουλεύειν only fit to be slaves, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3.b ἄξιός εἰμι, like{δίκαιός εἰμι}, I deserve to.., ἄξιός εἰμι πληγὰς λαβεῖνRefs 5th c.BC+: absolutely, the infinitive being supplied, authorized to act, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἄ. γάρ, emphatically, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3.c later ἄ. ἵναNT
II.4 ἄξιόν [ἐστι] 'tis meet, fit, due, ἄξιον εἶναι τρεῖς ἑνὸς ἀντὶ πεφάσθαιRefs 8th c.BC+: later with future infinitive, ἄ. διαπορήσεινRefs 1st c.BC+in D.Refs
II.4.b with dative person et infinitive, τῇ πόλει γὰρ ἄξιον ξυλλαβεῖν τὸν νο̄ρα 'tis meet for the city, is worth her while.., Refs 5th c.BC+ that it was not meet for him.., Refs
II.4.c the infinitive is sometimes omitted, ἄξιον γὰρ Ἑλλάδι 'tis meet in the eyes of Hellas [so to do], Refs 5th c.BC+; and sometimes the dative, ἄξιόν ἐστι operae pretium est, it is worth while, ἐνθυμηθῆναιRefs 5th c.BC+
III adverb ἀξίως, with genitive, ἐμάχοντο ἀξίως λόγουRefs 5th c.BC+; ἀ. τοῦ θεοῦ, τῆς θεᾶς, NT+5th c.BC+; κολάσετε ἀξίως as they deserve, Refs 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
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | masculine singular | feminine singular | neuter singular | masculine plural | feminine plural | neuter plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | axios19×ἄξιος | axias2×ἀξία | axiem8×ἄξιον | axiois4×ἄξιοι | axiais | axieim4×ἄξια |
| object accusative | axion1×ἄξιον | axian | axioin3×ἀξίους | axiain | ||
| direct address vocative | axior | axiar | axioir | axiair | ||
| of, belonging to genitive | axiou | axiau | axieu | axioiu | axiaiu | axieiu |
| to, for dative | axio | axia | axie | axioi | axiai | axiei |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
axi 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.
41 occurrences, every one of them listed
axios“worthy”subjectnominative singular19×
Matthew 10:10… duo chitōnoin mēde hupodēmeim mēde rabdan; axios gar tos ergatos tau trofēau autou.… or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.
Matthew 10:11… kōman eiserchaveia, exetazavar tinos en auta axios atō; kakei menavar heōs an exerchaveia.… you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house …
Matthew 10:37… mētēran huper min ouk atō mu axios; kai tos filarōntos huion ē thugatran …… mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his …
Matthew 10:37… thugatran huper min ouk atō mu axios;… daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
Matthew 10:38… akolouthatō opisō mu, ouk atō mu axios.… cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
Luke 7:4… Iēsun parakalale auton spoudaiōs legarōntois hoti Axios atō ho parechesi houtem,… with Him earnestly, “This man is worthy to have You grant this,
Luke 10:7… esthiarōntois kai pinarōntois teim para autoiu, axios gar tos ergatos tou misthou autou. …… are offered. For the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not move …
Luke 15:19ouketi amō axios kalira huios su; poiasar min hōs …I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make …
Luke 15:21… ouranon kai enōpion su, ouketi amō axios kalira huios su.… against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
John 1:27… opisō mu erchorōntos, hou ouk amō axios hina luameia autou ton himanton teu …… of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
Acts 13:25… erchotō meta min hou ouk amō axios tem hupodēmem toiu podoiu luara.… me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
1 Timothy 1:15pistos tos logos kai pantau apodochau axios, hoti Christos Iēsus erchata eis ton …This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came …
1 Timothy 4:9“deserving”pistos tos logos kai pantau apodochau axios,This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance.
1 Timothy 5:18… grafas; Bouon aloarōnton ouk fimasi, kai; Axios tos ergatos tou misthou autou.… the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”
Hebrews 11:38hoiu ouk ate axios tos kosmos epi erēmiai planorōntois kai …The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts …
Revelation 4:11Axios asō, tos kurior kai tos theor …“Worthy are You, our Lord and God …
Revelation 5:2… ischuron kērussarōnton en fōna mega; Tinos axios anoigara tem bibliem kai luara tain …… in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open …
Revelation 5:4kai mis klaiame pollem hoti oudenos axios heuriskita anoigara tem bibliem oute bleparō …… bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look …
Revelation 5:9kai adalō ōdan kainan legarōntois; Axios asō labara tem bibliem kai anoigara …And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll …
axion“in keeping with”objectaccusative singular1×
Matthew 3:8poiavar oun karpon axion tau metanoiauProduce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.
axias“worthy”subjectnominative singular2×
Matthew 10:13kai ean men ateiō tas oikias axias, erchatar tas eirēnas vu epi autan; …If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it …
Matthew 10:13“worthy”… epi autan; ean de mē ateiō axias, tas eirēnas vu pros vin epistrefitar.… rest on it, but if it is not, let your peace return to you.
axiem“deserving”subject or objectdirect singular8×
Luke 23:15… auton pros nin; kai idou oudenem axiem thanatou atō prassorēntem auto;… can see, He has done nothing deserving of death.
1 Corinthians 16:4ean de axiem ateiō teu kamin poreuorō, sun mi …And if it is advisable for me to go also, they …
2 Thessalonians 1:3… theo pantote peri vu, adelfoir, kathōs axiem atō, hoti huperauxanatō tas pistias vu …… all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more …
Revelation 5:12legarōntois fōna mega; Axiem atō tem arniem tem sfazorēntem labara …… a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain …
Acts 23:29“deserving”… zētēmeiu tou nomou autoiu, mēdenem de axiem thanatou ē desmoiu echarōnton enklēmem.… accusation involved questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.
Acts 25:11“deserving”ei men oun adikamō kai axiem thanatou prassamē tinem, ouk paraitomō tem …If, however, I am guilty of anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to …
Acts 25:25“deserving”mis de katalabema mēdenem axiem auton thanatou prassarē, autou de houtou …But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now …
Acts 26:31“deserve”… legarōntois hoti Oudenem thanatou ē desmoiu axiem tinem prassatō tos anthrōpos houtos.… one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”
axiois“worthy”subjectnominative plural4×
Matthew 22:8… atō, tois de kalorēntois ouk ale axiois;… but those I invited were not worthy.
Romans 1:32… epignōskarantois, hoti tois teim toiouteim prassarōntois axiois thanatou alō, ouk monem auteim poialō …… those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue …
Revelation 3:4… peripatali meta mu en leukei, hoti axiois alō.… their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in …
Revelation 16:6“deserving”… ekchala, kai haimem autoi dōasē pinara; axiois alō.… and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink, as they …
axioin“worthy”objectaccusative plural3×
Luke 3:8poiavar oun karpoin axioin tau metanoiau; kai mē archeveia legarō …Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to …
Acts 13:46… theou; epeidē apōthovō auton kai ouk axioin krinavō heautoin tau aiōniau zōau, idou …… it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn …
1 Timothy 6:1… doulois, toin idioin despotoin pantau timau axioin hēgolōr, hina mē tem onomem tou …… should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name …
axieim“worthy”subject or objectdirect plural4×
Luke 12:48“deserved”tos de mē gnōskarantos poiarantos de axieim plēgaiu deriti oligain. panto de ho …But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has …
Luke 23:41kai nis men dikaiōs, axieim gar heiu prassana apolabanō; houtos de …… we are receiving what our actions deserve. But this man has done nothing …
Acts 26:20… metanoarō kai epistrefarō epi ton theon, axieim tau metanoiau ergeim prassarōntoin.… and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.
Romans 8:18“worth comparing”Logizomō gar hoti ouk axieim teim pathēmeim tou nun kairou pros …I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to …