verb
domō
Strong’sG1189
I request, beg
stem d-22 times in the New Testamentin 7 of 27 books10 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
δέομαι carries two related senses.
The first is to lack or be in need of something, used either without an object or with a genitive of the thing needed 13.
The second, and by far the more common in the New Testament, is to beg, request, or beseech — asking something of another person 1234. This same verb is also used specifically for prayer or entreaty made to God 1.
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
δέομαι
(mid. of δέω, II, q.v., as depon.) [in LXX for חנן, etc.;]
SYN.: αἰτέω, and cf. δέησις.
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1189 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saiddeh'-om-ahee
to beg (as binding oneself), i.e. petition
Frommiddle voice of G1210;
King Jamesbeseech, pray (to), make request.
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
B Refs 4th c.BC+: future δεήσω Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist ἐδέησα Refs 8th c.BC+: perfect δεδέηκα Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, future δεήσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+, Doric dialect δεοῦμαι Refs 5th c.BC+; later -ηθήσομαι LXX+1st c.AD+: aorist ἐδεήθην Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect δεδέημαι Refs 5th c.BC+:—lack, miss, stand in need of, with genitive, ἐμεῖο δὲ δῆσε.. ἀλκτῆρα γενέσθαι Refs 8th c.BC+; παραδείγματος τὸ παράδειγμα αὐτὸ δεδέηκεν Refs 5th c.BC+
B.2 frequently in Attic dialect, πολλοῦ δέω I want much, i.e. am far from, mostly with infinitive present, πολλοῦ δ. ἀπολογεῖσθαι I am far from defending myself, Refs 5th c.BC+; παρὰ μικρὸν ἐδέησα ἀποθανεῖν variant in Refs 5th c.BC+ I am far from it, Refs 5th c.BC+: in participle, παλαστῆς δεόντων τεττάρων ποδῶν Refs 4th c.BC+; the participle is frequently used to express numerals compounded with 8 or 9, ἀνδράσιν ἑνὸς δέουσι τριάκοντα Refs; δυοῖν δέοντα τεσσεράκοντα forty lacking two, thirty-eight, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἑνὸς δέον εἰκοστὸν ἔτος the Refssave one,Refs 5th c.BC+infinitive stands absolutely, περὶ τὰ ἑνὸς δεῖν πεντήκοντα fifty save one, Refs 4th c.BC+: participle in genitive, τροφαλίδες μιᾶς δεούσης εἴκοσιν Refs 1st c.AD+
B.3 participle δέων, δέουσα, as adjective, fit, proper, ὁ καιρὸς οὐκ ἔστι χρόνος δέων Refs 4th c.BC+; ἡ δέουσα ἑκάστων χρῆσις Hierocl.p.61 Refs 4th c.BC+
B.4 δεῖ impersonal, see entry
B.II deponent verb δέομαι: contraction δῆσθε Refs 5th c.BC+, participle δεύμενος Refs: future δεήσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+aorist ἐδεήθην: always personal, and used by Refs 8th c.BC+
B.II.1 absolutely, to be in want or need, require, mostly in participle, κάρτα δεόμενος Refs 5th c.BC+; οἱ δεόμενοι the needy, opposed to οἱ κεκτημένοι τὰς οὐσίας, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.II.1.b stand in need of, want, with genitive, Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐδὲν δεῖσθαι τροφῆς have no need of.., Refs 5th c.BC+; ἤν τι δέωνται βασιλέως if they have any need of him, Refsinfinitive, τοῦτο ἔτι δέομαι μαθεῖν Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ πράττεσθαι δεόμενα things needing to be done, Refs 5th c.BC+necessaries, Refs; ἐπισκευάσαι τὰ δεόμενα parts needing repair, Refs; τὸ δεόμενον the point threatened, Refs 2nd c.BC+; δεῖται impersonal, see at {δεῖ}.
B.II.2 beg a thing from a person, with double genitive of things et person, τῶν ἐδέετο σφέων Refs 5th c.BC+ having begged a favour of you, Refs 4th c.BC+: c.genitive person et infinitive, ἐδέετο τοῦ δήμου φυλακῆς πρὸς αὐτοῦ κυρῆσαι Refs 5th c.BC+I pray, LXX
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| domōδέομαι | happening now · Ipresent middle or passive indicative 1st person singular | beg | 7× |
| donōδεόμεθα | happening now · wepresent middle or passive indicative 1st person plural | implore | 1× |
| doteἐδεῖτο | was happening · he/she/itimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | begged | 1× |
| dimaἐδεήθην | happened · Iaorist passive indicative 1st person singular | begged | 2× |
| ditaἐδεήθη | happened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular | begged | 1× |
| disarδεήθητι | happened · youaorist passive imperative 2nd person singular | pray | 1× |
| divarδεήθητε | happened · yeaorist passive imperative 2nd person plural | ask | 3× |
| dorōntosδεόμενος | happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative singular masculine | prayed | 2× |
| dorōntoisδεόμενοι | happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine | pray | 3× |
| dirantoiuδεηθέντων | happened · of, belonging toaorist passive participle genitive plural masculine | prayed | 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, 12 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 | domō7×δέομαι | dome | domē | domelē |
| you 2nd person singular | dosō | dose | dosē | doselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dotō | dote1×ἐδεῖτο | dotē | dotelē |
| we 1st person plural | donō1×δεόμεθα | done | donē | donelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | dovō | dove | dovē | dovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | dolō | dole | dolē | dolelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | dimi | dima2×ἐδεήθην |
| you 2nd person singular | disi | disa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diti | dita1×ἐδεήθη |
| we 1st person plural | dini | dina |
| ye 2nd person plural | divi | diva |
| they 3rd person plural | dili | dila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | domeiō | domeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | doseiō | doseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | doteiō | doteiē |
| we 1st person plural | doneiō | doneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | doveiō | doveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | doleiō | doleiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | dimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | diseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diteia |
| we 1st person plural | dineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | diveia |
| they 3rd person plural | dileia |
Commands — imperative mood, 4 occurrences
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | dosōr | dosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dotōr | dotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | dovōr | dovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | dolōr | dolēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | disar1×δεήθητι |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ditar |
| ye 2nd person plural | divar3×δεήθητε |
| they 3rd person plural | dilar |
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 | domoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | dosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | donoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | dovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | doloiō |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | dimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | disoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ditoia |
| we 1st person plural | dinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | divoia |
| they 3rd person plural | diloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, no 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 | dorō | dorē | ||
| acted on passive voice | diri | dira |
Used as an adjective — participle, 6 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 | dorōntos5×δεόμενος | dorēntos | ||
| acted on passive voice | dirintos | dirantos1× |
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
d 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.
22 occurrences, every one of them listed
domō“beg”happening now · Ipresent middle or passive indicative 1st person singular7×
Luke 8:28… Iēsur huior tou theou tou hupsistou? domō su, mē min basanizaseia;… of the Most High God? I beg You not to torture me!”
Luke 9:38… apo tou ochlou boata legarōntos; Didaskalor, domō su epiblepara epi ton huion mu, …… the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son …
Acts 8:34“ask”… de tos eunouchos to Filippo legata; Domō su, peri tinou tos profētos legatō …“Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about …
Acts 21:39… tau Kilikiau, ouk asēmau polau politos; domō de su, epitrepasar mi lalara pros …… of no ordinary city. Now I beg you to allow me to speak …
Acts 26:3… Ioudaioin etheiu tē kai zētēmeiu; dio domō makrothumōs akouara mu.… the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me …
2 Corinthians 10:2domō de tem mē pareiarōntos tharrara ta …I beg you that when I come I …
Galatians 4:12… mis, hoti kamis hōs vis, adelfoir, domō vu. oudenem min adikava;I beg you, brothers, become like me, for …
donō“implore”happening now · wepresent middle or passive indicative 1st person plural1×
2 Corinthians 5:20… hōs tou theou parakalarōntou dia nu; donō huper Christou, katallaxivar to theo.… making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be …
dote“begged”was happening · he/she/itimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
Luke 8:38dote de autou tos andros apo hou …… man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He …
dima“begged”happened · Iaorist passive indicative 1st person singular2×
Luke 9:40kai dima toiu mathētoiu su hina ekbalaleia autem, …I begged Your disciples to drive it out …
Luke 22:32mis de dima peri su hina mē eklipateia tas …But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith …
dita“begged”happened · he/she/itaorist passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
Luke 5:12… horarantos ton Iēsun piptarantos epi prosōpem dita autou legarōntos; Kurior, ean thelaseiō dunosō …… saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing …
disar“pray”happened · youaorist passive imperative 2nd person singular1×
Acts 8:22… apo tau kakiau su houtau, kai disar tou kuriou ei ara afiēkiti si …Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will …
divar“ask”happened · yeaorist passive imperative 2nd person plural3×
Matthew 9:38divar oun tou kuriou tou therismou hopōs …Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore …
Luke 10:2… therismos pollos, tois de ergatois oligois; divar oun tou kuriou tou therismou hopōs …… plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore …
Acts 8:24apokrinirantos de tos Simōnos legata; Divar vis huper mu pros ton kurion …Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so …
dorōntos“prayed”happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative singular masculine2×
Acts 10:2… poiarōntos eleēmosunain pollain to lao kai dorōntos tou theou dia pantou,… gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.
Romans 1:10pantote epi taiu proseuchaiu mu, dorōntos ei pōs ēdē pote euodimi en …in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s …
dorōntois“pray”happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine3×
Luke 21:36“praying”agrupnavōr de en panto kairo dorōntois hina katischuaveia ekfeugara houteim panteim teim …… keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about …
2 Corinthians 8:4“begging”meta pollau paraklēsiau dorōntois nu, tan charitan kai tan koinōnian …… earnestly pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
1 Thessalonians 3:10nuktau kai hēmerau huperekperissou dorōntois eis tem horara vu tem prosōpem …Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see …
dirantoiu“prayed”happened · of, belonging toaorist passive participle genitive plural masculine1×
Acts 4:31kai dirantoiu autoiu saleuita tos topos en ho …After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and …