verb
diaferamō
Strong’sG1308
I carry through, differ, surpass, excel
stem diafer-13 times in the New Testamentin 8 of 27 books6 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
διαφέρω literally means to carry through or carry across something, as of carrying an object through a place 1. In the passive it can also describe being carried about or spread abroad, as of a report circulating or a ship being driven and tossed about by winds 13, and this sense underlies Strong's glosses "toss about," "drive up and down," "publish," and "carry" 2.
Used intransitively, it means to differ, of persons or things being unlike one another, and impersonally διαφέρει means "it makes a difference" or "it matters" 123. The phrase "the things that differ" is used in this sense, though it is debated whether in some occurrences it instead belongs with the sense "excel," so that it would mean "the things that are of value" 1.
It can also mean to excel or surpass, being of greater worth than someone or something else, often followed by a genitive naming what is surpassed 1234.
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
δια-φέρω
[in LXX for שְׁנָא (Da 7 only); I Ki 17:39, Es 3:13, al.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1308 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saiddee-af-er'-o
to bear through, i.e. (literally) transport; usually to bear apart, i.e. (objectively) to toss about (figuratively, report); subjectively, to "differ", or (by implication) surpass
King Jamesbe better, carry, differ from, drive up and down, be (more) excellent, make matter, publish, be of more value.
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
future διοίσω Refs 5th c.BC+aorist 1 διήνεγκα, Ionic dialect διήνεικα: aorist 2 διήνεγκον:—carry over or across, δ. ναῦς τὸν Ἰσθμόν Refs 5th c.BC+; carry from one to another, διαφέρεις κηρύγματα Refs 5th c.BC+ will put the tongue in motion, will speak, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 of Time, δ. τὸν αἰῶνα, τὸν βίον, go through life, Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, live, continue, ὑγιηροὶ τἄλλα διαφέρονται Refs 5th c.BC+; σοῦ διοίσεται μόνος will pass his life apart from thee, Refs 5th c.BC+
3 bear through, bear to the end, σκῆπτρα Refs 5th c.BC+; γαστρὸς ὄγκον δ., of a woman, Refs 5th c.BC+
4 bear to the end, go through with, πόλεμον Refs 5th c.BC+; but also, bear the burden of war, Refs; endure, support, with an adverb, ῥᾷστα γὰρ τὸ σόν τε σὺ κἀγὼ διοίσω τοὐμόν Refs 5th c.BC+: absolutely, of patients in disease, δ. ἕως τῶν εἰκοσιτεσσάρων ἡμερέων Refs 5th c.BC+
II carry different ways, Refs 5th c.BC+; toss about, ὅπλισμα.. διαφέρων ἐσφενδόνα Refs 5th c.BC+; δ. τὰς κόρας to turn the eyes about, Refs:—passive, to be drawn apart, disrupted, opposed to συμφέρεσθαι, Refs 5th c.BC+; to be tossed about, uncertain in NT+1st c.BC+
II.2 δ. τινά spread his fame abroad, Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, φήμη διηνέχθη Refs 1st c.AD+
II.3 tear asunder, Refs 5th c.BC+; disjoin, Refs 4th c.BC+: metaphorically, distract, τὰς ψυχὰς φροντίσιν Refs 1st c.AD+
II.4 δ. τὴν ψῆφον give one's vote a different way, i.e. against another, Refs 5th c.BC+; but also, give each man his vote, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.5 ἐράνους δ., ={διαλύεσθαι}, pay them up, discharge them, Refs 4th c.BC+
II.6 defer, reserve for judgement, τὸν αἴτιον Refs 4th c.BC+
II.7 plunder, Refs 3rd c.BC+:—passive, τῶν ἀπὸ [τῆς οἰκίας] φορτίων διενηνεγμένων Refs 2nd c.BC+
II.8 excel, ἀρετῇ τοὺς ἄλλους Refs 1st c.BC+
III intransitive, differ, φυᾷ δ. Refs 5th c.BC+; ἆρ᾽ οἱ τεκόντες διαφέρουσιν ἢ τροφα; is it one's parents or nurture that make the difference? Refs 5th c.BC+: with genitive, to be different from, Refs 5th c.BC+; δ. εἴς τι, ἔν τινι, Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive, μόνῃ τῇ μορφῇ μὴ οὑχὶ πρόβατα εἶναι δ. Refs 2nd c.AD+ three votes made the difference (i.e. majority) against capital punishment, Refs 4th c.BC+; also διαφέρει τὸ ἥμισυ τοῦ ἔργου makes a difference equal to half the effort expended, Refs 5th c.BC+
III.2 impersonal, διαφέρει it makes a difference, πλεῖστον δ. Refs 5th c.BC+; οὐδὲν δ. it makes no odds, Refs 5th c.BC+ it makes a difference to me, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἰδίᾳ τι αὐτῷ δ. he has some private interest at stake, Refs 5th c.BC+; εἰ ὑμῖν μή τι δ. if you see no objection, Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive, οὐδέ τί οἱ διέφερεν ἀποθανεῖν Refs 5th c.BC+: with personal construction, πράγματά τινι διαφέροντα Refs 1st c.AD+; to be of importance, πρός or εἴς τι, Refs 2nd c.AD+
III.3 τὸ δ. the difference, the odds, Refs 5th c.BC+; ={τὸ συμφέρον} Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ ἀναγκαιότερα τῷ ταμιείῳ δ. vital interests, Refs 3rd c.AD+; τὸ δ. μέρος τῶν ἀποφάσεων the essential part, Refs 3rd c.AD+; τὰ δ. vital matters, NT+5th c.BC+ also simply, points of difference, in character and the like, Refs 5th c.BC+
III.4 to be different from a person: generally, in point of excess, surpass, excel him (compare above Refs 5th c.BC+; τινί in a thing, Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive, δ. τινὸς μεταβιβάζειν τινά Refs 5th c.BC+ it was far better.. than.., Refs 5th c.BC+ (where it means to differ in point of diminution); also δ. μέγα τι παρὰ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις Refs 2nd c.BC+: absolutely, excel, ἐπί τινι Refs 5th c.BC+a remarkable achievement, Refs 2nd c.BC+
III.5 prevail, ἐπὶ πολὺ διήνεγκε Refs 5th c.BC+
III.6 quarrel, struggle, Refs 5th c.BC+the parties, litigants, Refs 3rd c.AD+
III.7 come between, intervene, ὁ διαφέρων χρόνος Refs 5th c.BC+
III.8 belong to, τινί, as property, Refs 1st c.AD+; of persons, belong to a household, Refs 4th c.AD+; οἱ -φέροντες kinsfolk, Refs; appertain to, τῇ ὠνῇ Refs 3rd c.AD+; τὰ εἰς τοῦτο -φέροντα πράγματα Mitteis Refs 2nd c.AD+
IV middle and passive, be at variance, quarrel, τινί Refs 5th c.BC+; δ. ἀλλήλοις differ with, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀμφί τινος Refs 5th c.BC+; δ. ὡς.. maintain on the contrary that.., Refs 4th c.BC+; οὐ διαφέρομαι, ={οὔ μοι διαφέρει}, Refs; μηδὲν διὰ τοῦτο διαφέρου let there be no dispute on this ground, Refs 5th c.BC+; οἱ -φερόμενοι the litigants, Refs 2nd c.BC+ —Not in _Epic dialect_
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| diaferatōδιαφέρει | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | differs from | 4× |
| diaferavōδιαφέρετε | happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural | worth | 4× |
| diaferoteδιεφέρετο | was happening · he/she/itimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | spread | 1× |
| diaferateiaδιενέγκῃ | happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular | carry | 1× |
| diaferarōnteimδιαφέροντα | happening now · objectpresent active participle direct plural neuter | superior | 2× |
| diaferorōntoiuδιαφερομένων | happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive plural masculine | driven | 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 140, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 9 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diaferamō | diaferame | diaferami | diaferama | diaferamē | diaferamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | diaferasō | diaferase | diaferasi | diaferasa | diaferasē | diaferaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diaferatō4×διαφέρει | diaferate | diaferati | diaferata | diaferatē | diaferatelē |
| we 1st person plural | diaferanō | diaferane | diaferani | diaferana | diaferanē | diaferanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | diaferavō4×διαφέρετε | diaferave | diaferavi | diaferava | diaferavē | diaferavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | diaferalō | diaferale | diaferali | diaferala | diaferalē | diaferalelē |
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 | diaferomō | diaferome | diaferomē | diaferomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | diaferosō | diaferose | diaferosē | diaferoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diaferotō | diaferote1×διεφέρετο | diaferotē | diaferotelē |
| we 1st person plural | diaferonō | diaferone | diaferonē | diaferonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | diaferovō | diaferove | diaferovē | diaferovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | diaferolō | diaferole | diaferolē | diaferolelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 1 occurrence
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diaferameiō | diaferameia | diaferameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | diaferaseiō | diaferaseia | diaferaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diaferateiō | diaferateia1×διενέγκῃ | diaferateiē |
| we 1st person plural | diaferaneiō | diaferaneia | diaferaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | diaferaveiō | diaferaveia | diaferaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | diaferaleiō | diaferaleia | diaferaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diaferomeiō | diaferomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | diaferoseiō | diaferoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diaferoteiō | diaferoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | diaferoneiō | diaferoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | diaferoveiō | diaferoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | diaferoleiō | diaferoleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | diaferasōr | diaferasar | diaferasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diaferatōr | diaferatar | diaferatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | diaferavōr | diaferavar | diaferavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | diaferalōr | diaferalar | diaferalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | diaferosōr | diaferosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diaferotōr | diaferotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | diaferovōr | diaferovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | diaferolōr | diaferolēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diaferamoiō | diaferamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | diaferasoiō | diaferasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diaferatoiō | diaferatoia |
| we 1st person plural | diaferanoiō | diaferanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | diaferavoiō | diaferavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | diaferaloiō | diaferaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | diaferomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | diaferosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | diaferotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | diaferonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | diaferovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | diaferoloiō |
The “to …” form — infinitive, no occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | diaferarō | diaferari | diaferara | diaferarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | diaferorō | diaferorē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 3 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | diaferarōntos2× | diaferarintos | diaferarantos | diaferarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | diaferorōntos1× | diaferorēntos |
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
diafer 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
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
13 occurrences, every one of them listed
diaferatō“differs from”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular4×
Matthew 12:12pose oun diaferatō anthrōpos probateu. hōste exestinatō tei sabbatei …How much more valuable is a man than a sheep …
1 Corinthians 15:41… allosas doxas asteroiu, asteros gar asterou diaferatō en doxa.… and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
Galatians 2:6… tinem hopoiois pote ale oudenem mi diaferatō; prosōpem theos anthrōpou ouk labatō mi …… the highly esteemed— whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show …
Galatians 4:1… chronon tos klēronomos nēpios atō, oudenem diaferatō doulou kurios panteiu arōntos,… a child, he is no different from a slave, although he is the …
diaferavō“worth”happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural4×
Matthew 6:26“worth”… ouranios trefatō auteim; ouk vis mallon diaferavō auteiu?… yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 10:31“of more value”mē oun fobovōr; polleiu strouthieiu diaferavō vis.So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Luke 12:7“of more value”… pantais arithmolē; mē fobovōr; polleiu strouthieiu diaferavō.… head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Luke 12:24“worth”… theos trefatō autoin; pose mallon vis diaferavō teiu peteineiu.… barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!
diaferote“spread”was happening · he/she/itimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
Acts 13:49diaferote de tos logos tou kuriou dia …And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region.
diaferateia“carry”happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular1×
Mark 11:16kai ouk afiēkate hina tinos diaferateia skevem dia teu hiereu,… He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
diaferarōnteim“superior”happening now · objectpresent active participle direct plural neuter2×
Romans 2:18… gnōskasō tem thelēmem kai dokimazasō teim diaferarōnteim katēchorōntos ek tou nomou,… will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the …
Philippians 1:10“excellent”eis tem dokimazarō vin teim diaferarōnteim, hina aveiō eilikrinois kai aproskopois eis …so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of …
diaferorōntoiu“driven”happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive plural masculine1×
Acts 27:27Hōs de tessareskaidekatas nuktas geneta diaferorōntoiu nu en to Adrio, kata mesem …… fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight …