verb
dokimazamō
Strong’sG1381
I put to the test, prove, examine
stem dokimaz-22 times in the New Testamentin 11 of 27 books16 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
δοκιμάζω means to test, examine, or prove something, in order to establish its genuine quality. It was used originally of testing metals such as gold 13, and was extended to testing other things—weather signs, a piece of ground, a friend's love, one's own work or conduct—as well as to testing spirits and examining people 1. It can also mean examining oneself 1. Strong's and Dodson likewise give this basic sense of putting something to the test, literally or figuratively 24.
Because such testing is done in expectation that the thing tested will hold up, the word also carries the further sense of approving or considering something fit, as the result of the trial: judging a matter or a person acceptable, or thinking something proper 12. In this vein it can also mean to think it fit to do something, and, with a negative, to refuse to do it 3.
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
δοκιμάζω
(< δόκιμος), [in LXX chiefly for בּחן;]
SYN.: πειράζω (v. Tr., Syn., lxxiv; Cremer, 494 ff., 699 ff.).
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1381 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saiddok-im-ad'-zo
to test (literally or figuratively); by implication, to approve
Fromfrom G1384;
King Jamesallow, discern, examine, X like, (ap-)prove, try.
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
(δόκιμος) assay, test, πορφύραν καὶ χρυσόν Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, prove for oneself, choose, χώραν Refs 5th c.BC+:— passive, ἐπειδὰν τὸ ἔργον.. δοκιμασθῇ Refs
2 of persons, δ. αὐτούς put them to the test, make trial of them, Refs 5th c.BC+; also of Apis-bulls, Refs 5th c.BC+
II approve, sanction, μετὰ δεδοκιμασμένου [λόγου] μὴ ξυνέπεσθαι Refs 5th c.BC+infinitive, ἐκπονεῖν ἐδοκίμαζε he approved of their working, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2 as a political term,
II.2.a approve after scrutiny as fit for an office, Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, to be approved as fit, Refs 5th c.BC+; μου δοκιμαζομένου when I was undergoing a scrutiny, Refs 4th c.BC+; δεδοκιμασμένος [ἰατρός] Refs 2nd c.AD+: metaphorically, ὃν ὁ Ἥφαιστος ἐδοκίμασεν Refs 2nd c.BC+; ὑπὲρ τοῦ στεφανωθῆναι δοκιμάζομαι Refs 4th c.BC+
II.2.b pass as fit to serve, ἱππεύειν δεδοκιμασμένος Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2.c examine and admit boys to the class of ἔφηβοι or ἔφηβοι to the rights of manhood, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2.d test an orator's right to speak Refs
II.3 with infinitive, think fit to do, Refs 1st c.AD+: with negative, refuse to do, NT+1st c.AD+
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.
2 rarer renderings are not shown; every occurrence below carries the English it was given there.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| dokimazasōδοκιμάζεις | happening now · youpresent active indicative 2nd person singular | approve | 1× |
| dokimazatōδοκιμάζει | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | approves | 1× |
| dokimazatiδοκιμάσει | will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular | test | 1× |
| dokimazanaἐδοκιμάσαμεν | happened · weaorist active indicative 1st person plural | tested | 1× |
| dokimazalaἐδοκίμασαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | see fit | 1× |
| dokimazonēδεδοκιμάσμεθα | has happened · weperfect middle or passive indicative 1st person plural | approved | 1× |
| dokimazaveiaδοκιμάσητε | happened · yeaorist active subjunctive 2nd person plural | approve | 1× |
| dokimazatōrδοκιμαζέτω | happening now · he/she/itpresent active imperative 3rd person singular | examine | 2× |
| dokimazavōrδοκιμάζετε | happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural | test | 3× |
| dokimazolōrδοκιμαζέσθωσαν | happening now · theypresent middle or passive imperative 3rd person plural | tested | 1× |
| dokimazarōδοκιμάζειν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | discern | 4× |
| dokimazaraδοκιμάσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | try … out | 1× |
| dokimazarōntosδοκιμάζων | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine | testing | 1× |
| dokimazarōntoδοκιμάζοντι | happening now · to, forpresent active participle dative singular masculine | tests | 1× |
| dokimazarōntoisδοκιμάζοντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | try to find out | 1× |
| dokimazorōnteuδοκιμαζομένου | happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive singular neuter | tested | 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, 6 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 | dokimazamō | dokimazame | dokimazami | dokimazama | dokimazamē | dokimazamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | dokimazasō1×δοκιμάζεις | dokimazase | dokimazasi | dokimazasa | dokimazasē | dokimazaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dokimazatō1×δοκιμάζει | dokimazate | dokimazati1×δοκιμάσει | dokimazata | dokimazatē | dokimazatelē |
| we 1st person plural | dokimazanō | dokimazane | dokimazani | dokimazana1×ἐδοκιμάσαμεν | dokimazanē | dokimazanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | dokimazavō | dokimazave | dokimazavi | dokimazava | dokimazavē | dokimazavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | dokimazalō | dokimazale | dokimazali | dokimazala1×ἐδοκίμασαν | dokimazalē | dokimazalelē |
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 | dokimazomō | dokimazome | dokimazomē | dokimazomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | dokimazosō | dokimazose | dokimazosē | dokimazoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dokimazotō | dokimazote | dokimazotē | dokimazotelē |
| we 1st person plural | dokimazonō | dokimazone | dokimazonē1×δεδοκιμάσμεθα | dokimazonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | dokimazovō | dokimazove | dokimazovē | dokimazovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | dokimazolō | dokimazole | dokimazolē | dokimazolelē |
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 | dokimazameiō | dokimazameia | dokimazameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | dokimazaseiō | dokimazaseia | dokimazaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dokimazateiō | dokimazateia | dokimazateiē |
| we 1st person plural | dokimazaneiō | dokimazaneia | dokimazaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | dokimazaveiō | dokimazaveia1×δοκιμάσητε | dokimazaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | dokimazaleiō | dokimazaleia | dokimazaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | dokimazomeiō | dokimazomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | dokimazoseiō | dokimazoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dokimazoteiō | dokimazoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | dokimazoneiō | dokimazoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | dokimazoveiō | dokimazoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | dokimazoleiō | dokimazoleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 6 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | dokimazasōr | dokimazasar | dokimazasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dokimazatōr2×δοκιμαζέτω | dokimazatar | dokimazatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | dokimazavōr3×δοκιμάζετε | dokimazavar | dokimazavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | dokimazalōr | dokimazalar | dokimazalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | dokimazosōr | dokimazosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dokimazotōr | dokimazotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | dokimazovōr | dokimazovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | dokimazolōr1×δοκιμαζέσθωσαν | dokimazolēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | dokimazamoiō | dokimazamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | dokimazasoiō | dokimazasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dokimazatoiō | dokimazatoia |
| we 1st person plural | dokimazanoiō | dokimazanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | dokimazavoiō | dokimazavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | dokimazaloiō | dokimazaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | dokimazomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | dokimazosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | dokimazotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | dokimazonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | dokimazovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | dokimazoloiō |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 5 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | dokimazarō4×δοκιμάζειν | dokimazari | dokimazara1×δοκιμάσαι | dokimazarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | dokimazorō | dokimazorē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 4 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | dokimazarōntos3×δοκιμάζων | dokimazarintos | dokimazarantos | dokimazarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | dokimazorōntos1× | dokimazorēntos |
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
dokimaz 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.
22 occurrences, every one of them listed
dokimazasō“approve”happening now · youpresent active indicative 2nd person singular1×
Romans 2:18kai gnōskasō tem thelēmem kai dokimazasō teim diaferarōnteim katēchorōntos ek tou nomou,if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you …
dokimazatō“approves”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Romans 14:22… tos mē krinarōntos heauton en he dokimazatō;… not condemn himself by what he approves.
dokimazati“test”will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular1×
1 Corinthians 3:13“test”… ergem hopoiem atō tem purem autem dokimazati.… and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.
dokimazana“tested”happened · weaorist active indicative 1st person plural1×
2 Corinthians 8:22“tested”… de autoi ton adelfon nu hon dokimazana en pollei pollakis spoudaion arōnton, nuni …And we are sending along with them our brother who has proven his earnestness to us many times and in many ways, and now even more …
dokimazala“see fit”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Romans 1:28Kai kathōs ouk dokimazala ton theon echarō en epignōsia, paradōata …Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them …
dokimazonē“approved”has happened · weperfect middle or passive indicative 1st person plural1×
1 Thessalonians 2:4alla kathōs dokimazonē hupo tou theou pisteuira tem euangeliem …Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with …
dokimazaveia“approve”happened · yeaorist active subjunctive 2nd person plural1×
1 Corinthians 16:3“approve”hotan de paragenemeia, hoin ean dokimazaveia dia epistolaiu, houtoin pempami apoferara tan …… I will send letters with those you recommend to carry your gift …
dokimazatōr“examine”happening now · he/she/itpresent active imperative 3rd person singular2×
1 Corinthians 11:28dokimazatōr de anthrōpos heauton, kai houtōs ek …Each one must examine himself before he eats of the …
Galatians 6:4“examine”tem de ergem heautou dokimazatōr hekastos, kai tote eis heauton monon …Each one should test his own work. Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not …
dokimazavōr“test”happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural3×
2 Corinthians 13:5… ei avō en ta pistia, heautoin dokimazavōr; ē ouk epignōskavō heautoin hoti Iēsus …… whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that …
1 Thessalonians 5:21panteim de dokimazavōr, tem kalem katechavōr,but test all things. Hold fast to what …
1 John 4:1Agapētoir, mē pante pneume pisteuavōr, alla dokimazavōr teim pneumeim ei ek tou theou …… do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they …
dokimazolōr“tested”happening now · theypresent middle or passive imperative 3rd person plural1×
1 Timothy 3:10kai houtois de dokimazolōr prōtem, eita diakonalōr anenklētois arōntois.Additionally, they must first be tested. Then, if they are above reproach …
dokimazarō“discern”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive4×
Luke 12:56… tau gēau kai tou ouranou oidavē dokimazarō, ton de kairon houton pōs ouk …… Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time?
Luke 12:56… de kairon houton pōs ouk oidavē dokimazarō?… sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time?
Romans 12:2“discern”… ta anakainōsia tou nouou, eis tem dokimazarō vin tinem tem thelēmem tou theou, …… transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Philippians 1:10“approve”eis tem dokimazarō vin teim diaferarōnteim, hina aveiō eilikrinois …so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of …
dokimazara“try … out”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive1×
Luke 14:19… Zeugeim bouoiu agorazama pente kai poreuomō dokimazara auteim; erōtamō sin, echasōr min paraitorēnton.… oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’
dokimazarōntos“testing”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine1×
2 Corinthians 8:8… kai tem tau humeterau agapau gnēsiem dokimazarōntos;… giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love through …
dokimazarōnto“tests”happening now · to, forpresent active participle dative singular masculine1×
1 Thessalonians 2:4“tests”… hōs anthrōpoi areskarōntois alla theo to dokimazarōnto tain kardiain nu.… we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts.
dokimazarōntois“try to find out”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine1×
Ephesians 5:10“try to find out”dokimazarōntois tinem atō euarestem to kurio;… and prove what pleases the Lord.
dokimazorōnteu“tested”happening now · of, belonging topresent middle or passive participle genitive singular neuter1×
1 Peter 1:7“tested”… chrusieu teu apolorōnteu dia pureu de dokimazorōnteu heuriskiteia eis epainon kai doxan kai …… precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory, and honor at …