verb
epangelomō
Strong’sG1861
I promise, profess
stem epangel-15 times in the New Testamentin 10 of 27 books8 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 promise — to give one's word that something will be done or given, engaging oneself to do or provide something 1234. This can be a promise made to a person, a promise of a particular thing, or a promise to do something, and it covers both promises made by God and promises made by people 1. The word can be used of oneself in this sense, i.e. pledging or committing oneself to an action 2.
To profess — to make a claim about oneself, asserting or declaring that one holds to something such as godliness or knowledge 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
ἐπ-αγγέλλω
[in LXX: Es 4:8 (אָמַר), Pr 13:12, Wi 2:13, al.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1861 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidep-ang-el'-lo
to announce upon (reflexively), i.e. (by implication) to engage to do something, to assert something respecting oneself
Fromfrom G1909 and the base of G32;
King Jamesprofess, (make) promise.
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
aorist passive -ηγγέλθηνRefs—tell, proclaim, announce, Refs 8th c.BC+; especially proclaim by authority, notify publicly, ἐ. [τὴν ἐκεχειρίαν] Refs 5th c.BC+:— passive, to be proclaimed, Refs 5th c.BC+; βουλῆς -θείσης a meeting having been summoned, Refs 2nd c.AD+:—middle, cause proclamation to be made, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 give orders, command, absolutely, Refs: c.accusative et infinitive, give orders that.., ἐπαγγείλας τοὺς Αακεδαιμονίους παρεῖναιRefs 5th c.BC+: with dative et infinitive, order one to do, Refs 4th c.BC+ with accusative _of things_, στρατιὰν ἐς τοὺς ξυμμάχους ἐ. send them orders to furnish their contingents, Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, ἐπαγγέλλεσθαί τινι ἑτοιμάζειν στρατιήν Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, τὸ ἐπαγγελλόμενον Refs
3 as law-term, properly δοκιμασίαν ἐ. denounce and summon to a δοκιμασία τῶν ῥητόρων one who, having incurred ἀτιμία, yet takes part in public affairs (see. ἐπαγγελία Refs 5th c.BC+
4 promise, offer, ξείνοις δεῖπνα Refs 5th c.BC+:—more frequently in middle, promise unasked (opposed to ὑπισχνέομαι) or offer of one's free will, ἐ. τι ἐς τὴν δωρεὴν τοῖσι ἀδελφεοῖσι Refs 5th c.BC+; ἁπηγγελλόμην what I was proposing, Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive, promise or offer, ξυμπολεμεῖν Refs 5th c.BC+; διαθήκας ἀποφαίνειν (-φανεῖν Dobree) Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐ. ὅ τι χρὴ δρᾶν offering (to do) what in justice he ought to do, Refs 5th c.BC+
5 middle, profess, make profession of, with accusative, ἀρετήν NT+5th c.BC+; especially of Sophists, as in Refs 5th c.BC+; [γνῶσιν] NT: with infinitive, ἐ. ἀποκρίνεσθαι ὅ τι ἄν τίς σε ἐρωτᾷ Refs 5th c.BC+; and absolutely, profess an art, Refs 5th c.BC+
6 demand, require, conjecture in Refs 1st c.BC+:—middle, Refs 4th c.BC+; but, ask a favour, Refs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| epangeletaἐπηγγείλατο | happened · he/she/itaorist middle indicative 3rd person singular | promised | 5× |
| epangelelaἐπηγγείλαντο | happened · theyaorist middle indicative 3rd person plural | promised | 1× |
| epangelotēἐπήγγελται | has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | promised | 2× |
| epangelotēἐπήγγελται | has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | promise … made | 1× |
| epangelorōntoisἐπαγγελλόμενοι | happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine | promise | 2× |
| epangelorōntaiἐπαγγελλομέναις | happening now · to, forpresent middle or passive participle dative plural feminine | profess | 1× |
| epangelerantosἐπαγγειλάμενος | happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine | promised | 2× |
| epangelerantonἐπαγγειλάμενον | happened · objectaorist middle participle accusative singular masculine | promised | 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, 9 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 | epangelomō | epangelome | epangelomē | epangelomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | epangelosō | epangelose | epangelosē | epangeloselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epangelotō | epangelote | epangelotē3×ἐπήγγελται | epangelotelē |
| we 1st person plural | epangelonō | epangelone | epangelonē | epangelonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epangelovō | epangelove | epangelovē | epangelovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | epangelolō | epangelole | epangelolē | epangelolelē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epangelemi | epangelema |
| you 2nd person singular | epangelesi | epangelesa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epangeleti | epangeleta5×ἐπηγγείλατο |
| we 1st person plural | epangeleni | epangelena |
| ye 2nd person plural | epangelevi | epangeleva |
| they 3rd person plural | epangeleli | epangelela1×ἐπηγγείλαντο |
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 | epangelomeiō | epangelomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | epangeloseiō | epangeloseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epangeloteiō | epangeloteiē |
| we 1st person plural | epangeloneiō | epangeloneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epangeloveiō | epangeloveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | epangeloleiō | epangeloleiē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epangelemeia |
| you 2nd person singular | epangeleseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epangeleteia |
| we 1st person plural | epangeleneia |
| ye 2nd person plural | epangeleveia |
| they 3rd person plural | epangeleleia |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | epangelosōr | epangelosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epangelotōr | epangelotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | epangelovōr | epangelovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | epangelolōr | epangelolēr |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | epangelesar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epangeletar |
| ye 2nd person plural | epangelevar |
| they 3rd person plural | epangelelar |
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 | epangelomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | epangelosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epangelotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | epangelonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | epangelovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | epangeloloiō |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epangelemoia |
| you 2nd person singular | epangelesoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epangeletoia |
| we 1st person plural | epangelenoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | epangelevoia |
| they 3rd person plural | epangeleloia |
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 | epangelorō | epangelorē | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | epangeleri | epangelera |
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 | epangelorōntos3× | epangelorēntos | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | epangelerintos | epangelerantos3×ἐπαγγειλάμενος |
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
epangel 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.
15 occurrences, every one of them listed
epangeleta“promised”happened · he/she/itaorist middle indicative 3rd person singular5×
Acts 7:5… en auta oude bēmem podou, kai epangeleta dōara auto eis kataschesian autan kai …… a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land …
Titus 1:2epi elpida zōau aiōniau, han epangeleta tos apseudos theos pro chronoiu aiōnioiu… life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
James 1:12… labeti ton stefanon tau zōau, hon epangeleta toi agaparōntoi auton.… crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
James 2:5… pistia kai klēronomoin tau basileiau hau epangeleta toi agaparōntoi auton?… and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
1 John 2:25“promised”… houtas atō tas epangelias han autos epangeleta ni, tan zōan tan aiōnian.And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.
epangelela“promised”happened · theyaorist middle indicative 3rd person plural1×
Mark 14:11tois de akouarantois chairila kai epangelela auto arguriem dōara. kai zētate pōs …… delighted to hear this, and they promised to give him money. So Judas …
epangelotē“promised”has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular2×
Romans 4:21kai plēroforirantos hoti hem epangelotē dunatos atō kai poiara.… able to do what He had promised.
Hebrews 12:26… tan gēan saleuata tote, nun de epangelotē legarōntos; Ēti hapax mis seiami ouk …… the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not …
epangelotē“promise … made”has happened · he/she/itperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
Galatians 3:19… achris hou erchateia tem spermem he epangelotē, diatassirantos dia angeloiu en cheira mesitou;… of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels …
epangelorōntois“promise”happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine2×
1 Timothy 6:21“professing”han tinois epangelorōntois peri tan pistian astochala. Tas charitas …which some have professed and thus swerved away from the faith. Grace be with …
2 Peter 2:19eleutherian autoi epangelorōntois, autois doulois huparcharōntois tau fthorau; ho …They promise them freedom, while they themselves are …
epangelorōntai“profess”happening now · to, forpresent middle or passive participle dative plural feminine1×
1 Timothy 2:10alla hem prepatō gunaikai epangelorōntai theosebeian, dia ergeiu agatheiu.… as is proper for women who profess to worship God.
epangelerantos“promised”happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine2×
Hebrews 6:13“made a promise”To gar Abraam epangelerantos tos theos, epei kata oudenou echate …When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore …
Hebrews 10:23… tau elpidau aklinan, pistos gar tos epangelerantos;… hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
epangeleranton“promised”happened · objectaorist middle participle accusative singular masculine1×
Hebrews 11:11… kairon hēlikiau, epei piston hēgeta ton epangeleranton;… she considered Him faithful who had promised.