verb
eperōtamō
Strong’sG1905
I interrogate, question, demand of
stem eperōt-56 times in the New Testamentin 7 of 27 books15 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 ask, question, or inquire of someone — used of putting a question to a person, consulting them, or inquiring about a matter 1234. This is the ordinary sense in most New Testament occurrences, whether asking a person directly, asking about something, or asking whether something is so 1.
In some later usage the word can also mean to beg or demand of someone, asking them to do something rather than simply putting a question 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
ἐπ-ερωτάω, -ῶ
[in LXX chiefly for שָׁאַל, also for דָּרַשׁ, etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1905 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Ionic dialect ἐπειρ-, consult, inquire of, with accusative person, Refs 5th c.BC+, cf. Oracle texts cited in LXX+4th c.BC+:—passive, to be questioned, asked a question, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 with accusative of things, ask a question, ταῦτα, τάδε, Refs 5th c.BC+; also, ask about a thing, [Refs 5th c.BC+; σμικρόν τι τῶν ῥηθέντων call it in question, Refs 5th c.BC+ inquire what.., Refs 5th c.BC+ inquire about, LXXpassive, τὸ ἐπερωτηθέν the question asked, variant in Refs 5th c.BC+
3 with accusative person et of things, Refs 5th c.BC+.
4 absolutely, put a question, especially of a chairman putting a question to the vote, Refs 4th c.BC+
5 in Roman Law, put a formal question in stipulatio, most frequently in passive, Refs 2nd c.AD+active, Refs 3rd c.AD+
5.b hence later, guarantee, Refs 6th c.AD+
6 ask a further question, Refs 2nd 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| eperōtamōἘπερωτῶ | happening now · Ipresent active indicative 1st person singular | ask | 1× |
| eperōtalōἐπερωτῶσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | asked | 1× |
| eperōtateἐπηρώτα | was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular | asked | 10× |
| eperōtaleἐπηρώτων | was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural | asked | 10× |
| eperōtamiἘπερωτήσω | will happen · Ifuture active indicative 1st person singular | ask | 1× |
| eperōtataἐπηρώτησεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | asked | 16× |
| eperōtalaἐπηρώτησαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | asked | 7× |
| eperōtalōrἐπερωτάτωσαν | happening now · theypresent active imperative 3rd person plural | ask | 1× |
| eperōtavarἐπερωτήσατε | happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural | ask | 1× |
| eperōtarōἐπερωτᾶν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | ask | 1× |
| eperōtaraἐπερωτῆσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | ask | 3× |
| eperōtarōntonἐπερωτῶντα | happening now · objectpresent active participle accusative singular masculine | asking … questions | 1× |
| eperōtarōntoiἐπερωτῶσιν | happening now · to, forpresent active participle dative plural masculine | ask | 1× |
| eperōtarantosἐπερωτήσας | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | asked | 1× |
| eperōtirantosἘπερωτηθεὶς | happened · subjectaorist passive participle nominative singular masculine | asked | 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 172, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 46 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 | eperōtamō1×Ἐπερωτῶ | eperōtame | eperōtami1×Ἐπερωτήσω | eperōtama | eperōtamē | eperōtamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtasō | eperōtase | eperōtasi | eperōtasa | eperōtasē | eperōtaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtatō | eperōtate10×ἐπηρώτα | eperōtati | eperōtata16×ἐπηρώτησεν | eperōtatē | eperōtatelē |
| we 1st person plural | eperōtanō | eperōtane | eperōtani | eperōtana | eperōtanē | eperōtanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtavō | eperōtave | eperōtavi | eperōtava | eperōtavē | eperōtavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtalō1×ἐπερωτῶσιν | eperōtale10×ἐπηρώτων | eperōtali | eperōtala7×ἐπηρώτησαν | eperōtalē | eperōtalelē |
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 | eperōtomō | eperōtome | eperōtomē | eperōtomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtosō | eperōtose | eperōtosē | eperōtoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtotō | eperōtote | eperōtotē | eperōtotelē |
| we 1st person plural | eperōtonō | eperōtone | eperōtonē | eperōtonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtovō | eperōtove | eperōtovē | eperōtovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtolō | eperōtole | eperōtolē | eperōtolelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | eperōtimi | eperōtima |
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtisi | eperōtisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtiti | eperōtita |
| we 1st person plural | eperōtini | eperōtina |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtivi | eperōtiva |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtili | eperōtila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | eperōtameiō | eperōtameia | eperōtameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtaseiō | eperōtaseia | eperōtaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtateiō | eperōtateia | eperōtateiē |
| we 1st person plural | eperōtaneiō | eperōtaneia | eperōtaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtaveiō | eperōtaveia | eperōtaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtaleiō | eperōtaleia | eperōtaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | eperōtomeiō | eperōtomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtoseiō | eperōtoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtoteiō | eperōtoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | eperōtoneiō | eperōtoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtoveiō | eperōtoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtoleiō | eperōtoleiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | eperōtimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtiseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtiteia |
| we 1st person plural | eperōtineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtiveia |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtileia |
Commands — imperative mood, 2 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtasōr | eperōtasar | eperōtasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtatōr | eperōtatar | eperōtatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtavōr | eperōtavar1×ἐπερωτήσατε | eperōtavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtalōr1×ἐπερωτάτωσαν | eperōtalar | eperōtalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtosōr | eperōtosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtotōr | eperōtotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtovōr | eperōtovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtolōr | eperōtolēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtivar |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | eperōtamoiō | eperōtamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtasoiō | eperōtasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtatoiō | eperōtatoia |
| we 1st person plural | eperōtanoiō | eperōtanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtavoiō | eperōtavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtaloiō | eperōtaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | eperōtomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | eperōtonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtoloiō |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | eperōtimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | eperōtisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | eperōtitoia |
| we 1st person plural | eperōtinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | eperōtivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | eperōtiloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 4 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | eperōtarō1×ἐπερωτᾶν | eperōtari | eperōtara3×ἐπερωτῆσαι | eperōtarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | eperōtorō | eperōtorē | ||
| acted on passive voice | eperōtiri | eperōtira |
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 | eperōtarōntos2× | eperōtarintos | eperōtarantos1×ἐπερωτήσας | eperōtarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | eperōtorōntos | eperōtorēntos | ||
| acted on passive voice | eperōtirintos | eperōtirantos1×Ἐπερωτηθεὶς |
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
eperōt 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.
56 occurrences, every one of them listed
eperōtamō“ask”happening now · Ipresent active indicative 1st person singular1×
Luke 6:9legata de tos Iēsus pros autoin; Eperōtamō vin, ei exestinatō te sabbate agathopoiara …Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the …
eperōtalō“asked”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Mark 7:5“asked”kai eperōtalō auton tois Farisaiois kai tois grammatevois; …So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of …
eperōtate“asked”was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular10×
Mark 5:9kai eperōtate auton; Tinem onomem si? kai legatō …“What is your name?” Jesus asked. “My name is Legion,” he replied …
Mark 8:23… ommeim autou, epititharantos tain cheirain auto, eperōtate auton; Ei tinem blepasō?… him. “Can you see anything?” He asked.
Mark 8:27“asked”… tau Filippou; kai en ta hoda eperōtate toin mathētoin autou legarōntos autoi; Tinon …… around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people …
Mark 8:29kai autos eperōtate autoin; Vis de tinon min legavō …“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am …
Mark 9:33… Kafarnaoum. kai en ta oikia generantos eperōtate autoin; Tinem en ta hoda dialogizove?… Jesus was in the house, He asked them, “What were you discussing on …
Mark 10:17… hodan prostrecharantos henos kai gonupetarantos auton eperōtate auton; Didaskalor agathor, tinem poiameia hina …… knelt before Him. “Good Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit …
Mark 13:3… Orem taiu Elaiaiu katenanti teu hiereu eperōtate auton kata idian Petros kai Iakōbos …… temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,
Mark 14:61“asked”… ouk apokrineta oudenem. palin tos archierevos eperōtate auton kai legatō auto; Sis asō …… no reply. Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Christ …
Mark 15:4“asked”tos de Pilatos palin eperōtate auton legarōntos; Ouk apokrinosō oudenem? ide …Then Pilate questioned Him again, “Have You no answer? Look how …
Luke 23:9eperōtate de auton en logoi hikanoi; autos …Herod questioned Jesus at great length, but He …
eperōtale“asked”was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural10×
Mark 7:17“asked”… eiserchata eis oikon apo tou ochlou, eperōtale auton tois mathētois autou tan parabolan.… had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.
Mark 9:11kai eperōtale auton legarōntois; Hoti legalō tois grammatevois …And they asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say …
Mark 9:28… oikon tois mathētois autou kata idian eperōtale auton; Hoti nis ouk dunina ekbalara …… gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive …
Mark 10:2“asked”Kai eperōtale auton ei exestinatō andro gunaikan apoluara, …… to test Him. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they inquired.
Mark 10:10… oikian palin tois mathētois peri houteu eperōtale auton.… back inside the house, the disciples asked Jesus about this matter.
Mark 12:18“asked … aquestion”… hotinois legalō anastasian mē arō, kai eperōtale auton legarōntois;… the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him:
Luke 3:10Kai eperōtale auton tois ochlois legarōntois; Tinem oun …The crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”
Luke 3:14eperōtale de auton kai strateuorōntois legarōntois; Tinem …Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do …
Luke 8:9Eperōtale de auton tois mathētois autou tinas …Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.
Luke 22:64“asking”kai perikaluptarantois auton eperōtale legarōntois; Profēteuasar, tinos atō tos paiarantos …They blindfolded Him and kept demanding, “Prophesy! Who hit You?”
eperōtami“ask”will happen · Ifuture active indicative 1st person singular1×
Mark 11:29tos de Iēsus legata autoi; Eperōtami vin henon logon, kai apokrinivar mi, …“I will ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and …
eperōtata“asked”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular16×
Matthew 22:35“asked”kai eperōtata henos ek autoiu nomikos peirazarōntos auton;One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a …
Matthew 22:41“asked”Sunagorēntoiu de toiu Farisaioiu eperōtata autoin tos IēsusWhile the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them:
Matthew 27:11“asked”… Iēsus stēita emprosthen tou hēgemonou; kai eperōtata auton tos hēgemonos legarōntos; Sis asō …Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of …
Mark 9:16kai eperōtata autoin; Tinem suzētavō pros heautoin?… are you disputing with them?” He asked.
Mark 9:21kai eperōtata ton patron autou; Posos chronos atō …Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has …
Mark 12:28… suzētarōntoiu, horarantos hoti kalōs apokrinita autoi, eperōtata auton; Poias atō entolas prōtas panteiu?… well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most …
Mark 14:60“asked”kai anastēarantos tos archierevos eis mesem eperōtata ton Iēsun legarōntos; Ouk apokrinosō oudenem? …So the high priest stood up before them and questioned Jesus, “Have You no answer? What are …
Mark 15:2“asked”kai eperōtata auton tos Pilatos; Sis asō tos …So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of …
Mark 15:44“asked”… ēdē thnēskatē, kai proskalerantos ton kenturiōnon eperōtata auton ei palai apothnēskata;… Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask …
Luke 8:30eperōtata de auton tos Iēsus; Tinem si …“What is your name?” Jesus asked. “Legion,” he replied, because many demons …
Luke 9:18“asked”… monain suneiale auto tois mathētois, kai eperōtata autoin legarōntos; Tinon min tois ochlois …… in private and the disciples were with Him, He questioned them: “Who do the crowds say I am?”
Luke 18:18Kai eperōtata tinos auton archontos legarōntos; Didaskalor agathor, …Then a certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I …
Luke 18:40… agira pros auton. engizarantou de autou eperōtata auton;… When he had come near, Jesus asked him,
Luke 23:6Pilatos de akouarantos eperōtata ei tos anthrōpos Galilaios atō,When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean.
John 18:7palin oun eperōtata autoin; Tinon zētavō? tois de legala; …So He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking …
Acts 5:27“questioned”… autoin stēala en te sunedrie. kai eperōtata autoin tos archierevos… and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them.
eperōtala“asked”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural7×
Matthew 12:10… idou anthrōpos cheiran echarōntos xēran. kai eperōtala auton legarōntois; Ei exestinatō tei sabbatei …… In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal …
Matthew 16:1“asked”… prosercharantois tois Farisaiois kai Saddoukaiois peirazarōntois eperōtala auton sēmem ek tou ouranou epideikara …Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.
Matthew 17:10kai eperōtala auton tois mathētois legarōntois; Tinem oun …The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes …
Matthew 22:23“asked”… Saddoukaiois, legarōntois mē arō anastasian, kai eperōtala auton… day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
Luke 20:21“asked”kai eperōtala auton legarōntois; Didaskalor, oidanē hoti orthōs …“Teacher,” they inquired, “we know that You speak …
Luke 20:27“asked”… Saddoukaioiu, tois antilegarōntois anastasian mē arō, eperōtala auton… of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to question Him.
Luke 21:7Eperōtala de auton legarōntois; Didaskalor, pote oun …“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And …
eperōtalōr“ask”happening now · theypresent active imperative 3rd person plural1×
1 Corinthians 14:35… thelalō, en oiko toin idioin androin eperōtalōr, aischrem gar atō gunaika lalarō en …… inquire about something, they are to ask their own husbands at home; for …
eperōtavar“ask”happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural1×
John 9:23… autou legala hoti Hēlikian echatō, auton eperōtavar.… parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”
eperōtarō“ask”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive1×
Luke 20:40“ask”ouketi gar tolmale eperōtarō auton oudenem.… to question Him any further.
eperōtara“ask”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive3×
Matthew 22:46“ask”… tolmata tinos apo ekeinau tau hēmerau eperōtara auton ouketi.… word, and from that day on no one dared to question Him any further.
Mark 9:32… agnoale tem rēmem, kai fobole auton eperōtara.… statement, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
Mark 12:34“ask … questions”… theou. kai oudenos ouketi tolmate auton eperōtara.… kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any further.
eperōtarōnton“asking … questions”happening now · objectpresent active participle accusative singular masculine1×
Luke 2:46… toiu didaskaloiu kai akouarōnton autoiu kai eperōtarōnton autoin;… the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
eperōtarōntoi“ask”happening now · to, forpresent active participle dative plural masculine1×
Romans 10:20… zētarōntoi, emfanos genema toi min mē eperōtarōntoi.… Myself to those who did not ask for Me.”
eperōtarantos“asked”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine1×
Acts 23:34anagnōskarantos de kai eperōtarantos ek poiau eparcheiau atō kai punthanerantos …The governor read the letter and asked what province Paul was from. Learning …
eperōtirantos“asked”happened · subjectaorist passive participle nominative singular masculine1×
Luke 17:20Eperōtirantos de hupo toiu Farisaioiu pote erchotō …When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom …