verb
gamamō
Strong’sG1060
I marry
stem gam-29 times in the New Testamentin 5 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
γαμέω means to marry — to take a spouse, used of both men and women 1234.
Of a man, it means to marry or take a wife, and can be used either without an object (simply "to marry") or with a direct object naming the woman taken as wife 13. Of a woman, the same verb form was originally used in the middle voice, meaning to give oneself in marriage, though in later, more colloquial Greek women's marrying came to be expressed with the same active form used for men 13. The word covers marrying in general, without distinction of sex, and can also be used with an object to mean marrying a particular man 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
* γαμέω, -ῶ,
[in LXX: Es 10:3, II Mac 14:25, IV Mac 16:9 *;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1060 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidgam-eh'-o
to wed (of either sex)
Fromfrom G1062;
King Jamesmarry (a wife).
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 γαμέω Refs 8th c.BC+, contraction γαμῶ Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist 1 ἔγημα NT+8th c.BC+perfect γεγάμηκα Refs 5th c.BC+: pluperfect ἐγεγαμήκει Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, future Epic dialect γαμέσσεται Refs 8th c.BC+ codices, Attic dialect γαμοῦμαι Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist ἐγημάμην Refs 8th c.BC+:—passive, future γαμηθήσομαι Refs 1st c.AD+: aorist ἐγαμήθην Refs 3rd c.BC+: perfect γεγάμημαι Refs 5th c.BC+: pluperfect ἐγεγάμητο Refs 2nd c.AD+: (γάμος):—marry, i.e. take to wife, of the man, Ἀδρήστοιο δ᾽ ἔγημε θυγατρῶν one of his daughters, Refs 8th c.BC+; γ. γυναῖκα ἐς οἰκία, like{ἄγεσθαι}, Refs 5th c.BC+; γῆμαι γέκτρα βασιλέως the king's daughter, Refs 5th c.BC+; also γάμῳ γ. marry in lawful wedlock, Refs 4th c.BC+; ἐκ κακοῦ, ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ γῆμαι, marry a wife of mean or noble stock, Refs 6th c.BC+; παρά τινοςRefs 5th c.BC+; ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ γ. ἄλλην γυναῖκα set a stepmother over one's daughter, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπὶ δέκα ταλάντοις τινὰ γαμεῖν marry a wife with a dowry of ten talents, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 of mere sexual intercourse, take for a paramour, Refs 8th c.BC+
3 later of the woman, ἐὰν γαμήσῃ ἄλλον NT
II middle, give oneself or one's child in marriage:
II.1 of the woman, give herself in marriage, i.e. wed, with dative, γαμέεσθαι τῷ ὅτεῴ τε πατὴρ κέλεται Refs 8th c.BC+; εἰς τύρανν᾽ ἐγημάμην I married into a royal house, Refs 5th c.BC+; γήματο δ᾽ εἰς Μαραθῶνα, i. e. she married Herodes of Marathon, Refs 5th c.BC+: ironically of a henpecked husband, κεῖνος οὐκ ἔγημεν ἀλλ᾽ ἐγήματο Refs 6th c.BC+; so Medea to Jason, μῶν γαμοῦσα.. σ; did I marry you? Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐγημάμην, of a man marrying a rich wife, Refs 4th c.BC+; γαμεῖται ἕκαστος (obscene meaning) Refs 1st c.BC+; incorrectly, in later writers, γημάμενος Refs 2nd c.AD+
II.2 of parents, get their children married, betroth them, get a wife for the son, Πηλεύς θήν μοι ἔπειτα γυναῖκα γαμέσσεται αὐτός (where Refs 3rd c.BC+ will seek or make suit for) Refs 8th c.BC+ —active aorist 1 ἐγάμησαRefs 4th c.BC+
III passive, to be taken to wife: hence, marry a husband, [prev. cited] ad [near the start], Refs 4th c.AD+, etc.; rarely in correct authors, Refs 2nd 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| gamalōγαμοῦσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | marry | 4× |
| gamaleἐγάμουν | was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural | marrying | 1× |
| gamamaἔγημα | happened · Iaorist active indicative 1st person singular | married | 1× |
| gamataἐγάμησεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | married | 1× |
| gamaseiaγαμήσῃς | happened · youaorist active subjunctive 2nd person singular | marry | 1× |
| gamateiaγαμήσῃ | happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular | marries | 5× |
| gamalōrγαμείτωσαν | happening now · theypresent active imperative 3rd person plural | marry | 1× |
| gamalarγαμησάτωσαν | happened · theyaorist active imperative 3rd person plural | marry | 1× |
| gamarōγαμεῖν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | marry | 3× |
| gamaraγαμῆσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | marry | 2× |
| gamiraγαμηθῆναι | happened · the “to …” formaorist passive infinitive | married | 1× |
| gamarōntosγαμῶν | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine | marries | 2× |
| gamarōntoisγαμοῦντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | marrying | 1× |
| gamarantosγαμήσας | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | married | 3× |
| gamarantasγαμήσασα | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular feminine | married | 1× |
| gamarēntoiγεγαμηκόσιν | has happened · to, forperfect active participle dative plural masculine | married | 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, 7 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 | gamamō | gamame | gamami | gamama1×ἔγημα | gamamē | gamamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | gamasō | gamase | gamasi | gamasa | gamasē | gamaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamatō | gamate | gamati | gamata1×ἐγάμησεν | gamatē | gamatelē |
| we 1st person plural | gamanō | gamane | gamani | gamana | gamanē | gamanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamavō | gamave | gamavi | gamava | gamavē | gamavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | gamalō4×γαμοῦσιν | gamale1×ἐγάμουν | gamali | gamala | gamalē | gamalelē |
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 | gamomō | gamome | gamomē | gamomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | gamosō | gamose | gamosē | gamoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamotō | gamote | gamotē | gamotelē |
| we 1st person plural | gamonō | gamone | gamonē | gamonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamovō | gamove | gamovē | gamovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | gamolō | gamole | gamolē | gamolelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | gamimi | gamima |
| you 2nd person singular | gamisi | gamisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamiti | gamita |
| we 1st person plural | gamini | gamina |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamivi | gamiva |
| they 3rd person plural | gamili | gamila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 6 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | gamameiō | gamameia | gamameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | gamaseiō | gamaseia1×γαμήσῃς | gamaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamateiō | gamateia5×γαμήσῃ | gamateiē |
| we 1st person plural | gamaneiō | gamaneia | gamaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamaveiō | gamaveia | gamaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | gamaleiō | gamaleia | gamaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | gamomeiō | gamomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | gamoseiō | gamoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamoteiō | gamoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | gamoneiō | gamoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamoveiō | gamoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | gamoleiō | gamoleiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | gamimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | gamiseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamiteia |
| we 1st person plural | gamineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamiveia |
| they 3rd person plural | gamileia |
Commands — imperative mood, 2 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | gamasōr | gamasar | gamasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamatōr | gamatar | gamatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamavōr | gamavar | gamavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | gamalōr1×γαμείτωσαν | gamalar1×γαμησάτωσαν | gamalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | gamosōr | gamosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamotōr | gamotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamovōr | gamovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | gamolōr | gamolēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | gamisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamivar |
| they 3rd person plural | gamilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | gamamoiō | gamamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | gamasoiō | gamasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamatoiō | gamatoia |
| we 1st person plural | gamanoiō | gamanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamavoiō | gamavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | gamaloiō | gamaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | gamomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | gamosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | gamonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | gamoloiō |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | gamimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | gamisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | gamitoia |
| we 1st person plural | gaminoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | gamivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | gamiloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 6 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | gamarō3×γαμεῖν | gamari | gamara2×γαμῆσαι | gamarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | gamorō | gamorē | ||
| acted on passive voice | gamiri | gamira1×γαμηθῆναι |
Used as an adjective — participle, 8 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | gamarōntos3×γαμῶν | gamarintos | gamarantos4×γαμήσας | gamarēntos1× |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | gamorōntos | gamorēntos | ||
| acted on passive voice | gamirintos | gamirantos |
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
gam 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.
29 occurrences, every one of them listed
gamalō“marry”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural4×
Matthew 22:30en gar ta anastasia oute gamalō oute gamizolō, alla hōs angelois theou …In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead …
Mark 12:25hotan gar ek nekroiu anastēaleia, oute gamalō oute gamizolō, alla alō hōs angelois …… the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead …
Luke 20:34… Iēsus; Tois huiois tou aiōnou houtou gamalō kai gamiskolō,… answered, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.
Luke 20:35… tau anastasiau tau ek nekroiu oute gamalō oute gamizolō;… resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.
gamale“marrying”was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Luke 17:27esthiale, pinale, gamale, gamizole, achri hau hēmerau eiserchata Nōe …People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up …
gamama“married”happened · Iaorist active indicative 1st person singular1×
Luke 14:20kai heteros legata; Gunaikan gamama kai dia houtem ouk dunomō erchara.Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’
gamata“married”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Mark 6:17… Filippou tou adelfou autou, hoti autan gamata;… Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.
gamaseia“marry”happened · youaorist active subjunctive 2nd person singular1×
1 Corinthians 7:28ean de kai gamaseia, ouk hamartasa. kai ean gamateia tas …But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if …
gamateia“marries”happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular5×
Matthew 5:32… autan moicheuira, kai hos ean apoluorēntan gamateia moichotō.… adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Matthew 19:9… gunaikan autou mē epi porneia kai gamateia allosan moichotō kai tos apoluorēntan gamarantos …… wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Mark 10:11… an apoluateia tan gunaikan autou kai gamateia allosan moichotō epi autan,… them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
Mark 10:12… ean autas apoluarantas ton andron autau gamateia alloson moichotō.… a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
1 Corinthians 7:28… kai gamaseia, ouk hamartasa. kai ean gamateia tas parthenas, ouk hamartata. thlipsian de …… not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those …
gamalōr“marry”happening now · theypresent active imperative 3rd person plural1×
1 Corinthians 7:36… genorō, hem thelatō poiatōr; ouk hamartatō; gamalōr.… her youth and they ought to marry, let him do as he wishes …
gamalar“marry”happened · theyaorist active imperative 3rd person plural1×
1 Corinthians 7:9ei de ouk enkrateuolō, gamalar, kreittonem gar atō gamara ē purorō.… they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry …
gamarō“marry”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive3×
1 Timothy 4:3kōluarōntoiu gamarō, apechorō brōmeiu heim tos theos ktizata …They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods …
1 Timothy 5:11… paraitosōr; hotan gar katastrēnialeia tou Christou, gamarō thelalō,… from Christ, they will want to marry,
1 Timothy 5:14boulomō oun neoterain gamarō, teknogonarō, oikodespotarō, mēdenan aforman dōarō to …… I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households …
gamara“marry”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive2×
Matthew 19:10… anthrōpou meta tau gunaikau, ouk sumferatō gamara.… wife, it is better not to marry.”
1 Corinthians 7:9… ouk enkrateuolō, gamalar, kreittonem gar atō gamara ē purorō.… marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
gamira“married”happened · the “to …” formaorist passive infinitive1×
1 Corinthians 7:39“married”… tos andros, eleutheras atō ho thelatō gamira, monem en kurio;… to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.
gamarōntos“marries”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine2×
Luke 16:18… tos apoluarōntos tan gunaikan autou kai gamarōntos heteran moicheuatō, kai tos apoluorēntan apo …Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he …
Luke 16:18… moicheuatō, kai tos apoluorēntan apo androu gamarōntos moicheuatō.… woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
gamarōntois“marrying”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine1×
Matthew 24:38… pro tou kataklusmou trōgarōntois kai pinarōntois, gamarōntois kai gamizarōntois, achri hau hēmerau eiserchata …… flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to …
gamarantos“married”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine3×
Matthew 19:9“who marries”… gamateia allosan moichotō kai tos apoluorēntan gamarantos moichotō.… sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Matthew 22:25… ni hepta adelfois; kai tos prōtos gamarantos teleutata, kai mē echarōntos spermem afiēkata …… brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So …
1 Corinthians 7:33tos de gamarantos merimnatō teim tou kosmou, pōs areskateia …But the married man is concerned about the affairs …
gamarantas“married”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular feminine1×
1 Corinthians 7:34… sōme kai te pneume; tas de gamarantas merimnatō teim tou kosmou, pōs areskateia …… both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs …
gamarēntoi“married”has happened · to, forperfect active participle dative plural masculine1×
1 Corinthians 7:10Toi de gamarēntoi parangelamō, ouk mis alla tos kurios, …To the married I give this command (not I …