verb
hupakouamō
Strong’sG5219
I listen, obey
stem hupakou-21 times in the New Testamentin 11 of 27 books11 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 obey, submit to, or heed — to listen to someone or something and comply with it, whether a person, a command, a teaching, or an authority 124. This is the ordinary sense of the word in the New Testament, used both without an object and with a person or thing named as the one obeyed 1.
To answer a knock at a door — used of a household servant responding when someone knocks, i.e. answering the door 13. This is a specific, literal use distinct from the general sense of obeying.
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
ὑπακούω
[in LXX: chiefly for שָׁמַע;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G5219 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidhoop-ak-oo'-o
to hear under (as a subordinate), i.e. to listen attentively; by implication, to heed or conform to a command or authority
King Jameshearken, be obedient to, obey.
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 -ακούσομαιLXX later -ακούσω Refs
I hearken, give ear, θεοὶ δ᾽ ὑπὸ πάντες ἄκουον Refs 8th c.BC+
I.2 answer (by voice or act) when called, ἢ ἐξελθέμεναι ἢ ἔνδοθεν αἶψ᾽ ὑπακοῦσαι Refs 8th c.BC+
I.2.b in a dialogue, answer when questioned, σοι Refs 5th c.BC+
I.3 listen to, heed, regard, with genitive of things, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὑ. διαίτῃ submit to a regimen, Refs 4th c.BC+; ὑ. τῷ ξυμφόρῳ τινός comply with his interest, Refs 5th c.BC+; δείπνῳ ὑ. accept an invitation to dinner, Refs 2nd c.AD+: absolutely, give way, submit, comply, Refs 5th c.BC+ in this matter he obeyed, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὑ. τινός τι or τινί τι, obey one in a thing,Refs 5th c.BC+
II Special senses:
II.1 of porters, answer a knock at the door, ὑ. τινί NT+4th c.BC+; ὁ ὑπακούσας the porter, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2 of a judge, listen to a complainant, τινι Refs 5th c.BC+; also of the parties in legal proceedings, appear before the court, Refs 4th c.BC+
II.3 of dependants, subjects, etc., obey, submit to, Δαρείου οὐδαμὰ ὑ. Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3.b Astrology texts, to aspect from South to North, of the southernmost of two zodiacal signs equidistant from an equinoctial point, opposed to προστάσσειν, Refs 2nd c.AD+; ={ἀκούω} see, Refs 4th c.AD+
II.4 answer one's expectations, succeed, ὑπήκουέ μοι τὸ πρᾶγμα Refs 1st c.BC+
II.5 ὑ. αὐγαῖς ἁλίου to be subject to the sun's rays, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὑπακούουσι τῶν τῆς ἀρχῆς παθημάτων οἱ κατὰ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς μύες feel the effects of.., Refs 2nd c.AD+
II.6 of ailments, yield, give way to a remedy, τινι Refs 5th c.BC+; πληγαῖς ὑ., of metal, Refs 1st c.AD+yielding to pressure, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.7 concede a point in dispute, Refs 4th c.BC+
II.8 correspond, πᾶσα παραγωγὴ ἐπιρρηματικὴ.. μιᾷ ὑπακούει πτώσει κατὰ τὴν διάλυσιν every adverbial derivative corresponds to a case, e.g. οἴκοθι to ἐν οἴκῳ, Refs 2nd c.AD+; conform to a theory, Refs
III κοινὸν ὑ. understand under the term κοινόν.., Refs 5th c.BC+ —passive, κοινῶς ὑ. to be understood in a general sense, Refs 1st c.BC+
III.2 in Grammars, understand a word omitted, Refs 2nd c.AD+ what one has in mind, the subject, Refs
III.3 understand, with accusative et infinitive, Refs 1st c.BC+
IV future ὑπακούσεται in Refs 5th c.BC+, if correct, must be passive, if their service shall be lighter; but Scholia gives ὑπακούσονται, whence ξυγκαταστρεψάμενοι (for -οις) is conjectured.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| hupakouatōὑπακούει | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | obey | 2× |
| hupakouavōὑπακούετε | happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural | obey | 1× |
| hupakoualōὑπακούουσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | obey | 3× |
| hupakoualeὑπήκουον | was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural | obedient | 1× |
| hupakouataὑπήκουσεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | obeyed | 3× |
| hupakouavaὑπηκούσατε | happened · yeaorist active indicative 2nd person plural | obeyed | 2× |
| hupakoualaὑπήκουσαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | obeyed | 1× |
| hupakouavōrὑπακούετε | happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural | obey | 4× |
| hupakouarōὑπακούειν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | obey | 1× |
| hupakouaraὑπακοῦσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | answer | 1× |
| hupakouarōntoiὑπακούουσιν | happening now · to, forpresent active participle dative plural masculine | obey | 2× |
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, 13 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | hupakouamō | hupakouame | hupakouami | hupakouama | hupakouamē | hupakouamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | hupakouasō | hupakouase | hupakouasi | hupakouasa | hupakouasē | hupakouaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | hupakouatō2×ὑπακούει | hupakouate | hupakouati | hupakouata3×ὑπήκουσεν | hupakouatē | hupakouatelē |
| we 1st person plural | hupakouanō | hupakouane | hupakouani | hupakouana | hupakouanē | hupakouanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | hupakouavō1×ὑπακούετε | hupakouave | hupakouavi | hupakouava2×ὑπηκούσατε | hupakouavē | hupakouavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | hupakoualō3×ὑπακούουσιν | hupakouale1×ὑπήκουον | hupakouali | hupakouala1×ὑπήκουσαν | hupakoualē | hupakoualelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | hupakouameiō | hupakouameia | hupakouameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | hupakouaseiō | hupakouaseia | hupakouaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | hupakouateiō | hupakouateia | hupakouateiē |
| we 1st person plural | hupakouaneiō | hupakouaneia | hupakouaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | hupakouaveiō | hupakouaveia | hupakouaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | hupakoualeiō | hupakoualeia | hupakoualeiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 4 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | hupakouasōr | hupakouasar | hupakouasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | hupakouatōr | hupakouatar | hupakouatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | hupakouavōr4×ὑπακούετε | hupakouavar | hupakouavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | hupakoualōr | hupakoualar | hupakoualēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | hupakouamoiō | hupakouamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | hupakouasoiō | hupakouasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | hupakouatoiō | hupakouatoia |
| we 1st person plural | hupakouanoiō | hupakouanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | hupakouavoiō | hupakouavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | hupakoualoiō | hupakoualoia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 2 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | hupakouarō1×ὑπακούειν | hupakouari | hupakouara1×ὑπακοῦσαι | hupakouarē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 2 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | hupakouarōntos2× | hupakouarintos | hupakouarantos | hupakouarēntos |
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
hupakou 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.
21 occurrences, every one of them listed
hupakouatō“obey”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular2×
Mark 4:41… kai tos anemos kai tas thalassas hupakouatō auto?… even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
2 Thessalonians 3:14Ei de tinos ouk hupakouatō to logo nu dia tau epistolau, …… note of anyone who does not obey the instructions we have given in …
hupakouavō“obey”happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural1×
Romans 6:16… douloin eis hupakoan, doulois avō ho hupakouavō, ētoi hamartau eis thanaton ē hupakoau …… are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin …
hupakoualō“obey”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural3×
Matthew 8:27… tois anemois kai tas thalassas auto hupakoualō?… Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
Mark 1:27… tei pneumei tei akathartei epitassatō, kai hupakoualō auto.… even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!”
Luke 8:25… anemoi epitassatō kai te hude, kai hupakoualō auto?… winds and the water, and they obey Him!”
hupakouale“obedient”was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Acts 6:7… sfodra, pollos tē ochlos toiu hierevoiu hupakouale ta pistia.… a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.
hupakouata“obeyed”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular3×
Luke 17:6… kai futeuisar en ta thalassa; kai hupakouata an vi.… in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
Hebrews 11:8Pistia kalorōntos Abraam hupakouata exerchara eis topon hon mellate labarō …… would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he …
1 Peter 3:6hōs Sarras hupakouata to Abraam, kurion auton kalarōntas; hau …just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. And …
hupakouava“obeyed”happened · yeaorist active indicative 2nd person plural2×
Romans 6:17… theo hoti ave doulois tau hamartau hupakouava de ek kardiau eis hon paradōiva …… were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which …
Philippians 2:12Hōste, agapētoir mu, kathōs pantote hupakouava, mē hōs en ta parousia mu …… beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but …
hupakouala“obeyed”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Romans 10:16“obeyed”alla ouk pantois hupakouala te euangelie; Ēsaios gar legatō; Kurior, …But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has …
hupakouavōr“obey”happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural4×
Ephesians 6:1Teim tekneim, hupakouavōr toi gonevoi vu en kurio, houtem …Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for …
Ephesians 6:5Tois douloir, hupakouavōr toi kata sarkan kurioi meta fobou …Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and …
Colossians 3:20Teim tekneim, hupakouavōr toi gonevoi kata panteim, houtem gar …Children, obey your parents in everything, for this …
Colossians 3:22tois douloir, hupakouavōr kata panteim toi kata sarkan kurioi, …Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not …
hupakouarō“obey”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive1×
Romans 6:12… te thnēte vu sōme eis tem hupakouarō tai epithumiai auteu,… your mortal body so that you obey its desires.
hupakouara“answer”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive1×
Acts 12:13… tan thuran tou pulōnou proserchata paidiskas hupakouara onome Rodas,… servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
hupakouarōntoi“obey”happening now · to, forpresent active participle dative plural masculine2×
2 Thessalonians 1:8… mē oidarēntoi theon kai toi mē hupakouarōntoi te euangelie tou kuriou nu Iēsu,… not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Hebrews 5:9kai teleiirantos geneta pantoi toi hupakouarōntoi auto aitios sōtērēau aiōniau,… of eternal salvation to all who obey Him