conjunction
mēpote
Strong’sG3379
lest at any time, lest, perhaps
stem mēpote-25 times in the New Testamentin 7 of 27 booksnever changes form
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
μήποτε most often functions as a conjunction meaning lest, lest at any time, in case — expressing caution about something that might happen, with the sense of possibility being more prominent than the sense of time 1234. It appears after warnings and after verbs of fearing or taking heed, sometimes with the verb left unstated 1.
It can also be used as a question word. In direct questions it works like a simple negative particle expecting a negative answer, and in indirect questions it means whether haply, if haply 1.
In later Greek usage it can simply mean perhaps 13.
Less commonly, it is used as a plain negative adverb meaning never 13.
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
μήποτε
(= μή ποτε, and so written in WH, exc. Mt 25:9),
negative particle,related to οὔποτε as μή to οὐ.
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G3379 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
or μή ποτε, Ionic dialect μή κοτε (see. below 11):
I as adverb never, on no account, after ὡς, Refs 4th c.BC+; after εἰ, Refs: with infinitive, Refs; especially in oaths, never, ὀμοῦμαι, μή ποτε τῆς εὐνῆς ἐπιβήμεναι Refs 8th c.BC+; in aposiopesis, ἢ μήπορ᾽ ἆρ᾽.. Refs 8th c.BC+
I.2 in prohibition or warning, with aorist subjunctive, μή ποτε καὶ σὺ.. ὀλέσσῃς Refs 8th c.BC+infinitive for imperative, Refs
I.3 in later Gr., perhaps, LXX+4th c.BC+
II as conjunction, lest ever, αἰσχυνόμενοι φάτιν ἀνδρῶν.., μή ποτέ τις εἴπῃσι Refs 8th 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.
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
25 occurrences, every one of them listed
mēpote24×
Matthew 4:6… su kai epi cheiraiu airali sin, mēpote proskoptaseia pros lithon ton podon su.… lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Matthew 5:25“lest”… asō meta autou en ta hoda, mēpote sin paradōateia tos antidikos to krito, …Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to …
Matthew 7:6“or”… toin margaritoin vu emprosthen toiu choiroiu, mēpote katapatali autoin en toi podoi autoiu …… not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then …
Matthew 13:15… akouala, kai toin ofthalmoin autoiu kammuala; mēpote horaleia toi ofthalmoi kai tei ouei …… and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes …
Matthew 13:29“lest”tos de fēatō; Ou, mēpote sullegarōntois teim zizanieim ekrizaveia hama autoi …‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them.
Matthew 15:32“lest”… kai apoluara autoin nēstioin ouk thelamō, mēpote ekluileia en ta hoda.… to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.”
Matthew 27:64… ton tafon heōs tau tritau hēmerau, mēpote ercharantois tois mathētois autou kleptaleia auton …… be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal …
Mark 4:12“lest”… kai akouarōntois akoualeiō kai mē suniēkaleiō, mēpote epistrefaleia kai afiēkiteia autoi.… never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
Mark 14:2“lest”legale gar; Mē en ta heorta, mēpote eti thorubos tou laou.“But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
Luke 4:11kai hoti Epi cheiraiu airali sin mēpote proskoptaseia pros lithon ton podon su.… lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Luke 12:58“or”… hoda dōasar ergasian apallaxorē apo autou, mēpote katasurateiō sin pros ton kriton, kai …Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may …
Luke 14:8“lest”… gamoin, mē katakliniseia eis tan prōtoklisian, mēpote entimoteros su ateiō kalorēntos hupo autou… banquet, do not sit in the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited.
Luke 14:12“lest”… toin sungenoin su mēde geitonoin plousioin, mēpote kai autois antikalaleia sin kai geneteia …… brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid.
Luke 14:29hina mēpote titharantou autou themelion kai mē ischuarōntou …Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and …
Luke 21:34“so that … not”Prosechavōr de heautoi mēpote barileia vu tais kardiais en kraipala …But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and …
Acts 5:39“lest”… theou atō, ouk dunevi kataluara autoin; mēpote kai theomachois heuriskiveia. peithila de auto,… if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 28:27“lest”… akouala, kai toin ofthalmoin autoiu kammuala; mēpote horaleia toi ofthalmoi kai tei ouei …… they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would …
Hebrews 2:1… datō perissoterōs prosecharō nin tei akouirantei, mēpote pararraneia.… therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Hebrews 3:12“lest”blepavōr, adelfoir, mēpote eti en tino vu kardias ponēras …… to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief …
Hebrews 4:1“lest”Fobineia oun mēpote kataleiporōntau epangeliau eiserchara eis tan katapausian …Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands …
Luke 3:15“whether”… tai kardiai autoiu peri tou Iōannou, mēpote autos atoiō tos christos,… wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ.
John 7:26“can … be”… parrēsia lalatō kai oudenem auto legalō; mēpote alēthōs gnōskala tois archontois hoti houtos …… He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly recognized that this is the …
2 Timothy 2:25“perhaps”en prauta paideuarōnton toin antidiatithorōntoin, mēpote dōateia autoi tos theos metanoian eis …… gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge …
Hebrews 9:17“never”diathēkas gar epi nekroi bebaias, epei mēpote ischuatō hote zōatō tos diatitherantos.because a will does not take effect until the one who made it has died; it cannot be executed while he is still alive.
Mēpote1×
Matthew 25:9“certainly”apokrinila de tais fronimais legarōntais; Mēpote ouk mē arkateia ni kai vi; …‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go …