verb
noamō
Strong’sG3539
I understand, consider
stem no-14 times in the New Testamentin 8 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
νοέω means to perceive with the mind, understand 1234 — to grasp or take notice of something mentally, whether through the senses, from information given, or through reflection 13. It can be used simply to mean "understand" or "comprehend" something stated 12, and also covers being mentally aware or taking notice of a fact 3.
A related but distinct sense is to think, consider, reflect on something 13 — turning a matter over in the mind rather than simply grasping it 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
νοέω -ῶ
(< νοῦς), [in LXX chiefly for בּין, also for שׂכל hi., etc;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G3539 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidnoy-eh'-o
to exercise the mind (observe), i.e. (figuratively) to comprehend, heed
Fromfrom G3563;
King Jamesconsider, perceive, think, understand.
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
Aeolic dialect νόημι (which see): Epic dialect aorist 1 νόησα Refs 8th c.BC+; Ionic dialect ἔνωσα (ἐν-) Refs 5th c.BC+perfect νενόηκα, Ionic dialect νένωκα (ἐν-) Refs; imperative νενόηθι Hilgard Excerpta e libris Herodiani Refs:—middle, Epic dialect aorist νοήσατο Refs 8th c.BC+; participle νοησάμενος Refs 7th c.BC+ —passive (mostly in middle sense), future νοηθήσομαι Refs 2nd c.AD+: aorist ἐνοήθην Refs 5th c.BC+; also Ionic dialect (ἐπ-) Refs 5th c.BC+perfect νενόημαι, Ionic dialect νένωμαι Refs 6th c.BC+singular pluperfect ἐνένωτο (in middle sense) Refs 5th c.BC+ and perfect passive νένοται. —The compounds with ἀπό, διά, ἐν, ἐπί, μετά, πρό are used chiefly in middle:—perceive by the eyes, observe (οἱ ἀρχαῖοι τὸ ν. σωματικὸν.. ὑπολαμβάνουσιν Refs 8th c.BC+; ὀξὺ ν.Refs 8th c.BC+; ὀφθαλμοῖσιν, ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσι ν., Refs 8th c.BC+
2 perceive by the mind, apprehend, τὸν δὲ ἰδὼν ἐνόησε Refs 8th c.BC+; ἢ λάθετ᾽ ἢ οὐκ ἐνόησεν or did not take notice, Refs 8th c.BC+; νοέεις δὲ καὶ αὐτός thou thyself art aware of it, LXX+8th c.BC+; πρὸ ὃ τοῦ ἐνόησεν one perceives before the other, Refs 8th c.BC+: frequently in Philos., of thought, μάλιστα ἔοικεν ἴδιον [ψυχῆς] τὸ ν. Refs 5th c.BC+: also with participle added, ὡς ἐνόησεν ἔμ᾽ ἥμενον Refs 8th c.BC+; of a future event, νοέω κακὸν ὔμμιν ἐρχόμενον Refs: with infinitive, οὐκ ἐνόησα ἄψορρον καταβῆναι NT+8th c.BC+:—middle, νωσάμενος Refs 6th c.BC+:—passive, to be apprehended by thought, τὰς ἰδέας νοεῖσθαι μὲν ὁρᾶσθαι δ᾽ οὔ Refs 5th c.BC+; τὰ νοούμενα, opposed to τὰ αἰσθητά,NT
3 think, consider, reflect, φρεσὶ ν. ἔνθ᾽ εἴην ἢ ἔνθα” Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐπ᾽ ἀμφότερα ν. look to both sides, Refs 5th c.BC+ to be other wise minded, Refs 5th c.BC+: participle νοέων, έουσα, wary, discreet, Refs 8th c.BC+; τὰ νοέων λέγει what he says advisedly, Refs 5th c.BC+; νοῶν καὶ φρονῶν sane and in his right mind, in wills, Refs 3rd c.BC+, etc.:— in middle, φρενὶ θεῖα νοῦνται Refs 6th c.BC+
4 consider, deem, presume to be so and so, ὡς μηκέτ᾽ ὄντα κεῖνον.. νόει Refs 5th c.BC+; τόδε γὰρ νοῶ κράτιστονRefs 4th c.BC+infinitive, δεῖ νοῆσαι τὸ μὲν ὑγρὸν εἶναιRefs; compare νοητέον.
II think out, devise, conceive τοῦτό γ᾽ ἐναίσιμον οὐκ ἐνόησε Refs 8th c.BC+; ἄλλα μὲν αὐτὸς ἐνὶ φρεσὶ σῇσι νοήσεις, ἄλλα δὲ καὶ δαίμων ὑποθήσεταιRefs 8th c.BC+: frequently with neuter plural adjective, πεπνυμένα πάντα νοῆσαι Refs 8th c.BC+; ἄνδρων πλεῖστα νοησάμενος most cunning of men, of Sisyphus, Refs 7th c.BC+:—passive, ἐνθύμημα νενοημένον οὐκ ἀτόπως Refs 1st c.BC+
II.2 purpose, intend, ἐσθλά τινι Refs 8th c.BC+
III with infinitive, to be minded, intend, οὐδ᾽ ἐνόησε ἐξερύσαι δόρυ bethought himself, Refs 8th c.BC+; νοέω φρεσὶ τιμήςuσθαιRefs; ἦ γὰρ νοεῖς θάπτειν σφ; Refs 5th c.BC+:—middle, once in Refs 8th c.BC+ he thought with himself to take the scourge, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐνέ- νωτο στρατεύειν he was minded to march, Refs 5th c.BC+
IV of words, bear a certain sense, mean, πυθοίμεθ᾽ ἂν τὸν χρησμὸν ὅ τι νοεῖ Refs 5th c.BC+; [εἰ] τοῦτο.. νοεῖ αὐτῷ if this means for him that.., Refs; τὸ νοούμενον the sense, meaning, Refs 5th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| noanōνοοῦμεν | happening now · wepresent active indicative 1st person plural | think | 2× |
| noavōνοεῖτε | happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural | see | 5× |
| noaleiaνοήσωσιν | happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural | understand | 1× |
| noasōrνόει | happening now · youpresent active imperative 2nd person singular | consider | 1× |
| noatōrνοείτω | happening now · he/she/itpresent active imperative 3rd person singular | understand | 2× |
| noaraνοῆσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | understand | 1× |
| noarōntoisνοοῦντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | understanding | 1× |
| noorōnteimνοούμενα | happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle direct plural neuter | understood | 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 140, 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 | noamō | noame | noami | noama | noamē | noamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | noasō | noase | noasi | noasa | noasē | noaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | noatō | noate | noati | noata | noatē | noatelē |
| we 1st person plural | noanō2×νοοῦμεν | noane | noani | noana | noanē | noanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | noavō5×νοεῖτε | noave | noavi | noava | noavē | noavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | noalō | noale | noali | noala | noalē | noalelē |
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 | noomō | noome | noomē | noomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | noosō | noose | noosē | nooselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | nootō | noote | nootē | nootelē |
| we 1st person plural | noonō | noone | noonē | noonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | noovō | noove | noovē | noovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | noolō | noole | noolē | noolelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 1 occurrence
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | noameiō | noameia | noameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | noaseiō | noaseia | noaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | noateiō | noateia | noateiē |
| we 1st person plural | noaneiō | noaneia | noaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | noaveiō | noaveia | noaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | noaleiō | noaleia1×νοήσωσιν | noaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | noomeiō | noomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | nooseiō | nooseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | nooteiō | nooteiē |
| we 1st person plural | nooneiō | nooneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | nooveiō | nooveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | nooleiō | nooleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 3 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | noasōr1×νόει | noasar | noasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | noatōr2×νοείτω | noatar | noatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | noavōr | noavar | noavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | noalōr | noalar | noalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | noosōr | noosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | nootōr | nootēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | noovōr | noovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | noolōr | noolēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | noamoiō | noamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | noasoiō | noasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | noatoiō | noatoia |
| we 1st person plural | noanoiō | noanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | noavoiō | noavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | noaloiō | noaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | noomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | noosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | nootoiō |
| we 1st person plural | noonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | noovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | nooloiō |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 1 occurrence
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | noarō | noari | noara1×νοῆσαι | noarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | noorō | noorē |
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 | noarōntos1× | noarintos | noarantos | noarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | noorōntos1× | noorēntos |
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
no 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.
14 occurrences, every one of them listed
noanō“think”happening now · wepresent active indicative 1st person plural2×
Ephesians 3:20“think”… panteim poiara huperekperissou heiu aitonō ē noanō kata tan dunamian tan energorōntan en …… able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,
Hebrews 11:3pistia noanō katartizorē toin aiōnoin rēme theou, eis …By faith we understand that the universe was formed at …
noavō“see”happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural5×
Matthew 15:17“see”ouk noavō hoti pantem tem eisporeuorōntem eis tem …“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes …
Matthew 16:9oupō noavō, oude mnēmoneuavō toin pente artoin toiu …Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five …
Matthew 16:11pōs ouk noavō hoti ouk peri artoiu legama vi? …How do you not understand that I was not telling you …
Mark 7:18“see”… Houtōs kai vis asunetois avō? ouk noavō hoti pantem tem exōthen eisporeuorōntem eis …“Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a …
Mark 8:17“perceive”… dialogizovō hoti artoin ouk echavō? oupō noavō oude suniēkavō? pōrorēntan echavō tan kardian …… them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts?
noaleia“understand”happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural1×
John 12:40… hina mē horaleia toi ofthalmoi kai noaleia ta kardia kai strefileia, kai iemi …… cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and …
noasōr“consider”happening now · youpresent active imperative 2nd person singular1×
2 Timothy 2:7noasōr hem legamō; dōati gar si tos …Consider what I am saying, for the …
noatōr“understand”happening now · he/she/itpresent active imperative 3rd person singular2×
Matthew 24:15… stēarēntem en topo hagio, tos anagnōskarōntos noatōr,… the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),
Mark 13:14… stēarēnton hopou ouk datō, tos anagnōskarōntos noatōr, tote tois en ta Ioudaia fugalōr …… should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in …
noara“understand”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive1×
Ephesians 3:4pros hem dunovō anagnōskarōntois noara tan sunesian mu en te mustērie …… then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of …
noarōntois“understanding”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine1×
1 Timothy 1:7“understanding”thelarōntois arō nomodidaskalois, mē noarōntois mēte heim legalō mēte peri tineiu …… want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or that which they so …
noorōnteim“understood”happening now · subjectpresent middle or passive participle direct plural neuter1×
Romans 1:20… autou apo ktisiau kosmou tei poiēmei noorōnteim kathorotō, tas tē aidias autou dunamias …… nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men …