verb
trechamō
Strong’sG5143
I run, exercise myself
stem trech-20 times in the New Testamentin 11 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
To run — the ordinary sense of moving on foot quickly, of a person running from one place to another 1234. Strong's describes it more broadly as running or walking hastily 2, and LSJ likewise treats it as the plain word for running used of people 3.
Drawn from the image of a runner in a race, the word is also used figuratively for effort or swiftness in pursuing a goal 1. In this sense it can describe someone straining toward an aim as a competitor runs a course, or a message advancing swiftly and without hindrance, as a runner covers ground quickly 1. Dodson's gloss adds the idea of "exercising oneself," fitting this same picture of athletic effort 4.
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
τρέχω
[in LXX chiefly for רוּץ;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G5143 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidtrekh'-o
compare G2359); which uses δρέμω (the base of G1408) as alternate in certain tenses; to run or walk hastily (literally or figuratively)
Fromapparently a primary verb (properly, θρέχω;
King Jameshave course, run.
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
Refs 8th c.BC+future θρέξομαι (ἀπο-) Refs 5th c.BC+; θρέξω only in Refs 3rd c.BC+; but ἀπο-θρέξεις Refs 5th c.BC+aorist 1 ἔθρεξα (see. below):—but the usual future and aorist come from the root δραμ-, i.e. δρᾰμοῦμαι Refs 5th c.BC+; Ionic dialect δραμέομαι LXX+6th c.BC+; δράμομαι in compound ἀναδράμεται Refs 1st c.AD+aorist 2 ἔδρᾰμον (see. below): perfect δεδράμηκα [ᾰ] Refs 5th c.BC+pluperfect ἐδεδραμήκεσαν (κατ-) Refs 5th c.BC+perfect δέδρομα (ἀνα-, ἐπι-) Refs 8th c.BC+ —passive, perfect δεδράμημαι (ἐπι-) Refs 5th c.BC+—The Verb is not common in Refs 8th c.BC+, who has present in Refs 8th c.BC+ was also old Attic dialect, epigram cited in Refs 5th c.BC+; but the common aorist was ἔδραμον, Refs 8th c.BC+—Doric dialect τράχω [ᾰ] Refs 5th c.BC+: future θραξοῦμαι Refs 5th c.AD+:—run, of men, ἰθὺς δράμε Refs 8th c.BC+; βαδίζειν καὶ τ. Refs 5th c.BC+; τρέχων, opposed to βάδην, Refs 8th c.BC+: the participle is frequently added to another Verb, τί οὐ τρέχων σὺ τὰς τραπέζας ἐκφέρει; why do you not run and carry out.. ? Refs 5th c.BC+
2 of things, move quickly, τὸ δὲ [τρύπανον] τ. ἐμμενὲς αἰεί Refs 8th c.BC+; τὸ δ᾽ ἐν ποσὶ τράχον ἴτω let what is now before me go trippingly, Refs 5th c.BC+having run its course, Refs 5th c.BC+; πυρετὸς.. ἥκει τρέχων has come quickly, Refs 5th c.BC+
3 οἱ τρέχοντες a constellation rising with Libra, Antiochus cited in Teucrum in Refs
II with accusative loci, run over, ῥόθια πεδία Refs 5th c.BC+ —in _Attic dialect_ Prose θέω seems to be more frequently in the present, and in some phrases used exclusively, e.g. θεῖν δρόμῳ, see at {θέω} (A) Refs 5th c.BC+
II.2 with accusative cognate, δραμεῖν ἀγῶνα, βῆμα, δίαυλον, δρόμον, run a course, a heat, Refs 5th c.BC+; λαμπάδας, i. e. torch-races, Refs run a risk, Refs 5th c.BC+; πολλοὺς ἀγῶνας δραμέονται περὶ σφέων αὐτῶν run for their life or safety, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸν ὑπὲρ ψυχῆς ἀγῶνα, κίνδυνον ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς τ., Refs 2nd c.BC+ running for his life, Refs 5th c.BC+; περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς Refs 5th c.BC+; περὶ νίκης falsa lectio in Refs 5th c.BC+; compare θέωRefs
II.3 παρὰ ἓν πάλαισμα ἔδραμε νικᾶν he was within one fall or bout of carrying off the victory, Refs 5th c.BC+; compare παράRefs
II.4 commit, μηδ᾽ ἑτέρας δραμεῖν ἀταξίας ἢ ἀσελγίας Refs 6th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| trechamōτρέχω | happening now · Ipresent active indicative 1st person singular | run | 1× |
| trechatōτρέχει | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | ran | 1× |
| trechalōτρέχουσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | run | 1× |
| trechaveἘτρέχετε | was happening · yeimperfect active indicative 2nd person plural | running | 1× |
| trechaleἔτρεχον | was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural | running | 1× |
| trechamaἔδραμον | happened · Iaorist active indicative 1st person singular | run | 2× |
| trechataἔδραμεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | ran | 2× |
| trechalaἔδραμον | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | ran | 1× |
| trechameiōτρέχω | happening now · Ipresent active subjunctive 1st person singular | running | 1× |
| trechateiōτρέχῃ | happening now · he/she/itpresent active subjunctive 3rd person singular | spread rapidly | 1× |
| trechaneiōτρέχωμεν | happening now · wepresent active subjunctive 1st person plural | run | 1× |
| trechavōrτρέχετε | happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural | run | 1× |
| trecharōntouτρέχοντος | happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive singular masculine | runs | 1× |
| trecharōntoisτρέχοντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | runners | 1× |
| trecharōntoiuτρεχόντων | happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive plural masculine | rushing | 1× |
| trecharantosδραμὼν | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | ran | 3× |
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, 10 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | trechamō1×τρέχω | trechame | trechami | trechama2×ἔδραμον | trechamē | trechamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | trechasō | trechase | trechasi | trechasa | trechasē | trechaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | trechatō1×τρέχει | trechate | trechati | trechata2×ἔδραμεν | trechatē | trechatelē |
| we 1st person plural | trechanō | trechane | trechani | trechana | trechanē | trechanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | trechavō | trechave1×Ἐτρέχετε | trechavi | trechava | trechavē | trechavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | trechalō1×τρέχουσιν | trechale1×ἔτρεχον | trechali | trechala1×ἔδραμον | trechalē | trechalelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 3 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | trechameiō1×τρέχω | trechameia | trechameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | trechaseiō | trechaseia | trechaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | trechateiō1×τρέχῃ | trechateia | trechateiē |
| we 1st person plural | trechaneiō1×τρέχωμεν | trechaneia | trechaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | trechaveiō | trechaveia | trechaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | trechaleiō | trechaleia | trechaleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 1 occurrence
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | trechasōr | trechasar | trechasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | trechatōr | trechatar | trechatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | trechavōr1×τρέχετε | trechavar | trechavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | trechalōr | trechalar | trechalēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | trechamoiō | trechamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | trechasoiō | trechasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | trechatoiō | trechatoia |
| we 1st person plural | trechanoiō | trechanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | trechavoiō | trechavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | trechaloiō | trechaloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, no occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | trecharō | trechari | trechara | trecharē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 6 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | trecharōntos3× | trecharintos | trecharantos3×δραμὼν | trecharēntos |
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
trech 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.
20 occurrences, every one of them listed
trechamō“run”happening now · Ipresent active indicative 1st person singular1×
1 Corinthians 9:26mis toinun houtōs trechamō hōs ouk adēlōs, houtōs pukteuamō hōs …Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like …
trechatō“ran”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular1×
John 20:2“ran”trechatō oun kai erchotō pros Simōnon Petron …So she came running to Simon Peter and the other …
trechalō“run”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural1×
1 Corinthians 9:24… tois en stadie trecharōntois pantois men trechalō, henos de labatō tem brabeiem? houtōs …… in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize …
trechave“running”was happening · yeimperfect active indicative 2nd person plural1×
Galatians 5:7Trechave kalōs; tinos vin enkoptata ta alētheia …You were running so well. Who has obstructed you …
trechale“running”was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural1×
John 20:4trechale de tois duo homou; kai tos …The two were running together, but the other disciple outran …
trechama“run”happened · Iaorist active indicative 1st person singular2×
Galatians 2:2… mē pōs eis kenem trechameiō ē trechama.… I was running or had already run in vain.
Philippians 2:16… hēmeran Christou, hoti ouk eis kenem trechama oude eis kenem kopiama.… of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.
trechata“ran”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular2×
Mark 5:6kai horarantos ton Iēsun apo makrothen trechata kai proskunata auton,… saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before …
Luke 24:12Tos de Petros anastēarantos trechata epi tem mnēmeiem; kai parakuptarantos blepatō …Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. And after bending …
trechala“ran”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Matthew 28:8… mnēmeieu meta fobou kai charau megau trechala apangelara toi mathētoi autou.… in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples.
trechameiō“running”happening now · Ipresent active subjunctive 1st person singular1×
Galatians 2:2… toi dokarōntoi, mē pōs eis kenem trechameiō ē trechama.… leaders, for fear that I was running or had already run in vain.
trechateiō“spread rapidly”happening now · he/she/itpresent active subjunctive 3rd person singular1×
2 Thessalonians 3:1“spread rapidly”… nu, hina tos logos tou kuriou trechateiō kai doxazoteiō kathōs kai pros vin,… pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread quickly and be held in honor, just as it was with you.
trechaneiō“run”happening now · wepresent active subjunctive 1st person plural1×
Hebrews 12:1… kai tan euperistatan hamartan, dia hupomonau trechaneiō ton prokeiorōnton ni agōnon,… so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out …
trechavōr“run”happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural1×
1 Corinthians 9:24… henos de labatō tem brabeiem? houtōs trechavōr hina katalabaveia.… but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to …
trecharōntou“runs”happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive singular masculine1×
Romans 9:16“runs”… oun ouk tou thelarōntou oude tou trecharōntou alla tou elēarōntou theou.So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s …
trecharōntois“runners”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine1×
1 Corinthians 9:24Ouk oidavē hoti tois en stadie trecharōntois pantois men trechalō, henos de labatō …… that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the …
trecharōntoiu“rushing”happening now · of, belonging topresent active participle genitive plural masculine1×
Revelation 9:9… autaiu hōs fōnas harmeiu hippoiu polloiu trecharōntoiu eis polemon;… roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
trecharantos“ran”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine3×
Matthew 27:48kai eutheōs trecharantos henos ek autoiu kai labarantos spongon …One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled …
Mark 15:36trecharantos de tinos kai gemizarantos spongon oxeu …And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour …
Luke 15:20… tos patros autou kai splanchnizita kai trecharantos epipiptata epi ton trachēlon autou kai …… and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and …