ὀκνήσῃς
oknéō
delay
To delay or hesitate, especially due to reluctance or apprehension. The primary sense is to hold back from action, whether out of fear, uncertainty, or unwillingness. In some contexts, it can also mean to shrink back or be unwilling to proceed.
Acts 9:38 · Word #22
Lexicon G3635
| Lemma | ὀκνέω |
| Transliteration | oknéō |
| Strong's | G3635 |
| Definition | To delay or hesitate, especially due to reluctance or apprehension. The primary sense is to hold back from action, whether out of fear, uncertainty, or unwillingness. In some contexts, it can also mean to shrink back or be unwilling to proceed. |
Morphology V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P SG
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | AOR — Aorist — Simple occurrence, often past |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | SUBJ — Subjunctive — Expresses possibility or purpose |
| Person | 2P — 2nd person — The one spoken to ("you") |
| Number | SG — Singular — One |
Common Translation
| Phrase | delay |
| Literal | hesitate |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | ὀκνέω |
| Strong's | G3635 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G3635-01
you might hesitate
| Morphological Notes | Verb; aorist tense (simple action), active voice, subjunctive mood, 2nd person singular. |
| Rendering Rationale | The aorist active subjunctive, second person singular, conveys a simple or complete act viewed as potential or contingent. "You might hesitate" preserves the root sense of reluctance or holding back while reflecting the subjunctive mood and singular address. |
View full lexicon entry for G3635 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
you might delay
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | 'You might hesitate' is possible, but 'delay' better matches the request context—asking Peter not to delay coming. |