ἐγείρω

egeírō

G1453 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

to cause to rise or stand up; to awaken or arouse from sleep, rest, or inactivity; to bring to life or restore to activity. In physical contexts, refers to rousing someone from sleep or a state of rest, causing to stand, or raising to an upright position. In biological or figurative contexts, used of restoring the sick, raising the dead, or bringing to renewed life or vigor. In extended or metaphorical uses, can indicate awakening feelings, stirring to action, or bringing something into public view or prominence.

Semantic Range

to waken from sleep, to rouse from rest or inactivity, to raise up physically, to cause to stand, to restore to health or life, to raise from the dead, to bring into prominence or public activity, to stir up emotion or attention

Root / Etymology

From the root ἐγερ- or ἐγειρ-, the verb ἐγείρω is formed by regular verbal derivation. It is possibly related to the base of ἀγείρω (to gather), but this connection is uncertain and not universally accepted by modern lexicographers.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Attested from classical Greek onwards, ἐγείρω has a broad semantic range connected to movement from a passive or inactive state into activity or uprightness. In the Septuagint, it frequently translates Hebrew roots meaning 'to raise' or 'to lift.' In the New Testament, its most characteristic usage is the act of raising someone from the dead, especially in reference to the resurrection of Jesus (e.g., Matt 28:6; 1 Cor 6:14) or others (e.g., Jairus' daughter, Lazarus). However, it also appears frequently in everyday senses such as waking from sleep (Matt 1:24; Acts 12:7) or rousing to action (as in stirring up feelings, e.g., Luke 1:69). English translations often render it as 'raise,' 'arise,' 'awaken,' or 'stand up,' but these renderings sometimes fail to capture the full dynamic sense of movement from passivity or death to vigorous activity or life. In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, it became an especially important term in discussions of new life and resurrection, but its non-theological senses remained in use throughout.

Translation Consistency

primary "raise" 123 occurrences

“Raise” is the most natural, versatile transitive verb that covers the primary SILEX senses—causing to stand or come up, restoring to life or health, and bringing into prominence or activity. It matches the dominant Biblical usage (most occurrences rendered as “raised”) and reads naturally across contexts (physical lifting, rousing from inactivity, and resurrection), supporting the consistency requirement.

Alternatives (16 occurrences):
"having arisen" (7x) "got up" (3x) "rise up" (2x) "woke" (1x) "arose" (1x) "wake" (1x) "arises" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably akin to the base of ἀγορά (through the idea of collecting one's faculties); to waken (transitively or intransitively), i.e. rouse (literally, from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or figuratively, from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence):--awake, lift (up), raise (again, up), rear up, (a-)rise (again, up), stand, take up.

Root Family

ἐγείρω (egeirō) — to wake, to rise, to raise, to arouse

Root ἐγερ- to wake, to rise, to raise, to arouse

Word Forms

30 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1453-11 ἤγειρεν egeiren V AOR ACT IND 3P SG raised he raised up he raised up 21
G1453-22 ἠγέρθη egerthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG was raised was raised up was raised up 20
G1453-23 ἐγερθεὶς egertheis V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M SG having arisen having been raised having arisen 13
G1453-08 ἔγειρε egeire V PRS ACT IMP 2P SG arise Rise up Raise up 13
G1453-02 ἐγήγερται egegertai V PRF PASS IND 3P SG has been raised has been raised up has been raised up 9
G1453-16 ἐγείρονται egeirontai V PRS PASS IND 3P PL are raised are being raised they are being raised 9
G1453-13 ἐγείρηται egeiretai V PRS PASS SUBJ 3P SG it is raised may be raised up may rise up 7
G1453-27 ἐγερθήσεται egerthesetai V FUT PASS IND 3P SG will rise he/she/it will be raised will be raised 6
G1453-24 ἐγερθῆναι egerthenai V AOR PASS INF I have been raised to be raised up to be raised up 5
G1453-28 ἐγερθήσονται egerthesontai V FUT PASS IND 3P PL will arise they will be raised they will be raised 4

Occurrences in Scripture

141 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1453-23 Matthew 1:24 ἐγερθεὶς egertheis V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M SG having arisen having been raised having arisen
G1453-23 Matthew 2:13 ἐγερθεὶς egertheis V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M SG Get up having been raised Rise up
G1453-23 Matthew 2:14 ἐγερθεὶς egertheis V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M SG having arisen having been raised having arisen
G1453-23 Matthew 2:20 ἐγερθεὶς egertheis V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M SG arise having been raised having arisen
G1453-23 Matthew 2:21 ἐγερθεὶς egertheis V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M SG having arisen having been raised having arisen
G1453-03 Matthew 3:9 ἐγεῖραι egeirai V AOR ACT INF to raise up to raise up to raise up
G1453-22 Matthew 8:15 ἠγέρθη egerthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG she arose was raised up was raised up
G1453-04 Matthew 8:25 ἤγειραν egeiran V AOR ACT IND 3P PL woke they raised up they woke
G1453-23 Matthew 8:26 ἐγερθεὶς egertheis V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M SG he got up having been raised having been raised
G1453-08 Matthew 9:5 ἔγειρε egeire V PRS ACT IMP 2P SG arise Rise up Raise up