ἡγέομαι (G2233) — Greek Lexicon

ἡγέομαι

hēgéomai

G2233 verb

SILEX Entry

Root ἡγ- to lead, to guide, to deem, to consider

Definition

To lead, to guide, to be in a position of authority or guidance; by extension, to consider or regard, to deem or think about something in a particular way. In literal contexts, the word refers to leadership or guidance, either of people or affairs. In figurative or transferred contexts, it refers to forming an assessment, opinion, or judgment about something or someone.

Semantic Range

to lead, to guide, to be chief, to govern, to rule; to consider, to regard, to deem, to think, to account, to esteem, to suppose

Root / Etymology

From the root ἁγ- (to lead, drive), a denominative form related to ἄγω (to lead, bring). ἡγέομαι is a middle deponent verb, reflecting action performed by or upon the subject, often with a sense of active engagement or responsibility.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἡγέομαι typically means to lead or guide, especially in military or civic contexts (cf. ἡγεμών 'leader, governor'). The verb can refer to actual leadership or governance (Plato, Herodotus), but from the Hellenistic period onward (including Koine Greek), it also takes on the non-literal sense: 'to regard,' 'to consider,' or 'to count as.' In the Septuagint and the New Testament, both senses are present: literal leadership (e.g. Heb 13:7, 17—those who lead the assembly), and the intellectual or evaluative sense (e.g. Phil 3:7—'I consider'). The figurative sense often appears in situations where judgment or evaluation is highlighted. English translations often render the word according to context with terms such as 'to lead,' 'to count,' 'to regard,' 'to suppose,' or 'to esteem.' However, these may not always capture the structural connection between leading and evaluating present in the Greek mind. The verb does not inherently connote judicial responsibility but can refer to any kind of recognized guiding or evaluating role. Not to be confused with purely administrative or political offices; context determines the type and sphere of leadership. The shift from literal leadership to mental evaluation is well-attested in Hellenistic Greek. The word is distinct from comparable verbs such as δοκέω ('to seem, to appear') or λογίζομαι ('to reckon, calculate'), which emphasize different cognitive or perceptual actions.

Translation Consistency

primary "consider" 12 occurrences

In the New Testament hēgéomai most often expresses the cognitive sense (‘consider/think/regard’), and corpus data here shows the majority of P2 renderings use 'consider' or close synonyms. 'Consider' is natural, covers the range of 'deem/esteem/regard,' and will provide consistent, readable English across literal and figurative uses (literal leadership senses are rarer in this corpus and can be handled by context-sensitive phrasing while keeping the same base verb).

Alternatives (16 occurrences):

"deemed" (5x) "leading" (3x) "leaders" (2x) "regarding" (2x) "ruler" (1x) "esteem" (1x) "ones leading" (1x) "leading for" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

middle voice of a (presumed) strengthened form of ἄγω; to lead, i.e. command (with official authority); figuratively, to deem, i.e. consider:--account, (be) chief, count, esteem, governor, judge, have the rule over, suppose, think.

Root Family

ἡγέομαι (hēgeomai) — to lead, to guide, to deem, to consider

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G2233-09`	ἡγοῦμαι	egoumai	`V PRS MID IND 1P SG`	I count	I consider	I consider	3
`G2233-13`	ἡγούμενος	egoumenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	chief speaker	the one leading	the one leading	3
`G2233-08`	ἡγήσατο	egesato	`V AOR MID IND 3P SG`	considered	he deemed	he deemed	3
`G2233-14`	ἡγουμένους	egoumenous	`V PRS MID PTCP ACC M PL`	leaders	those leading themselves	leaders	2
`G2233-12`	ἡγούμενον	egoumenon	`V PRS MID PTCP ACC M SG`	ruler	one leading	ones leading	2
`G2233-02`	ἡγεῖσθε	egeisthe	`V PRS MID IMP 2P PL`	regard	be considering for yourselves	be considering for yourselves	2
`G2233-04`	ἥγημαι	egemai	`V PRF MID IND 1P SG`	I consider	I have deemed	I have deemed	2
`G2233-06`	ἡγησάμενος	egesamenos	`V AOR MID PTCP NOM M SG`	having considered	having deemed for himself	having considered for himself	2
`G2233-10`	ἡγούμενοι	egoumenoi	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL`	esteeming	leading ones	regarding	2
`G2233-05`	ἡγησάμην	egesamen	`V AOR MID IND 1P SG`	I thought	I considered for myself	I considered for myself	2
`G2233-07`	ἡγήσασθε	egesasthe	`V AOR MID IMP 2P PL`	count	Consider	Consider	1
`G2233-15`	ἡγοῦνται	egountai	`V PRS MID IND 3P PL`	count	they consider	they consider	1
`G2233-11`	ἡγουμένοις	egoumenois	`V PRS MID PTCP DAT M PL`	leaders	to those leading for themselves	leading for themselves	1
`G2233-03`	ἡγείσθωσαν	egeisthosan	`V PRS MID IMP 3P PL`	let them regard	let them consider	let them consider	1
`G2233-01`	ἡγεῖσθαι	egeisthai	`V PRS MID INF`	to esteem	to lead or consider	to esteem	1

Occurrences in Scripture

28 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G2233-13`	Matthew 2:6	ἡγούμενος	egoumenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	Governor	the one leading	the one leading
`G2233-13`	Luke 22:26	ἡγούμενος	egoumenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	leader	the one leading	the one leading
`G2233-12`	Acts 7:10	ἡγούμενον	egoumenon	`V PRS MID PTCP ACC M SG`	ruler	one leading	ruler
`G2233-13`	Acts 14:12	ἡγούμενος	egoumenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	chief speaker	the one leading	the one leading
`G2233-14`	Acts 15:22	ἡγουμένους	egoumenous	`V PRS MID PTCP ACC M PL`	leading	those leading themselves	leaders
`G2233-04`	Acts 26:2	ἥγημαι	egemai	`V PRF MID IND 1P SG`	I consider	I have deemed	I have deemed
`G2233-05`	2 Corinthians 9:5	ἡγησάμην	egesamen	`V AOR MID IND 1P SG`	I thought	I considered for myself	I considered for myself
`G2233-10`	Philippians 2:3	ἡγούμενοι	egoumenoi	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL`	esteeming	leading ones	regarding
`G2233-08`	Philippians 2:6	ἡγήσατο	egesato	`V AOR MID IND 3P SG`	considered	he deemed	he deemed
`G2233-05`	Philippians 2:25	ἡγησάμην	egesamen	`V AOR MID IND 1P SG`	I thought	I considered for myself	I considered for myself
`G2233-04`	Philippians 3:7	ἥγημαι	egemai	`V PRF MID IND 1P SG`	I have counted	I have deemed	I have deemed
`G2233-09`	Philippians 3:8	ἡγοῦμαι	egoumai	`V PRS MID IND 1P SG`	I count	I consider	I consider
`G2233-09`	Philippians 3:8	ἡγοῦμαι	egoumai-2	`V PRS MID IND 1P SG`	I count	I consider	I consider
`G2233-01`	1 Thessalonians 5:13	ἡγεῖσθαι	egeisthai	`V PRS MID INF`	to esteem	to lead or consider	to esteem
`G2233-02`	2 Thessalonians 3:15	ἡγεῖσθε	egeisthe	`V PRS MID IMP 2P PL`	regard	be considering for yourselves	be considering for yourselves
`G2233-08`	1 Timothy 1:12	ἡγήσατο	egesato	`V AOR MID IND 3P SG`	he considered	he deemed	he deemed
`G2233-03`	1 Timothy 6:1	ἡγείσθωσαν	egeisthosan	`V PRS MID IMP 3P PL`	let them regard	let them consider	let them consider
`G2233-06`	Hebrews 10:29	ἡγησάμενος	egesamenos	`V AOR MID PTCP NOM M SG`	having regarded	having deemed for himself	having considered for himself
`G2233-08`	Hebrews 11:11	ἡγήσατο	egesato	`V AOR MID IND 3P SG`	considered	he deemed	he deemed
`G2233-06`	Hebrews 11:26	ἡγησάμενος	egesamenos	`V AOR MID PTCP NOM M SG`	having considered	having deemed for himself	having considered for himself
`G2233-12`	Hebrews 13:7	ἡγουμένων	egoumenon	`V PRS MID PTCP GEN M PL`	who led	one leading	ones leading
`G2233-11`	Hebrews 13:17	ἡγουμένοις	egoumenois	`V PRS MID PTCP DAT M PL`	leaders	to those leading for themselves	leading for themselves
`G2233-14`	Hebrews 13:24	ἡγουμένους	egoumenous	`V PRS MID PTCP ACC M PL`	leaders	those leading themselves	leaders
`G2233-07`	James 1:2	ἡγήσασθε	egesasthe	`V AOR MID IMP 2P PL`	count	Consider	Consider
`G2233-09`	2 Peter 1:13	ἡγοῦμαι	egoumai	`V PRS MID IND 1P SG`	I consider	I consider	I consider
`G2233-10`	2 Peter 2:13	ἡγούμενοι	egoumenoi	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M PL`	they count	leading ones	regarding
`G2233-15`	2 Peter 3:9	ἡγοῦνται	egountai	`V PRS MID IND 3P PL`	count	they consider	they consider
`G2233-02`	2 Peter 3:15	ἡγεῖσθε	egeisthe	`V PRS MID IMP 2P PL`	regard	be considering for yourselves	be considering for yourselves

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