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κινέω

kinéō

G2795 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To cause movement from one position to another, to set in motion. Also includes to shake, disturb, arouse, or excite, both in a literal (physical movement) and figurative (emotional, social alteration, or agitation) sense. Semantic range includes both the direct action of moving an object or person, and the indirect sense of influencing or affecting change.

Semantic Range

to move (physically), to stir, to shake, to cause to depart, to disturb, to arouse, to excite, to incite, to agitate (emotionally or socially)

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root κιν-, which carries the idea of movement. Related to the verb κίω (kíō, poetic for 'to go'), though κινέω becomes the standard verb for 'to move' or 'to set in motion' in later Greek.

Historical & Contextual Notes

κινέω occurs with both literal and metaphorical force throughout Greek literature. In Classical Greek it means to move, to set in motion, or to stir (Iliad, Herodotus). In the Hellenistic and Koine periods, it retains the core meaning but expands to figurative uses: causing emotional disturbance, instigating action, initiating change, or 'moving' events. In the Septuagint and New Testament, κινέω commonly means to move something physically (e.g., moving a stone, Mark 15:46) but also appears in the sense of inciting unrest or agitation (Acts 24:5: 'stirring up a plague,' referring to social disturbance). The verb lacks the highly specific nuances of more technical terms for movement (e.g., μετακινέω, 'to move from one place to another'), but its broadness allows for both bodily, emotional, and communal 'movement.' English translations often narrow the sense to 'move' or 'stir,' sometimes missing the breadth of possible change—whether literal, emotional, or social—that κινέω may indicate in context. Derivatives include κίνησις ('movement, motion') and κινητός ('movable'). No specifically religious or ritual sense attaches to the verb; its primary field is physical or social perturbation.

Translation Consistency

primary "move" 4 occurrences

"Move" is the most natural, neutral English verb that covers the full SILEX range — physical shifting, causing to depart, and figurative stirring or arousal. It is the most common and flexible choice in the P2 renderings and reads naturally in both literal and emotional/social senses, ensuring consistent, idiomatic translation across all forms of G2795.

Alternatives (4 occurrences):
"shaking" (1x) "stirred up" (1x) "stirring up" (1x) "set in motion" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from (poetic for , to go); to stir (transitively), literally or figuratively:--(re-)move(-r), way.

Root Family

κιν- (kinéō) — to move, to set in motion, to stir, to arouse

Root κιν- to move, to set in motion, to stir, to arouse
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G2796 κίνησις

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2795-07 κινοῦντες kinountes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL wagging those moving shaking 2
G2795-01 ἐκινήθη ekinethe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG was stirred up was set in motion was stirred up 1
G2795-02 ἐκινήθησαν ekinethesan V AOR PASS IND 3P PL were moved they were set in motion were set in motion 1
G2795-03 κινῆσαι kinesai V AOR ACT INF to move to set in motion to move 1
G2795-04 κινήσω kineso V FUT ACT IND 1P SG I will remove I will set in motion I will move 1
G2795-05 κινούμεθα kinoumetha V PRS PASS IND 1P PL move we were being moved we move 1
G2795-06 κινοῦντα kinounta V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M SG stirring up setting in motion stirring up 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2795-03 Matthew 23:4 κινῆσαι kinesai V AOR ACT INF to move to set in motion to move
G2795-07 Matthew 27:39 κινοῦντες kinountes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL wagging those moving those moving
G2795-07 Mark 15:29 κινοῦντες kinountes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL wagging those moving shaking
G2795-05 Acts 17:28 κινούμεθα kinoumetha V PRS PASS IND 1P PL move we were being moved we move
G2795-01 Acts 21:30 ἐκινήθη ekinethe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG was stirred up was set in motion was stirred up
G2795-06 Acts 24:5 κινοῦντα kinounta V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M SG stirring up setting in motion stirring up
G2795-04 Revelation 2:5 κινήσω kineso V FUT ACT IND 1P SG I will remove I will set in motion I will move
G2795-02 Revelation 6:14 ἐκινήθησαν ekinethesan V AOR PASS IND 3P PL were moved they were set in motion were set in motion
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