ῥέω
rhéō
G4482 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To flow, to move in a continuous stream (primarily of liquid, especially water); by extension, to stream forth, to pour out, or to move in a way analogous to flowing liquid. The core meaning is the movement in a steady, continuous manner akin to the motion of fluids. Occasionally used metaphorically for abundance, speech, or the emanation of something in a manner similar to flowing.
Semantic Range
to flow (of water or other liquid substances), to run, to pour out, to stream forth, to move or pass in a continuous stream (literal and metaphorical: of speech, time, abundance), to emanate continually
Root / Etymology
From the Greek root ῥε-/ῥέω, a primary verb in Greek denoting the action of flowing. Not derived from another term; instead, it is the basic verb from which various compounds and cognates arise (cf. ῥεῦμα, 'a current', ῥοή, 'a flow'), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srewh₁- ('to flow').
Historical & Contextual Notes
ῥέω is firmly attested in classical Greek (from Homer onwards) with the core sense of ‘to flow,’ especially in reference to water, rivers, or other liquids. In literary Greek, the word can be used both literally (for physical liquids) and metaphorically (of time, speech, or crowds). In the Septuagint, it sometimes translates Hebrew words for the flowing of water and related phenomena (such as נָזַל or זוּב). In the New Testament period, ῥέω is infrequently used; it appears predominantly in tenses other than the present, and more commonly in compounds or nominal forms (e.g., ῥεῦμα). Standard English translations often simply render it as “flow,” which accurately captures the basic usage, though the metaphorical extensions in Greek may occasionally be broader (e.g., to indicate abundance or unceasing motion). ῥέω should be distinguished from derivatives such as διαρρέω (‘to flow or leak through’) and ἐκρέω (‘to flow out’).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primary verb; for some tenses of which a prolonged form is used to flow ("run"; as water):--flow.
Root Family
ῥε- (rhéō) — to flow, to move in a stream, to run (of liquids)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G4483 | ῥέω |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4482-01 |
ῥεύσουσιν | reusousin | V FUT ACT IND 3P PL |
will flow | they will flow | they will flow | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4482-01 |
John 7:38 | ῥεύσουσιν | reusousin | V FUT ACT IND 3P PL |
will flow | they will flow | they will flow |