μελετάω
meletaō
to meditate/plot
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word μελετάω (meletaō) is a verb that means "to meditate" or "to plot." This word is used three times in the Bible, indicating a relatively limited but focused range of usage. In its primary sense, meletaō implies a mental focus or intense consideration of something. This could involve either positive or negative intentions, as suggested by the dual translation options of "meditate" and "plot." The word's meaning is not inherently neutral or positive, but rather it describes a deliberate and concentrated mental activity. Given its limited occurrences in the Bible, meletaō does not appear to be a central concept in the scripture. Nonetheless, its usage in specific contexts may provide valuable insights into the importance of mental focus and intentionality in various aspects of life.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences across the text
When they lead you away and deliver you up, don’t be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:25who by the mouth of your servant, David, said, ‘Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?
1 Timothy 4:15Be diligent in these things. Give yourself wholly to them, that your progress may be revealed to all.