ὠφελέω
ōpheleō
to help
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word ὠφελέω (ōpheleō) is a verb that means "to help." It appears 15 times in the Bible, demonstrating its importance in various contexts. The primary meaning of this word is to provide assistance or support to someone in need. The range of usage for ὠφελέω is quite broad, encompassing both physical and emotional aid. In some instances, it refers to material assistance, such as providing food or shelter (e.g., Acts 9:36). In other cases, it connotes spiritual support, like comforting or encouraging someone (e.g., 2 Corinthians 1:4). This versatility highlights the word's significance in conveying a sense of assistance that is both practical and compassionate. The frequency and varied usage of ὠφελέω underscore its importance in the biblical narrative. It represents a fundamental aspect of human relationships, emphasizing the value of mutual support and care. By examining this word, we gain insight into the biblical authors' understanding of the interconnectedness of human experience and the role of assistance in fostering a sense of community and well-being.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
15 total occurrences across the text
But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,”
Matthew 16:26For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?
Matthew 27:24So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it.”
Mark 5:26and had suffered many things by many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better, but rather grew worse,
Mark 7:11But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban,” ’ ” that is to say, given to God,
Mark 8:36For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?
Luke 9:25For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self?
John 6:63It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.
John 12:19The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.”
Romans 2:25For circumcision indeed profits, if you are a doer of the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
1 Corinthians 13:3If I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.
1 Corinthians 14:6But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking with other languages, what would I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching?
Galatians 5:2Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing.
Hebrews 4:2For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard.
Hebrews 13:9Don’t be carried away by various and strange teachings, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by food, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.