Lexical Summary
hégeomai: To lead, to consider, to regard, to think
Original Word: ἡγέομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: hégeomai
Pronunciation: hay-GEH-oh-my
Phonetic Spelling: (hayg-eh'-om-ahee)
KJV: account, (be) chief, count, esteem, governor, judge, have the rule over, suppose, think
NASB: regard, count, consider, leaders, considered, thought, chief
Word Origin: [middle voice of a (presumed) strengthened form of G71 (ἄγω - brought)]
1. to lead, i.e. command (with official authority)
2. (figuratively) to deem, i.e. consider
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
esteem, judge, suppose, think.
Middle voice of a (presumed) strengthened form of ago; 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.
see GREEK ago
HELPS Word-studies
2233 hēgéomai (from 71 /ágō, "to lead") – properly, to lead the way (going before as a chief) – cognate with 2232 /hēgemṓn ("a governor or official who leads others").
2233 /hēgéomai ("what goes before, in front") refers to coming first in priority such as: "the leading thought" in one's mind, i.e. to esteem (regard highly); or a leading authority, providing leadership in a local church (see Heb 13:7,17,24).
[2233 /hēgéomai ("an official who leads") carries important responsibility and hence "casts a heavy vote" (influence) – and hence deserve cooperation by those who are led (Heb 13:7; passive, "to esteem/reckon heavily" the person or influence who is leading).]
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
agóDefinitionto lead, suppose
NASB Translationchief (1), consider (3), considered (2), considering (1), count (4), counted (1), esteem (1), governor (1), leader (1), leaders (3), leading (1), led (1), regard (5), regarded (1), Ruler (1), thought (2).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2233: ἡγέομαιἡγέομαι,
ἡγοῦμαι; perfect
ἥγημαι; 1 aorist
ἡγησάμην; (from
ἄγω (cf.
Curtius, p. 688)); deponent middle; from
Homer down;
1. to lead, i. e.
a. to go before;
b. to be a leader; to rule, command; to have authority over: in the N. T. so only in the present participle ἡγούμενος, a prince, of regal power (Ezekiel 43:7 for מֶלֶך; Sir. 17:17), Matthew 2:6; a (royal) governor, viceroy, Acts 7:10; chief, Luke 22:26 (opposed to ὁ διακονῶν); leading as respects influence, controlling in counsel, ἐν τισί, among any, Acts 15:22; with the genitive of the person over whom one rules, so of the overseers or leaders of Christian churches: Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24 (οἴκου, 2 Chronicles 31:13; τῶν πατριῶν, 1 Esdr. 5:65 (66), 67 (68); τῆς πόλεως, Judges 9:51 Alex.; a military leader, 1 Macc. 9:30; 2 Macc. 14:16; used also in Greek writings of any kind of a leader, chief, commander, Sophocles Phil. 386; often in Polybius; Diodorus 1, 4 and 72; Lucian, Alex. 44; others); with the genitive of the thing, τοῦ λόγου, the leader in speech, chief speaker, spokesman: Acts 14:12 of Mercury, who is called also τοῦ λόγου ἡγεμών in Jamblichus' de myster., at the beginning
2. (like the Latinduco) equivalent to to consider, deem, account, think: with two accusatives, one of the objects, the other of the predicate, Acts 26:2; Philippians 2:3, 6 (on which see ἁρπαγμός, Philippians 2:2 (Winer's Grammar, § 44, 3 c.)); Philippians 3:7 (cf. Buttmann, 59 (51); Winer's Grammar, 274 (258)); 1 Timothy 1:12; 1 Timothy 6:1; Hebrews 10:29; Hebrews 11:11, 26; 2 Peter 1:13; 2 Peter 2:13; 2 Peter 3:9, 15. τινα ὡς τινα, 2 Thessalonians 3:15 (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 65, 1 a.); τινα ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ, to esteem one exceedingly, 1 Thessalonians 5:13 (περί πολλοῦ, Herodotus 2, 115; περί πλειστου, Thucydides 2, 89); with accusative of the thing followed by ὅταν, James 1:2; ἀναγκαῖον, followed by an infinitive, 2 Corinthians 9:5; Philippians 2:25; δίκαιον, followed by an infinitive, 2 Peter 1:13; followed by an accusative with an infinitive, Philippians 3:8. (Compare: διηγέομαι, ἐκηγέομαι, διηγέομαι, ἐξηγέομαι, προηγέομαι.
Topical Lexicon
Overview of New Testament Usage The verb ἡγέομαι appears twenty-eight times across twelve books of the Greek New Testament. Two broad ideas dominate its employment: (1) exercising leading influence and (2) forming considered judgments. Whether describing a civic or spiritual leader, or the inward reckoning of value and priority, the word consistently highlights thoughtful, responsible action.
Leadership: Position and Manner
1. Public or governmental leadership—Matthew 2:6; Acts 7:10; Acts 14:12; Acts 15:22—shows the term’s ordinary Hellenistic sense of one who stands in front.
2. Jesus re-defines greatness: “the one who leads like the one who serves” (Luke 22:26). Leadership is measured by humility and service, not status.
3. Congregational leaders—Hebrews 13:7, Hebrews 13:17, Hebrews 13:24—are to be remembered, obeyed, greeted, and imitated because they “keep watch over your souls as men who must give an account.” The same chapter balances respect for leaders with accountability before God.
4. Paul and the elders in Jerusalem chose “leading men among the brothers” (Acts 15:22) to carry the letter on Gentile inclusion, modeling shared leadership and communal discernment.
Deliberate Spiritual Evaluation
In roughly two-thirds of the occurrences the verb denotes careful appraisal. The believer is exhorted to weigh matters in light of God’s revelation.
• Philippians 3:7-8: “Whatever was gain to me I count as loss… I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Earthly advantages are re-evaluated against the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ.
• Hebrews 11:26: Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.” Here ἡγέομαι expresses a decisive shift of allegiance and value.
• James 1:2: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds.” The command calls for a disciplined outlook that interprets hardship through the lens of divine purpose.
• 1 Timothy 6:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:15 show the verb guiding relational attitudes—slaves toward masters, congregations toward workers, and brothers toward the disorderly.
Christological Significance
Philippians 2:6 anchors the hymn of Christ’s humiliation and exaltation: Christ, “existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.” The Son’s estimation of His prerogatives leads to self-emptying for redemption. Because ἡγέομαι marks internal appraisal, the verse reveals the mind of Christ and provides the model for believers (Philippians 2:3).
Apostolic Decision-Making
Acts 26:2; 2 Corinthians 9:5; Philippians 2:25; 2 Peter 1:13 illustrate apostolic leaders “thinking it necessary” to act or speak. Their decisions arise from informed judgment guided by the Spirit, reinforcing that Christian leadership engages both heart and intellect.
Ethical Weight in Warning Passages
Hebrews 10:29 poses a rhetorical question: “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished…” The audience is invited to render a sober verdict on willful apostasy, magnifying both the gravity of sin and the holiness of the covenant. Likewise 2 Peter 2:13 depicts false teachers who “consider it pleasure to carouse in broad daylight,” exposing the corruption of a conscience that evaluates sin as enjoyment.
Patience of God and Eschatological Perspective
Twice Peter uses the verb to shape eschatological outlook:
• 2 Peter 3:9 contrasts human assessments of delay—“as some understand slowness” (lit. “consider”)—with God’s redemptive patience.
• 2 Peter 3:15 exhorts believers to “consider that our Lord’s patience brings salvation,” grounding hope in God’s salvific purpose rather than in human timetables.
Historical and Linguistic Background
Outside Scripture, ἡγέομαι functioned in civic, military, and philosophical vocabularies for leadership and calculated reasoning. The New Testament writers harness this secular term, but infuse it with covenantal ethics and Christ-centered values, demonstrating the sanctification of language itself for gospel purposes.
Ministry Implications Today
1. Leadership rooted in service—Luke 22:26—remains the paradigm for pastors, elders, and ministry heads. Titles become platforms for sacrificial care.
2. Spiritual maturity requires disciplined evaluation. Believers must continually “count” personal gain, suffering, and worldly treasure in light of Christ’s worth (Philippians 3; Hebrews 11).
3. Corporate life flourishes where congregations “hold them in highest regard in love because of their work” (1 Thessalonians 5:13), while leaders remember their accountability before the Chief Shepherd.
4. Doctrinal vigilance depends on rightly “considering” divine patience (2 Peter 3) and divine judgment (Hebrews 10), guarding against both despair and moral laxity.
Summary
Strong’s Greek 2233 unites the realms of leading and thinking. Whether identifying acknowledged figures in the community or exhorting every believer to a renewed mind, the verb underscores that Christian influence flows from Christ-like valuation. Sound leadership and sound judgment rise together where the Word shapes both the head and the heart.
Forms and Transliterations
ηγεισθαι ηγείσθαι ἡγεῖσθαι ηγεισθε ηγείσθε ἡγεῖσθε ηγείσθω ηγεισθωσαν ηγείσθωσαν ἡγείσθωσαν ηγείται ηγείτο ήγημα ηγημαι ήγημαι ἥγημαι ήγησαι ηγησαμενος ηγησάμενος ἡγησάμενος ηγησαμην ηγησάμην ἡγησάμην ηγησασθε ηγήσασθε ἡγήσασθε ηγησατο ηγήσατο ἡγήσατο ηγήσεται ηγήσω ήγηται ηγητέον ηγουμαι ηγούμαι ἡγοῦμαι ηγουμένη ηγουμένην ηγουμενοι ηγουμένοι ηγούμενοι ἡγούμενοι ηγουμενοις ηγουμένοις ἡγουμένοις ηγουμενον ηγούμενον ηγούμενόν ἡγούμενον ηγουμενος ηγούμενος ηγούμενός ἡγούμενος ηγουμένου ηγουμενους ηγουμένους ἡγουμένους ηγουμένω ηγουμενων ηγουμένων ἡγουμένων ηγουνται ηγούνται ἡγοῦνται egeisthai ēgeisthai egeisthe ēgeisthe egeisthosan ēgeisthōsan egemai ēgēmai egesamen ēgēsamēn egesamenos ēgēsamenos egesasthe ēgēsasthe egesato ēgēsato egoumai ēgoumai egoumenoi ēgoumenoi egoumenois ēgoumenois egoumenon ēgoumenon ēgoumenōn egoumenos ēgoumenos egoumenous ēgoumenous egountai ēgountai hegeisthai hegeîsthai hēgeisthai hēgeîsthai hegeisthe hegeîsthe hēgeisthe hēgeîsthe hegeisthosan hegeísthosan hēgeisthōsan hēgeísthōsan hegemai hēgēmai hḗgemai hḗgēmai hegesamen hegesámen hēgēsamēn hēgēsámēn hegesamenos hegesámenos hēgēsamenos hēgēsámenos hegesasthe hegḗsasthe hēgēsasthe hēgḗsasthe hegesato hegḗsato hēgēsato hēgḗsato hegoumai hegoûmai hēgoumai hēgoûmai hegoumenoi hegoúmenoi hēgoumenoi hēgoúmenoi hegoumenois hegouménois hēgoumenois hēgouménois hegoumenon hegouménon hegoúmenon hēgoumenon hēgoumenōn hēgouménōn hēgoúmenon hegoumenos hegoúmenos hēgoumenos hēgoúmenos hegoumenous hegouménous hēgoumenous hēgouménous hegountai hegoûntai hēgountai hēgoûntai
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