Word Study for G1304 (διατρίβω)

diatríbō /dee-at-ree'-bo/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom διά and the base of τρίβος

Meaningto wear through (time), i.e. remain

KJV usageabide, be, continue, tarry.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of diatríbō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word diatríbō, represented by G1304, means to remain, abide, continue, or tarry. Its base definition is to wear through time. It appears 10 times in 10 unique verses, typically describing the act of spending or passing a period of time in a specific location, often for a particular purpose.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the New Testament, G1304 is used to mark periods of time spent by Jesus and the apostles in various places during their ministries. Jesus is described as having tarried with his disciples in Judaea John 3:22. After withdrawing from the public eye, he continued with his disciples in a city called Ephraim John 11:54. Similarly, the apostles' journeys are marked by these stays; Paul and Barnabas continued in Antioch, where they were teaching and preaching Acts 15:35, and they abode for a long time with the disciples in another location Acts 14:28. The duration of the stay is sometimes specified, such as the seven days the apostles abode in Troas Acts 20:6.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the action of tarrying:

G1321 didáskō (to teach): This action is often the reason for tarrying. Paul and Barnabas continued G1304 in Antioch for the purpose of teaching the word of the Lord Acts 15:35.
G2097 euangelízō (to announce good news): Alongside teaching, preaching the gospel was a primary activity during these stays. In Antioch, Paul and Barnabas were preaching while they continued G1304 there Acts 15:35.
G2718 katérchomai (to come or go down): This word of movement often precedes the act of abiding. For example, Herod went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode G1304 Acts 12:19.
G5550 chrónos (a space of time): This word is used to quantify the duration of the stay. In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas abode G1304 for a "long time" Acts 14:3.

Theological Significance

The use of G1304 highlights several key aspects of early Christian ministry:

Purposeful Presence: Abiding in a place was rarely passive. It was directly linked to active ministry, such as when Paul and Barnabas abode for a long time, "speaking boldly in the Lord" Acts 14:3.
Strategic Pauses: The word often signifies a deliberate pause within a larger missionary journey. These stays in places like Philippi Acts 16:12, Caesarea Acts 25:6, and Troas Acts 20:6 were not random stops but intentional periods of ministry and fellowship.
Discipleship and Fellowship: The act of tarrying is consistently associated with being in community. Jesus continued "with his disciples" John 11:54, and Paul and Barnabas abode "with the disciples" Acts 14:28, underscoring the importance of time spent together.

Summary

In summary, G1304 is more than a simple reference to staying in a place. It describes a deliberate and purposeful period of remaining, central to the advancement of the gospel. Whether for teaching, preaching, or fellowship, the act of tarrying was an essential component of the ministry of Jesus and his apostles, demonstrating the strategic importance of being present with people for a season.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 10 occurrences, inflected in 7 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Plural 3×
Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Singular 2×
Aorist Active Indicative 1st Plural 1×
Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 1×
Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 10 verses across 2 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Acts (8 verses); never once in the other 25.

John

Acts

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.