Word Study for G1326 (διεγείρω)

diegeírō /dee-eg-i'-ro/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom διά and ἐγείρω

Meaningto wake fully; i.e. arouse (literally or figuratively)

KJV usagearise, awake, raise, stir up.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of diegeírō — 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 diegeírō, represented by G1326, means to wake fully or to arouse. It is derived from διά and ἐγείρω, and its base definition is "to wake fully; i.e. arouse (literally or figuratively):--arise, awake, raise, stir up." It appears 8 times across 7 unique verses in the Bible, emphasizing a thorough or complete awakening or stirring into action.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical narrative, G1326 is used in both literal and figurative senses. Literally, it describes being woken from physical sleep G5258, as when the disciples awake Jesus during a storm Mark 4:38, or when Joseph G2501 is raised from sleep after an angelic visit Matthew 1:24. The word is also applied to nature, describing how the sea G2281 arose by reason of a great wind G417 John 6:18. Figuratively, the Apostle Peter uses it to express his intent to stir up the pure G1506 minds G1271 of believers 2 Peter 3:1 and to stir them up by way of remembrance G5280 2 Peter 1:13.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the meaning and context of being fully aroused:

G1453 egeírō (to waken, rouse): This is the root verb of G1326 and often appears in parallel. After being awoken, Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and the water Luke 8:24.
G5258 hýpnos (sleep): This is the state from which one is aroused. Joseph was raised from sleep after the angel G32 of the Lord G2962 had bidden him Matthew 1:24.
G5280 hypómnēsis (remembrance): This is the intended result of the figurative stirring. Peter's purpose in his epistle G1992 is to stir up his audience by putting them in remembrance 2 Peter 1:13.
G1055 galḗnē (tranquillity, calm): This is the result of Christ's power after being aroused. When He arose and rebuked the wind, there was a great calm Mark 4:39.

Theological Significance

The use of G1326 carries significant theological weight in the passages where it appears.

Authority Over Creation: When the disciples awake Jesus, they are acting in desperation because they are about to perish G622 Mark 4:38. His subsequent rebuke of the wind G417 demonstrates His supreme authority over the natural world.
Apostolic Responsibility: Peter uses the term to define a key pastoral duty: to actively and intentionally stir up believers from spiritual complacency and refresh their minds with the truth (2 Peter 1:13, 2 Peter 3:1).
Obedience to Divine Command: The word is used when Joseph is raised from sleep to obey a divine command from an angel, showing that being aroused can be a direct response to God's intervention and guidance in fulfilling His purposes Matthew 1:24.

Summary

In summary, diegeírō G1326 is a potent word signifying a complete arousal from a state of rest or inactivity. Whether it is the literal act of waking Jesus from sleep on a ship Mark 4:38, the sea being churned by the wind John 6:18, or the figurative act of stirring a believer's mind to remembrance 2 Peter 3:1, the word consistently points to a decisive call to action. It highlights moments where passivity ends and divine power or renewed spiritual alertness is manifested.

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 8 occurrences, inflected in 6 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Passive Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 3×
Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Imperfect Passive Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Indicative 1st Singular 1×
Present Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Present Active Infinitive 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.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

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 7 verses across 5 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Mark and 2 Peter (2 verses each); never once in the other 22.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

2 Peter

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.