Word Study for G2172 (εὔχομαι)

eúchomai /yoo'-khom-ahee/ Ask about this word

Meaningmiddle voice of a primary verb; to wish; by implication, to pray to God

KJV usagepray, will, wish.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of eúchomai — 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 eúchomai, represented by G2172, is a verb used to express a wish or, by implication, to pray to God. It appears 7 times in 7 unique verses in the Bible. This term captures the personal nature of a desire, whether it is a heartfelt plea directed to a deity or a sincere wish for another's well-being.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The use of G2172 varies from direct prayer to expressing profound personal desires. It is used when Paul explicitly states, "I pray to God that ye do no evil" 2 Corinthians 13:7, showing a direct petition. The term also conveys a strong wish for another person's welfare, as seen in 3 John 1:2: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health." In moments of great distress, it signifies a deep longing, such as when sailors caught in a storm "wished for the day" Acts 27:29.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help define the context and content of what is wished or prayed for:

G1162 déēsis (a petition:--prayer, request, supplication.): This word often describes the substance of a prayer. It is used in connection with G2172 in James 5:16, which instructs believers to pray G2172 for one another, noting that the prayer G1162 of a righteous person is powerful.
G2137 euodóō (to help on the road... to succeed in business affairs:--(have a) prosper(-ous journey).): This term describes a specific outcome wished for. In 3 John 1:2, the author's wish G2172 is for the recipient to prosper G2137 and be in health.
G1415 dynatós (powerful or capable... mighty): This word describes the state of strength that Paul desires for the Corinthian believers. He states, "this also we wish G2172, even your perfection," which is linked to them being strong G1415 2 Corinthians 13:9.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G2172 is evident in its application within the early church.

Intercessory Care: The use of G2172 in James 5:16 establishes a clear biblical instruction for believers to pray for one another for the purpose of healing. This highlights a community's responsibility to care for its members through prayer.
Pastoral Aspiration: Paul's use of the word reveals his deep pastoral heart. He prays for believers to "do no evil" 2 Corinthians 13:7 and wishes for their "perfection" G2676 2 Corinthians 13:9, demonstrating that a key apostolic focus is the spiritual maturity of the church.
Sacrificial Identification: In Romans 9:3, Paul uses G2172 to express a radical and selfless love, stating he "could wish that myself were accursed from Christ" for the sake of his kinsmen. This illustrates a profound desire for the salvation of others, even at immense personal cost.

Summary

In summary, G2172 eúchomai is a significant term that encompasses both personal wishes and direct prayers to God. It is used to express desires for physical well-being, such as prosperity and health, as well as deep spiritual aspirations for fellow believers. Its most profound use reveals a love so deep it is willing to express a wish for self-sacrifice for the salvation of others, making it a powerful word of intercession and pastoral love.

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

Present Middle Or Passive Deponent Indicative 1st Plural 2×
Aorist Middle Deponent Optative 1st Singular 1×
Imperfect Middle Or Passive Deponent Indicative 1st Singular 1×
Imperfect Middle Or Passive Deponent Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Present Middle Or Passive Deponent Imperative 2nd Plural 1×
Present Middle Or Passive Deponent Indicative 1st Singular 1×

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
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.
Middle: The subject acts on or for itself.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Middle Deponent: Middle in form but active in meaning.
Passive Deponent: Passive in form but active in meaning.
Middle Or Passive: Can be read as middle or passive; context decides.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Imperative: A command or entreaty.
Optative: A wish or prayer — rare in the New Testament.

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 Acts and 2 Corinthians (2 verses each); never once in the other 22.

Acts

Romans

2 Corinthians

James

3 John

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.