TRV
G2309
θέλω
Rootapparently strengthened from the alternate form of αἱρέομαι
Meaningto determine (as an active option from subjective impulse; whereas βούλομαι properly denotes rather a passive acquiescence in objective considerations), i.e. choose or prefer (literally or figuratively); by implication, to wish, i.e. be inclined to (sometimes adverbially, gladly); impersonally for the future tense, to be about to; by Hebraism, to delight in
KJV usagedesire, be disposed (forward), intend, list, love, mean, please, have rather, (be) will (have, -ling, - ling(-ly)).
How the KJV Renders It
TranslationStrong’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
MorphologyIn the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 210 occurrences, inflected in 35 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it. These are this word’s own inflections, not words built from it — for those, see Related Words.
-
θέλω
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 1st
- First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
- Singular
- One.
-
θέλεις
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 2nd
- Second person — the one addressed ("you").
- Singular
- One.
-
θέλετε
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 2nd
- Second person — the one addressed ("you").
- Plural
- More than one.
-
θέλει
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Singular
- One.
-
ἤθελεν
- Imperfect
- Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Singular
- One.
-
θέλων
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
- Nominative
- The subject of the verb.
- Singular
- One.
- Masculine
- Masculine grammatical gender.
-
ἠθέλησεν
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Singular
- One.
-
θέλῃ
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Subjunctive
- Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Singular
- One.
-
ἤθελον
- Imperfect
- Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Plural
- More than one.
-
θέλομεν
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 1st
- First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
- Plural
- More than one.
-
θέλουσιν
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Plural
- More than one.
-
θέλοντες
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
- Nominative
- The subject of the verb.
- Plural
- More than one.
- Masculine
- Masculine grammatical gender.
-
θέλειν
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Infinitive
- The verb as a noun — "to do".
-
θέλητε
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Subjunctive
- Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
- 2nd
- Second person — the one addressed ("you").
- Plural
- More than one.
-
θέλῃς
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Subjunctive
- Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
- 2nd
- Second person — the one addressed ("you").
- Singular
- One.
-
ἠθέλησα
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 1st
- First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
- Singular
- One.
-
ἠθελήσατε;
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 2nd
- Second person — the one addressed ("you").
- Plural
- More than one.
-
ἠθέλησαν
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Plural
- More than one.
-
θελήσῃ
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Subjunctive
- Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Singular
- One.
-
θέλοι
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Optative
- A wish or prayer — rare in the New Testament.
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Singular
- One.
-
θελόντων
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
- Genitive
- Possession or source — often "of".
- Plural
- More than one.
- Masculine
- Masculine grammatical gender.
-
θέλω
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Subjunctive
- Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
- 1st
- First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
- Singular
- One.
-
ἠθελήσαμεν
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 1st
- First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
- Plural
- More than one.
-
ἠθέλησας
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 2nd
- Second person — the one addressed ("you").
- Singular
- One.
-
θέλοντι
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
- Dative
- The indirect object — often "to" or "for".
- Singular
- One.
- Masculine
- Masculine grammatical gender.
-
θέλοντος
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
- Genitive
- Possession or source — often "of".
- Singular
- One.
- Masculine
- Masculine grammatical gender.
-
θελήσαντάς
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
- Accusative
- The direct object of the verb.
- Plural
- More than one.
- Masculine
- Masculine grammatical gender.
-
θελήσω
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Subjunctive
- Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
- 1st
- First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
- Singular
- One.
-
θελήσωσιν
- Aorist
- Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Subjunctive
- Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Plural
- More than one.
-
ἤθελον
- Imperfect
- Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 1st
- First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
- Singular
- One.
-
ἤθελες
- Imperfect
- Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Indicative
- A plain statement of fact.
- 2nd
- Second person — the one addressed ("you").
- Singular
- One.
-
θέλοντας
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
- Accusative
- The direct object of the verb.
- Plural
- More than one.
- Masculine
- Masculine grammatical gender.
-
θέλοντα
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
- Accusative
- The direct object of the verb.
- Singular
- One.
- Masculine
- Masculine grammatical gender.
-
θέλοντες
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Participle
- A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
- Vocative
- Direct address — naming who is spoken to.
- Plural
- More than one.
- Masculine
- Masculine grammatical gender.
-
θέλωσιν
- Present
- Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
- Active
- The subject performs the action.
- Subjunctive
- Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
- 3rd
- Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
- Plural
- More than one.
Biblical Distribution
DistributionAppears in 201 verses across 22 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Matthew (41 verses); never once in the other 5.
Every Occurrence
ConcordanceEvery verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, 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.