Word Study for G321 (ἀνάγω) | Strong's Concordance

anágō /an-ag'-o/ Ask about this word

Meaningto lead up; by extension to bring out; specially, to sail away

KJV usagebring (again, forth, up again), depart, launch (forth), lead (up), loose, offer, sail, set forth, take up.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of anágō — 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 anágō, represented by G321, appearing 24 times in 24 unique verses in the New Testament, is a compound verb derived from the preposition aná (G303), meaning "up" or "again," and the primary verb ágō, meaning "to lead" or "to bring." At its most fundamental level, the term denotes the action of leading or bringing someone or something from a lower to a higher position. This primary sense of "leading up" is applied across various contexts, ranging from physical elevation to the restoration of life from the dead.

The semantic range of anágō extends significantly into nautical and judicial terminology. By extension, the word means to "bring forth" or "bring out," particularly in the sense of presenting a prisoner or an offering. In maritime contexts, it is a technical term for "launching forth" or "setting sail," where the ship is "brought up" from the land into the deep water of the sea. This breadth of usage allows the word to describe everything from the Spirit’s guidance of Christ to the logistical movements of the early church's missionary journeys.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the Synoptic Gospels, anágō frequently describes the movement of Jesus to specific locations of spiritual or legal significance. Matthew records that Jesus was "led up" (anágō) of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted Matthew 4:1, while Luke uses the term for the devil taking Him "up into an high mountain" Luke 4:5. It is also used of the presentation of the infant Christ in the temple, where His parents "brought him to Jerusalem" Luke 2:22. In a legal context, the term appears when the elders and priests "led him into their council" for trial Luke 22:66.

The Book of Acts employs anágō more than any other New Testament book, often utilizing its nautical meaning. It describes Paul and his companions as they "loosed from Paphos" Acts 13:13, "loosing from Troas" Acts 16:11, and "launching" from various ports such as Rhodes and Adramyttium Acts 21:1, Acts 27:2. Beyond the sea, it describes Peter being "brought forth" to the people by Herod Acts 12:4 and being "brought" into the upper chamber where Dorcas lay Acts 9:39. The term also touches on cultic practice, as seen in the description of the Israelites who "offered sacrifice" (anágō) unto the golden calf Acts 7:41.

Theological applications of anágō are found in the Epistles, specifically regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Romans, the word is used in a rhetorical context concerning the impossibility of a human "bringing up" Christ again from the deep Romans 10:7. This is mirrored in the benediction of Hebrews, which identifies the "God of peace" as the one who "brought again from the dead" the Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep Hebrews 13:20. Here, the word signifies the ultimate "leading up" from the realm of death to life.

Related Words & Concepts

G303 aná (up): The directional prefix that provides anágō with its sense of upward or repetitive movement.
G305 anabaínō (go up): A related compound verb emphasizing the act of ascending or climbing, often used for going up to Jerusalem or heaven.
G312 anangéllō (announce): Shares the prefix aná, meaning to bring back word or report, showing the extension of "bringing" into the realm of speech.
G353 analambánō (take up): A similar compound verb used for the act of receiving or taking something upward, such as the ascension.

Theological Significance

Divine Resurrection: The power of God is demonstrated through His ability to "bring again" (anágō) Jesus from the state of death Hebrews 13:20, Romans 10:7.
Spirit-Led Direction: The sovereignty of the Holy Spirit is seen in the way He "leads up" (anágō) the Messiah into the place of testing Matthew 4:1.
Missionary Expansion: The frequent use of anágō to describe "launching forth" into the sea highlights the providential movement of the Gospel from Judea to the ends of the earth Acts 13:13, Acts 16:11, Acts 21:2.
Judicial Presentation: The word characterizes the formal act of bringing a person before a public or religious authority for judgment or exhibition Luke 22:66, Acts 12:4.

Summary

The Greek verb anágō serves as a vital term for describing transition and presentation throughout the New Testament. Whether it is the physical "leading up" of Jesus to a mountain or the wilderness, the nautical "launching" of a ship into the open sea, or the judicial "bringing forth" of a prisoner, the word consistently implies a deliberate movement toward a specific destination or objective. Its etymological roots in aná and ágō provide a clear picture of guidance and elevation that remains consistent across its diverse applications.

Ultimately, the word finds its highest expression in the context of the resurrection. By describing the Father "bringing again" the Son from the dead, anágō moves beyond mere physical or logistical movement to signify the restoration of life and the fulfillment of the everlasting covenant. From the shores of the Mediterranean in the journeys of Paul to the depths of the grave in the triumph of Christ, this term encapsulates the dynamic and upward trajectory of the divine narrative.

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 24 occurrences, inflected in 10 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.

ἀνήγαγον
ἀνήχθημεν
ἀναγαγὼν
Ἀναχθέντες
ἀναγαγεῖν
ἀνήχθη
ἀναχθῆναι
ἀνάγεσθαι
ἀνήχθησαν
ἀναγομένοις

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 24 verses across 5 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Acts (17 verses); never once in the other 22.

Matthew

Luke

Acts

Romans

Hebrews

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, 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.