Word Study for G816 (ἀτενίζω)

atenízō /at-en-id'-zo/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom a compound of Α (as a particle of union) and (to stretch)

Meaningto gaze intently

KJV usagebehold earnestly (stedfastly), fasten (eyes), look (earnestly, stedfastly, up stedfastly), set eyes.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of atenízō — 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 atenízō, represented by G816, means to gaze intently or to fasten one's eyes on something. It is derived from a compound word meaning to stretch toward. The term signifies a fixed, earnest, and steadfast look. It appears 15 times across 14 unique verses in the Bible, often marking moments of significant spiritual focus or supernatural encounters.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, G816 is used to describe a powerful and focused gaze in critical moments. As Stephen was about to be martyred, being full of the Holy Ghost, he "looked up stedfastly" into heaven and saw the glory of God Acts 7:55. Similarly, as Jesus ascended, the disciples "looked stedfastly toward heaven" Acts 1:10. The word also denotes focused intention before a miracle, as when Peter, "fastening his eyes upon" the lame man, commanded him to look at them before healing him Acts 3:4. In other instances, it describes a captivated audience, such as when the eyes of everyone in the synagogue "were fastened on" Jesus after he read from the scroll Luke 4:20.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the unique meaning of this intense gaze:

G1492 eídō (to see, behold, know): This is a more general term for sight. The distinction is clear when both are used together; for instance, Stephen "looked up stedfastly" G816 into heaven, and then he "saw" G1492 the glory of God Acts 7:55.
G1391 dóxa (glory): This is often the object of the gaze described by G816. The Israelites could not "stedfastly behold" the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance 2 Corinthians 3:7, and Stephen saw the glory of God when he looked into heaven Acts 7:55.
G1411 dýnamis (power, might): This intense gaze is sometimes associated with demonstrations of divine power. After healing the lame man, Peter asked the crowd why they "look ye so earnestly" on him and John, as if by their own power they had performed the miracle Acts 3:12.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G816 is found in its connection to spiritual perception and divine encounters.

Focus on the Divine: The act of "earnestly beholding" is repeatedly linked to a person looking toward God, heaven, or a divine messenger. This is seen when Cornelius, confronted by an angel, "looked on him" and became afraid Acts 10:4, and when the disciples gazed after the ascending Christ Acts 1:10.
Spiritual Discernment: The word signifies a gaze that sees beyond the physical. Paul was "stedfastly beholding" the lame man when he perceived that he had faith to be healed Acts 14:9. Before rebuking a sorcerer, Paul "set his eyes on him" while filled with the Holy Ghost Acts 13:9.
A Sign of Divine Favor: The intense gaze of others can be a sign of God's presence on an individual. When the council was "looking stedfastly on" Stephen, they "saw his face as it had been the face of an angel" Acts 6:15.

Summary

In summary, G816 is more than simple sight; it is an act of total concentration that often precedes or accompanies a revelation, a miracle, or a pivotal spiritual moment. It illustrates a bridge between the physical act of looking and the spiritual state of perceiving. The use of atenízō in scripture consistently marks a person or a crowd giving their complete and undivided attention to a matter of divine importance.

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

Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 7×
Aorist Active Infinitive 2×
Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 2×
Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 1×
Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Feminine 1×
Present Active Indicative 2nd Plural 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
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.

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 14 verses across 3 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Acts (10 verses); never once in the other 24.

Luke

Acts

2 Corinthians

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.