Word Study for G950 (βεβαιόω)

bebaióō /beb-ah-yo'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom βέβαιος

Meaningto stabilitate (figuratively)

KJV usageconfirm, (e-)stablish.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of bebaióō — 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 bebaióō, represented by G950, means to stabilitate, confirm, or establish. It is derived from a root word signifying firmness. Appearing 9 times in 8 unique verses, this term is used figuratively in the New Testament to describe the act of making something sure, reliable, and secure, whether it be a promise, a message, or a person's spiritual standing.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, G950 is applied to several divine actions. It is used to describe how God confirms His word through accompanying signs, as seen when the Lord worked with the disciples after His ascension Mark 16:20. The message of salvation, first spoken by the Lord, was confirmed to later believers by those who originally heard it Hebrews 2:3. The term also describes God's work in securing believers, as He is the one who stablisheth us in Christ 2 Corinthians 1:21 and will confirm the saints to the end, making them blameless 1 Corinthians 1:8. Furthermore, Christ's ministry served to confirm the promises God made to the fathers Romans 15:8.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the concept of being established or confirmed:

G4102 pístis (faith): This word for moral conviction and reliance upon Christ is directly linked to G950. Believers are to be stablished in the faith as they have been taught Colossians 2:7.
G1860 epangelía (promise): This term, meaning a divine assurance of good, is what Christ came to confirm. His ministry fulfilled the promises made to the patriarchs, demonstrating God's faithfulness Romans 15:8.
G4592 sēmeîon (sign): A sign is an indication, often supernatural, that validates a message. The Lord confirmed the word His disciples preached with signs following Mark 16:20.
G410 anénklētos (blameless): This describes the ultimate state of a believer who has been confirmed by God. He will confirm them so they may be blameless on the day of the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Corinthians 1:8.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of G950 centers on God as the source of all stability and certainty.

Divine Assurance: The word underscores that the Christian message is not based on human thought but is divinely validated. The testimony of Christ was confirmed among the believers 1 Corinthians 1:6, and the message of salvation was confirmed through witnesses Hebrews 2:3.
Spiritual Security: It is God who stablisheth believers in Christ 2 Corinthians 1:21. This provides assurance of the believer's secure position and perseverance, which is a work of God, not human effort.
Inner Steadfastness: Believers are called to be stablished in their faith, which is connected to being rooted and built up in Christ Colossians 2:7. This stability is contrasted with being carried about by strange doctrines, as the heart is best established with grace Hebrews 13:9.

Summary

In summary, G950 is a crucial term for understanding the reliability of God's work. It describes the divine action of making something firm and unshakable. From confirming the truth of the gospel message with signs and witnesses to establishing the hearts of believers in grace and securing their ultimate standing in Christ, bebaióō points consistently to God as the one who provides all true and lasting stability.

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

Aorist Passive Indicative 3rd Singular 2×
Aorist Active Infinitive 1×
Future Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Participle Genitive Singular Masculine 1×
Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 1×
Present Passive Infinitive 1×
Present Passive Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Future: Action yet to take place.
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.

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 8 verses across 6 of the 27 books. Most frequent in 1 Corinthians and Hebrews (2 verses each); never once in the other 21.

Mark

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Colossians

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, 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.