BIBLE GREEK WORD STUDY
Hístēmi (G2476) — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
Hístēmi (ἵστημι) is a Greek verb meaning to stand or to cause to stand, applied literally to physical posture and figuratively to remaining steadfast.
Meaning of the word
Hístēmi is a versatile Greek verb covering both transitive and intransitive senses. In its transitive use it means to make someone or something stand, to place, set up, appoint, or establish — for example setting a child in the middle of a group (Matthew 18:2) or placing someone at one's right hand (Matthew 25:33).
In its intransitive use, built largely on the perfect and second aorist stems, it means to stand, stand by, or remain still — as when the star stood over where the child was (Matthew 2:9), or when a multitude stood on the beach (Matthew 13:2). The perfect stem conveys a settled, ongoing state of standing.
Figuratively, hístēmi extends to standing firm in faith, in grace, or in the gospel (Romans 5:2; 1 Corinthians 15:1; 1 Corinthians 10:12). It also carries the sense of presenting, weighing (as in Matthew 26:15, the thirty pieces of silver), and confirming or establishing a matter (Matthew 18:16).
Usage in Scripture
Hístēmi is one of the most common verbs of posture and positioning in the New Testament, with 133 total occurrences across 129 distinct verses. It covers everyday scenes — people standing by, standing outside, standing in the marketplace — and significant moments such as witnesses standing before authorities or believers standing firm against opposition.
The verb appears across every Gospel, Acts, the Pauline epistles, Hebrews, and Revelation. Its literal uses are frequent in narrative (Matthew 12:46; Mark 11:5; John 1:35; Acts 16:9), while its figurative and theological uses dominate the epistles, where standing in grace, truth, and the gospel becomes a key image for Christian perseverance.
The Septuagint background, translating Hebrew roots such as עמד and קום, means the word also carries the Old Testament sense of taking one's stand before God or before a covenant obligation, enriching its New Testament theological weight.
The word in detail
- G2476 In the present, imperfect, future, and first aorist active, and in the passive, hístēmi is transitive (to make stand, place, set up). In the perfect, pluperfect, and second aorist active, it is intransitive (to stand, stand by, remain). This tense-based split is essential for accurate translation and exegesis.
Example verses
- Matthew 2:9 The star 'stood' (ἐστάθη) over the place where the child was — a passive use of hístēmi showing the verb's transitive-passive sense of being made to stand in position.
- Matthew 18:2 Jesus 'set' (ἔστησεν) a child in the middle of the disciples — a clear transitive use of hístēmi meaning to place or to cause to stand among them.
- Matthew 13:2 The crowd 'stood' (εἱστήκει) on the beach — intransitive pluperfect describing an ongoing state of standing while Jesus taught from the boat.
- Matthew 18:16 The word 'established' (σταθῇ) in the mouth of two or three witnesses — hístēmi used in the juridical sense of confirming or validating testimony.
Common questions
Why does hístēmi have two different meanings?
Greek verbs often shift between transitive and intransitive senses depending on tense stems. Hístēmi is transitive ('make stand, place') in the present, imperfect, future, and first aorist active, and in the passive. It becomes intransitive ('stand, remain') in the perfect, pluperfect, and second aorist active. This is a grammatical pattern, not a contradiction.
Is hístēmi the same as the verb 'to be'?
No. Hístēmi specifically conveys standing or causing to stand, often with an emphasis on position, stability, or posture. It can imply standing firm in faith or standing before someone, but it is not a general verb of existence like εἰμί.
How many times does hístēmi appear in the New Testament?
According to standard counts, hístēmi appears 133 times in 129 distinct verses across the New Testament, making it one of the more frequent Greek verbs.