BIBLE GREEK WORD STUDY
Krinō (G2919) — Judgment in the New Testament
Krinō (κρίνω) is a common Greek verb meaning to judge, decide, try, condemn, or punish, appearing about 114 times in the New Testament.
Meaning of the word
Krinō is a versatile verb built around the idea of separating or deciding between options, which extends naturally to judging, evaluating, condemning, or punishing. The lexicon entry highlights the sense of trying a case and reaching a verdict, whether the outcome is acquittal or condemnation. Even in ordinary settings the word can describe entering into a legal dispute or settling a matter.
Because the verb covers the whole range from neutral decision to negative verdict, context determines the shade of meaning. Matthew 7:1–2 warns against sitting in judgment over others, using krinō for the act of judging itself, while John 3:17 shows God sending the Son not to judge but to save, with the same verb later picking up the idea of condemnation in John 3:18.
In Romans 2 the word is sharpened into a sustained warning: those who judge others while doing the same things condemn themselves (Romans 2:1), and on the day of reckoning all will be judged by the standard they possessed (Romans 2:12, 2:15). The verb thus links together human evaluation, divine assessment, and final eschatological verdict.
Usage in Scripture
In the Gospels, krinō most often frames the issue of judging others and the coming divine judgment. Jesus forbids hypocritical judging in Matthew 7:1–2 and treats a legal dispute over clothing as a setting where surrender is wiser than litigation in Matthew 5:40. John's Gospel uses the verb to explain why judgment is now bound up with belief in the Son (John 3:17–18) and to identify the world's sin as the refusal to believe (John 16:9), so that judgment and faith become opposite responses to the same revelation.
Romans 2 concentrates the verb into a sustained warning: judging others while doing the same things self-condemns the judge (Romans 2:1, 2:3), and all people will be judged by the light they had, whether written law or the law written on the heart (Romans 2:12, 2:15). Across these passages krinō shifts fluidly between human evaluation, present standing before God, and future verdict.
The word in detail
- G2919 Krinō (κρίνω) covers a spectrum from neutral deciding to outright condemnation. Read each occurrence carefully: the same verb can describe a courtroom dispute (Matthew 5:40), self-righteous judging (Matthew 7:1), divine evaluation (John 3:17), or eschatological verdict (Romans 2:12).
Example verses
- Matthew 7:1 Krinō here forbids setting oneself up as judge over others; the following verse applies the same verb to the reciprocal judgment that falls on the one who judges.
- John 3:18 Krinō distinguishes the standing of the believer from the unbeliever: the one who believes is not judged, while the one who refuses has already been judged through non-belief in the Son.
- Romans 2:1 Krinō turns inward: judging others while doing the same things is self-condemnation, showing that the verb here is not neutral evaluation but a verdict against the judge.
- Romans 2:12 Krinō points to future judgment by the standard given—whether written law or no law—showing the verb's eschatological weight in Paul.
Common questions
Does krinō always mean to condemn?
No. The verb ranges from neutral deciding and evaluating to condemnation and punishment. Context determines which sense applies, and the same root appears in courtroom disputes, moral evaluation, and divine judgment.
How does Matthew 7:1 connect with the rest of the New Testament use of krinō?
Matthew 7:1 forbids hypocritical human judging, and the same verb is later applied to God's judgment in John 3 and to eschatological verdict in Romans 2. Together they show that the standard used in judging becomes the standard by which one is judged.
Why does John say the world is already judged in John 3:18?
John 3:18 uses the perfect tense of krinō, presenting the judgment as already settled for those who refuse to believe in the Son. Unbelief itself is the verdict, not merely a future event.