ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA GRIEGA
Poreuomai (G4198) — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
Poreuomai (G4198) is a Greek verb meaning to go, travel, or proceed, used both literally for physical movement and figuratively for a way of life.
Significado de la palabra
Poreuomai is a deponent verb built on the noun poros (a ford or crossing). The KJV usage list captures its range well: to go, depart, journey, or walk. In the New Testament it expresses motion from one place to another, whether by the wise men returning (Matthew 2:9), Jesus walking through grainfields (Matthew 12:1), or a centurion commanding soldiers to go and come (Matthew 8:9).
Beyond simple travel, poreuomai describes a sustained course of action. In Matthew 10:7 the disciples are told, 'As ye go, preach,' where the present participle turns the journey itself into the setting for ministry. Matthew 11:7 uses the same participle to frame Jesus' question to the crowds about why they went out into the wilderness.
The verb also functions as a command formula. 'Go and learn' (Matthew 9:13), 'Go and tell John' (Matthew 11:4), and 'Go rather to the lost sheep' (Matthew 10:6) all use poreuomai to dispatch someone on a mission. The aorist participle poreuthentes ('having gone') often marks a transition into the next action, as in Matthew 2:7 where Herod sends the wise men to search for the child.
Uso en las Escrituras
Poreuomai appears throughout the Gospels, most often describing travel or dispatch. Matthew uses it to narrate the movement of the Magi, the Galilean ministry of Jesus, and the missionary instructions of chapter 10. In Matthew 12:1 the verb carries Jesus 'through the grainfields,' and in Matthew 12:45 an unclean spirit 'goes' to take seven more evil spirits with itself, illustrating a worsening spiritual condition.
In Matthew 10 the sending language is concentrated: 'Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (10:6), 'As you go, preach' (10:7), and 'Go and tell John' (Matthew 11:4) all frame the disciples' mission in terms of journey and destination. The centurion's words in Matthew 8:9 ('Go, and he goeth') show the verb in everyday command usage, which Jesus then cites as a model of faith.
La palabra en detalle
- G4198 Poreuomai (πορεύομαι) is the standard NT verb for going or traveling. The lexicon notes that in the LXX it chiefly renders the Hebrew verb halakh (הלךְ), and that in classical Greek the active form becomes obsolete while the middle/deponent form is the one that continues in the LXX and NT. A common construction is the aorist participle poreuthentes ('having gone'), which often functions as a redundant participle introducing a command, mirroring Hebrew and Aramaic idiom. The verb takes a wide range of prepositions: eis (into), apo (from), pros (to a person), dia with genitive (through), epi (to/upon), and syn (with).
Versículos de ejemplo
- Matthew 2:7 Herod 'having gone' (poreuthentes) instructs the wise men to search for the child; the redundant aorist participle introduces a command, a typical NT use of poreuomai.
- Matthew 2:9 The wise men 'went their way' (eporeuthesan); a plain narrative use of poreuomai to record physical travel.
- Matthew 8:9 The centurion says 'Go' (poreutheti) to a soldier; poreuomai here appears in everyday command language that Jesus cites as a model of authority and faith.
- Matthew 10:7 'As you go' (poreuomenoi) preach; the present participle turns the journey itself into the setting for the disciples' ministry.
Preguntas frecuentes
What does poreuomai mean in simple terms?
Poreuomai is the Greek verb 'to go' or 'to travel.' It covers departure, journey, and walking, and is used both literally for physical movement and figuratively for a course of action or way of life.
How is poreuomai used in the New Testament?
It is used for ordinary travel (the Magi going home, Jesus walking through grainfields), for commanding someone to go on a mission ('Go and tell John'), and for describing a sustained activity ('as you go, preach'). The aorist participle poreuthentes frequently introduces the action that follows.
What prepositions combine with poreuomai?
The lexicon lists eis (into, Matthew 2:20), apo (from, Matthew 25:41), pros (to a person, Matthew 25:9), dia with genitive (through, Matthew 12:1), epi (upon/to), and syn (with, Luke 7:6).