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λαλέω

to speak

‘to speak’ is one of 6 main senses fuller range ↓

G2980 Strong's Greek
laléō Transliteration
/lal-eh'-o/ Pronunciation
Usage in the GNT 298 appearances

Compare with another word →

About this entry

At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.

At its core, λαλεω (laléō) means “to speak.” The King James Version’s older “spake” has given way to “speak” in modern versions, as the renderings breakdown shows. It turns up in 272 verses across 23 books, a common footprint. It first appears in Matthew 9:18. Ranging over 6 senses, it is not a single-sense word. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.

Gloss history

Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship

Strong's · 1890
preach
Modern gloss
to speak
Strong's 1890 sometimes compressed multiple senses — or homonymous roots — under one number, and used 19th-century English phrasing that no longer carries the same connotation. The modern gloss reflects current Thayer scholarship; open the Lexicon Entry tab for the full sense breakdown. Download share card

About this word

Strong's G2980 catalogs a Greek word from the Greek New Testament.

These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Greek New Testament. What Lemma adds →

272
distinct verses
The word appears in 272 distinct verses.
23 / 27
NT books
The word appears in 23 of 27 New Testament books.
Matthew 9:18
first appearance
The earliest occurrence is in Matthew 9:18.
Revelation 21:15
last appearance
The latest occurrence is in Revelation 21:15.
#59
by frequency
Top 100 most frequent Greek words (rank 59 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).

View all 272 occurrences in the concordance →


Most concentrated in

By section of the New Testament

  • Gospels 122 · 45%
  • Acts 60 · 22%
  • Pauline Epistles 52 · 19%
  • General Epistles 27 · 10%
  • Revelation 11 · 4%

By traditional corpus

Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Some books belong to more than one corpus (Luke is in both the Gospels and the Lukan corpus, and so on), so these shares overlap and need not total 100%. Each figure is a share of the word’s 272 distinct verses.

  • Gospels 122 verses · 45%
  • Lukan (Luke–Acts) 91 verses · 33%
  • Johannine 65 verses · 24%
  • Pauline corpus 52 verses · 19%
  • Hebrews 15 verses · 6%
  • General (Catholic) Epistles 12 verses · 4%
  • Revelation 11 verses · 4%

How translations render this word

Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).

  • King James Version: Speak 62×, Spake 48×, He spake 14×
  • American Standard Version: Speak 60×, Spake 43×, Speaketh 21×
  • Berean Standard Bible: Speak 44×, Spoke 23×, Speaking 17×
  • unfoldingWord Literal Text: Speak 56×, Speaking 47×, Spoke 25×

King James Version Public Domain

Renders G2980 across 305 tagged occurrences — most commonly:

  • “Speak” 62×
  • “Spake” 48×
  • “He spake” 14×
  • “Speaketh” 13×
  • “I speak” 11×
  • “Speaking” 11×
  • “We speak” 7×
  • “Have spoken” 6×
  • “Have i spoken” 5×
  • “He that speaketh” 5×
  • “He speaketh” 4×
  • “I have spoken” 4×

Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 62 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 3 further occurrences.

American Standard Version Public Domain

Renders G2980 across 308 tagged occurrences — most commonly:

  • “Speak” 60×
  • “Spake” 43×
  • “Speaketh” 21×
  • “He spake” 18×
  • “Speaking” 17×
  • “I speak” 9×
  • “Have i spoken” 6×
  • “Spoken” 6×
  • “We speak” 6×
  • “Have spoken” 5×
  • “He speaketh” 5×
  • “I spake” 5×

Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 52 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.

Berean Standard Bible Public Domain

Renders G2980 across 290 tagged occurrences — most commonly:

  • “Speak” 44×
  • “Spoke” 23×
  • “Speaking” 17×
  • “Speaks” 16×
  • “Said” 9×
  • “He spoke” 7×
  • “Say” 7×
  • “Was still speaking” 7×
  • “Had spoken” 6×
  • “Spoken” 6×
  • “We speak” 6×
  • “I have spoken” 5×

Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 90 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 8 further occurrences.

unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Renders G2980 across 332 tagged occurrences — most commonly:

  • “Speak” 56×
  • “Speaking” 47×
  • “Spoke” 25×
  • “He spoke” 11×
  • “Speaks” 11×
  • “Said” 9×
  • “I speak” 7×
  • “We speak” 7×
  • “I have spoken” 6×
  • “Have spoken” 5×
  • “He was speaking” 5×
  • “Say” 5×

Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 53 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.


Senses in Thayer's

The 6 senses Thayer's distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency or importance). The full entry — with sub-senses — is in the Lexicon Entry tab.

  1. to utter a voice or emit a sound
  2. to use the tongue or the faculty of speech
  3. to utter articulate sounds
  4. to talk
  5. to utter, tell
  6. to use words in order to declare one's mind and disclose one's thoughts

Word origin

Origin: a prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb

Part of speech: Verb TDNT: 05:09,5

A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk that is utter words : - preach say speak (after) talk tell utter. Compare G3004 .

— Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890), public domain.


Forms in the corpus

The 63 distinct written forms G2980 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that tense’s occurrences in the concordance.

Form Parsing Example Uses
ἐλάλησεν elálēsen Verb, Aorist, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular Matthew 9:33 30
λαλεῖν laleîn Verb, Present, Active, Infinitive Matthew 12:22 21
λαλῆσαι lalē̂sai Verb, Aorist, Active, Infinitive Matthew 12:46 20
ἐλάλει elálei Verb, Imperfect, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular Matthew 13:34 20
λαλῶ lalō̂ Verb, Present, Active, Indicative, 1st person, Singular Matthew 13:13 19
λαλεῖ laleî Verb, Present, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular Matthew 12:34 19
λαλοῦντος laloûntos Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Genitive, Singular, Masculine Matthew 9:18 16
λαλῶν lalō̂n Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Masculine Luke 5:4 16
λελάληκα lelálēka Verb, Perfect, Active, Indicative, 1st person, Singular John 6:63 11
ἐλάλησαν elálēsan Verb, Aorist, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Plural Luke 24:25 11
λαλοῦμεν laloûmen Verb, Present, Active, Indicative, 1st person, Plural John 3:11 10
ἐλάλησα elálēsa Verb, Aorist, Active, Indicative, 1st person, Singular Luke 24:44 8
λαλοῦντες laloûntes Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Nominative, Plural, Masculine Matthew 10:20 7
ἐλάλουν eláloun Verb, Imperfect, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Plural Luke 2:15 6
λαλήσω lalḗsō Verb, Future, Active, Indicative, 1st person, Singular John 14:30 5
λαλήσει lalḗsei Verb, Future, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular John 9:21 4
λαλεῖς laleîs Verb, Present, Active, Indicative, 2nd person, Singular Matthew 13:10 4
λαλεῖτε laleîte Verb, Present, Active, Imperative, 2nd person, Plural Mark 13:11 4
λαλούντων laloúntōn Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Genitive, Plural, Masculine Luke 24:36 4
λάλει lálei Verb, Present, Active, Imperative, 2nd person, Singular Acts 18:9 3
λαλήσητε lalḗsēte Verb, Aorist, Active, Subjunctive, 2nd person, Plural Matthew 10:19 3
λαληθήσεται lalēthḗsetai Verb, Future, Passive, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular Matthew 26:13 3
λαλουμένοις lalouménois Verb, Present, Passive, Participle, Dative, Plural, Neuter Luke 2:33 3
λαλούμενον laloúmenon Verb, Present, Passive, Participle, Accusative, Singular, Masculine Mark 5:36 2
λαλήσαντες lalḗsantes Verb, Aorist, Active, Participle, Nominative, Plural, Masculine Acts 8:25 2
λαλήσας lalḗsas Verb, Aorist, Active, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Masculine Hebrews 1:1 2
λαλήσουσιν lalḗsousin Verb, Future, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Plural Matthew 12:36 2
λαλήσῃ lalḗsē Verb, Aorist, Active, Subjunctive, 3rd person, Singular Acts 3:22 2
λαληθῆναι lalēthē̂nai Verb, Aorist, Passive, Infinitive Acts 13:42 2
λαλοῦν laloûn Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Neuter Matthew 10:20 2
λαλοῦντι laloûnti Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Dative, Singular, Masculine 1 Corinthians 14:11 2
λαλοῦσιν laloûsin Verb, Present, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Plural 1 Corinthians 12:30 2
λελάληκεν lelálēken Verb, Perfect, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular John 9:29 2
ἐλαλήθη elalḗthē Verb, Aorist, Passive, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular Luke 2:20 2
Λαλούντων Laloúntōn Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Genitive, Plural, Masculine Acts 4:1 1
λαλήσαντος lalḗsantos Verb, Aorist, Active, Participle, Genitive, Singular, Masculine Acts 23:7 1
λαλήσομεν lalḗsomen Verb, Future, Active, Indicative, 1st person, Plural 3 John 1:14 1
λαλείτω laleítō Verb, Present, Active, Imperative, 3rd person, Singular 1 Corinthians 14:28 1
λαλείτωσαν laleítōsan Verb, Present, Active, Imperative, 3rd person, Plural 1 Corinthians 14:29 1
λαλεῖσθαι laleîsthai Verb, Present, Passive, Infinitive Hebrews 2:3 1
λαληθέντος lalēthéntos Verb, Aorist, Passive, Participle, Genitive, Singular, Neuter Luke 2:17 1
λαληθέντων lalēthéntōn Verb, Aorist, Passive, Participle, Genitive, Plural, Neuter Luke 2:18 1
λαληθήσεταί lalēthḗsetaí Verb, Future, Passive, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular Acts 9:6 1
λαληθείσης lalētheísēs Verb, Aorist, Passive, Participle, Genitive, Singular, Feminine Hebrews 9:19 1
λαληθεὶς lalētheìs Verb, Aorist, Passive, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Masculine Hebrews 2:2 1
λαληθησομένων lalēthēsoménōn Verb, Future, Passive, Participle, Genitive, Plural, Neuter Hebrews 3:5 1
λαλουμένη lalouménē Verb, Present, Passive, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Feminine Acts 17:19 1
λαλούσης laloúsēs Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Genitive, Singular, Feminine Revelation 4:1 1
λαλοῦντα laloûnta Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Accusative, Singular, Masculine Hebrews 12:25 1
λαλοῦντας laloûntas Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Accusative, Plural, Masculine Matthew 15:31 1
λαλοῦντός laloûntós Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Genitive, Singular, Masculine Acts 22:9 1
λαλοῦσαι laloûsai Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Nominative, Plural, Feminine 1 Timothy 5:13 1
λαλοῦσαν laloûsan Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Accusative, Singular, Feminine Revelation 10:8 1
λαλῆσαί lalē̂saí Verb, Aorist, Active, Infinitive Acts 23:18 1
λαλῆσαι.] lalē̂sai Verb, Aorist, Active, Infinitive Matthew 12:47 1
λαλῇ lalē̂ Verb, Present, Active, Subjunctive, 3rd person, Singular John 8:44 1
λαλῶσιν lalō̂sin Verb, Present, Active, Subjunctive, 3rd person, Plural 1 Corinthians 14:23 1
λελάληταί lelálētaí Verb, Perfect, Passive, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular Acts 27:25 1
λελαλημένοις lelalēménois Verb, Perfect, Passive, Participle, Dative, Plural, Neuter Luke 1:45 1
ἐλάλησέν elálēsén Verb, Aorist, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular Acts 28:21 1

The 60 most common forms are shown; 3 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.


Same root — word family

Other Thayer's entries built from the same root as G2980, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.

Derived from this word

Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.


Septuagint usage

The same Greek word λαλεω appears 1,049 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 957 verses in 35 books.

1,049
LXX occurrences
Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
957
verses
Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
35 / 39
OT books
The word appears in 35 of the 39 Old Testament books.

Sample Septuagint occurrences

Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)

Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G2980) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 957. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.

These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G2980) in the Septuagint — not a translation of any one Hebrew word. The store carries no word-level Hebrew↔Greek alignment, so no Hebrew original is asserted here. Counts come from the recovered LXX Strong's tagging — high-frequency vocabulary is well covered, while rare or late forms may be untagged — so they reflect tagged occurrences and may slightly undercount.

Reading settings

Reading text

Shown beneath each verse's original-language words.

Old Testament
Old Testament edition

Read the OT as the Masoretic Hebrew (MT) or the Greek Septuagint (LXX).

English shown for the Greek Septuagint (in the Hebrew ↔ Greek comparison).

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