G1162 — δέησις (deēsis)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G1162
Original: δέησις
Transliteration: deēsis
Pronunciation: deh'-ay-sis
Part of Speech: Feminine noun (n-f)
Root: δέομαι (deomai, G1189) — to beg, beseech, make request
Occurrences: 17 unique verses (19 tokens) across 11 books
First Occurrence: Luk 1:13 — "But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G1189 δέομαι; a petition — prayer, request, supplication.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 33.012 — Ask For, Request
Parent Domain: 33 — Communication
Other words in subdomain: αἰτέω (G154), αἴτημα (G155), ἀπαιτέω (G523), δέομαι (G1189), ἐντυγχάνω (G1793), ἐξαιτέω (G1809), ἐπαιτέω (G1871), ἐπερωτάω (G1905), ἐπερώτημα (G1906), ἐπικαλέω (G1941), ἐρωτάω (G2065)

Domain Neighbors (33.012 — Ask For, Request)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G154	αἰτέω	16	ye shall ask, ask
G155	αἴτημα	3	petitions, requests
G523	ἀπαιτέω	3	again, ask
G1189	δέομαι	8	I beseech, I besought
G1793	ἐντυγχάνω	4	he maketh intercession, have dealt
G1809	ἐξαιτέω	1	hath desired
G1871	ἐπαιτέω	1	to beg
G1905	ἐπερωτάω	39	asked, he asked
G1906	ἐπερώτημα	1	the answer
G1941	ἐπικαλέω	8	surname is, was surnamed
G2065	ἐρωτάω	17	ask, I pray

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
prayer	6	35.3%
prayers	5	29.4%
supplication	3	17.6%
by prayer	1	5.9%
in supplications	1	5.9%
request	1	5.9%
supplications	1	5.9%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Timothy	2	1.8
2 Timothy	1	1.2
1 Peter	1	1.0
James	1	0.9
2 Corinthians	2	0.8
Ephesians	1	0.6
Philippians	3	0.3
Luke	3	0.3
Hebrews	1	0.3
Romans	1	0.2
Acts	1	0.1

Pauline epistles dominate (10 of 17 verses, 59%). Luke-Acts contributes 4 verses (24%). The word is absent from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John, and from the Johannine epistles and Revelation. The concentration in the Pastoral Epistles (1-2 Timothy) and prayer-instruction passages is notable.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Personal Petition to God (Specific Request)¶

Luk 1:13 — "thy prayer (deēsis) is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son" — Zacharias's specific petition for a child
Rom 10:1 — "my heart's desire and prayer (deēsis) to God for Israel is, that they might be saved" — Paul's specific petition for Israel's salvation
Php 1:19 — "this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer (deēsis), and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ"

2. Habitual Devotional Prayer (Ongoing Practice)¶

Luk 2:37 — Anna "served God with fastings and prayers (deēseis) night and day" — lifelong devotional pattern
1Ti 5:5 — the true widow "continueth in supplications (deēseis) and prayers night and day"
2Ti 1:3 — "without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers (deēseis) night and day"

3. Intercessory Prayer for Others¶

2Co 1:11 — "Ye also helping together by prayer (deēsis) for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given"
2Co 9:14 — "by their prayer (deēsis) for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you"
Php 1:4 — "Always in every prayer (deēsis) of mine for you all making request with joy"

4. Urgent Supplication in Distress¶

Heb 5:7 — "when he had offered up prayers (deēseis) and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death"
Jas 5:16 — "The effectual fervent prayer (deēsis) of a righteous man availeth much"

5. Comprehensive Prayer Vocabulary (Listed alongside other prayer terms)¶

Act 1:14 — "continued with one accord in prayer (proseuchē) and supplication (deēsis)" — paired with proseuchē
Eph 6:18 — "Praying always with all prayer (proseuchē) and supplication (deēsis) in the Spirit"
1Ti 2:1 — "supplications (deēseis), prayers (proseuchai), intercessions (enteuxeis), and giving of thanks" — four prayer terms listed together
Php 4:6 — "by prayer (proseuchē) and supplication (deēsis) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God"

6. The Righteous Person's Heard Prayer¶

1Pe 3:12 — "the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers (deēsis)"
Jas 5:16 — "The effectual fervent prayer (deēsis) of a righteous man availeth much"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
προσευχή (proseuchē)	G4335	5x (29%)	Paired as "prayer and supplication" (Eph 6:18, Php 4:6, 1Ti 2:1, 1Ti 5:5, Act 1:14)
θεός (theos)	G2316	5x (29%)	Object of petition — "prayer to God" (Rom 10:1, Luk 2:37, 1Ti 5:5)
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	5x (29%)	Emphatic scope — "all prayer," "every prayer" (Eph 6:18, Php 1:4)
ἡμέρα (hēmera)	G2250	4x (24%)	Temporal — "night and day" devotional pattern (Luk 2:37, 1Ti 5:5, 2Ti 1:3)
νύξ (nyx)	G3571	3x (18%)	Paired with hēmera — "night and day" (Luk 2:37, 1Ti 5:5, 2Ti 1:3)
εὐχαριστία (eucharistia)	G2169	2x (12%)	"Supplication with thanksgiving" (Php 4:6, 1Ti 2:1)
δίκαιος (dikaios)	G1342	2x (12%)	Character of effective petitioner (Jas 5:16, 1Pe 3:12)
σωτηρία (sōtēria)	G4991	2x (12%)	Salvation as petition's aim or result (Rom 10:1, Php 1:19)

Synonyms¶

G4335 προσευχή (proseuchē) — prayer (worship), the broadest and most general prayer term; 37v. Denotes prayer as address to God, including worship-dimension. Co-occurs with deēsis 5x as the comprehensive pair "prayer and supplication."
G1783 ἔντευξις (enteuxis) — intercession, petition; 2v (1Ti 2:1, 4:5). From entygchano "to fall in with, approach"; carries connotation of bold approach or audience with a superior.
G2171 εὐχή (euchē) — wish, prayer, vow; 3v. Broader semantic range including vows (Acts 18:18, 21:23) and prayer (Jas 5:15).
G2428 ἱκετηρία (hiketēria) — supplication, olive-branch of entreaty; 1v (Heb 5:7). The only other prayer term in Heb 5:7 alongside deēsis; denotes the posture of a suppliant.
G155 αἴτημα (aitēma) — petition, request (the thing asked for); 3v. Focuses on the content of the request rather than the act of asking.
G1189 δέομαι (deomai) — to beg, beseech; 8v. The root verb from which deēsis is derived; verbal counterpart.

Antonyms¶

G2169 εὐχαριστία (eucharistia) — thanksgiving, gratitude; not semantically opposite but functionally contrasted as "asking" vs. "thanking" — paired together in Php 4:6 and 1Ti 2:1.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
προσευχή (proseuchē)	G4335	"prayer" (12v), "prayers" (14v)	proseuchē = general prayer/worship address; deēsis = specific petition/supplication born from felt need
ἔντευξις (enteuxis)	G1783	"prayer" (1v), "intercession" (1v)	enteuxis = bold approach/audience, intercession on behalf of others; deēsis = personal supplication from need
εὐχή (euchē)	G2171	"prayer" (1v)	euchē = wish or vow; deēsis = earnest petition arising from lack

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
תְּפִלָּה (tᵉphillâh)	H8605	25	7.26	Primary — general prayer/intercession
תַּחֲנוּן (tachănûwn)	H8469	14	8.46	Earnest supplication, grace-appeal
תְּחִנָּה (tᵉchinnâh)	H8467	13	7.86	Graciousness, entreaty for favor
רִנָּה (rinnâh)	H7440	10	7.02	Cry of joy or supplication
שַׁוְעָה (shavʻâh)	H7775	6	7.87	Cry for help
שָׁמַע (shâmaʻ)	H8085	32	3.70	To hear — frequently in prayer-hearing contexts

The LXX translators used δέησις most heavily for H8605 תְּפִלָּה (general prayer, 25 co-occurrences) and H8469 תַּחֲנוּן (earnest supplication, 14 co-occurrences). The semantic overlap with the tachănûwn / tᵉchinnâh family (both from H2603 חָנַן, "to be gracious") confirms deēsis carries the nuance of an appeal grounded in the petitioner's need rather than merit.