G2059 — ἑρμηνεύω (hermeneuo)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2059
Original: ἑρμηνεύω
Transliteration: hermeneuo
Pronunciation: her-mayn-yoo'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: From a presumed derivative of Hermes (as the god of language)
Occurrences: 4 unique verses (4 tokens) in NT
First Occurrence: John 1:38 — "They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From a presumed derivative of Hermes (as the god of language); to translate, interpret — explain the meaning of a name or term from one language into another.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 33 — Communication
Subdomain: 33.010 — Interpret, Mean, Explain
Other words in subdomain: διερμηνεύω (diermeneuo, G1329), διερμηνευτής (diermeneutes, G1328), δυσερμήνευτος (dysermeneutos, G1421), διασαφέω (diasapheo, G1285), δηλόω (deloo, G1213), διανοίγω (dianoigo, G1272)

Domain Neighbors (33.010 — Interpret, Mean, Explain)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G1213	δηλόω	3	declared, did signify
G1272	διανοίγω	4	were opened, Be opened
G1285	διασαφέω	1	and told
G1328	διερμηνευτής	1	interpreter
G1329	διερμηνεύω	4	interpret, by interpretation
G1421	δυσερμήνευτος	1	hard (to be uttered)
G1955	ἐπίλυσις	1	interpretation

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
is by interpretation	2	50%
being by interpretation	1	25%
being interpreted	1	25%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
John	3	0.34
Hebrews	1	0.33

Exclusively Johannine and Hebrews. All 3 John occurrences are in the early chapters (1:38, 1:42, 9:7). The word is always passive — something "is interpreted" — never active.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Translation of Personal Names / Titles¶

John 1:38 — "They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted [hermeneuo], Master,) where dwellest thou?"
John 1:42 — "Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation [hermeneuo], A stone."
Hebrews 7:2 — "first being by interpretation [hermeneuo] King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace"

2. Translation of Place Names¶

John 9:7 — "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation [hermeneuo], Sent.)"

All four occurrences share a single function: rendering a Hebrew or Aramaic name/term into Greek for the reader. The word is always passive (hermenetai / hermeneuomenos), with the parenthetical glossing formula "(which is [by] interpretation, X)."

Grammatical Forms Attested¶

Form	Parsing	Occurrences
ἑρμηνεύεται	Pres Pass Ind 3S	2 (John 1:42, 9:7)
ἑρμηνευόμενος	Pres Pass Ptcp Nom Sg M	1 (Heb 7:2)

Only passive voice forms are attested in the NT. No active or middle forms occur.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
Ἰησοῦς (Iesous)	G2424	2x (50%)	Jesus provides or receives the interpreted name
διδάσκαλος (didaskalos)	G1320	1x	"Rabbi... being interpreted, Master"
βασιλεύς (basileus)	G935	1x	"being by interpretation King of righteousness"
δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosyne)	G1343	1x	Melchizedek = "King of righteousness"
εἰρήνη (eirene)	G1515	1x	Salem = "King of peace"
Ἀβραάμ (Abraam)	G11	1x	Abraham tithing to Melchizedek

With only 4 verses, collocation data is limited. The dominant context is name-glossing in narrative settings.

Word Family / Cognates¶

G2058 ἑρμηνεία (hermeneia) — interpretation (noun); 2v (1 Cor 12:10, 14:26); used for the spiritual gift of interpretation of tongues
G1329 διερμηνεύω (diermeneuo) — interpret thoroughly (dia- intensifier); 4v (Luke 24:27, Acts 9:36, 1 Cor 12:30, 14:5, 14:13, 14:27); broader range: expounding Scripture (Luke 24:27), translating names (Acts 9:36), interpreting tongues (1 Cor 12-14)
G1328 διερμηνευτής (diermeneutes) — interpreter (agent noun); 1v (1 Cor 14:28)
G1421 δυσερμήνευτος (dysermeneutos) — hard to interpret (dys- + hermeneutos); 1v (Heb 5:11); alpha-privative compound
G3177 μεθερμηνεύω (methermeneuo) — translate (meta- prefix); 7v (Matt 1:23, Mark 5:41, 15:22, 15:34, John 1:38, 1:39, Acts 4:36, 13:8); functionally synonymous with hermeneuo for name-translation

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
διερμηνεύω (diermeneuo)	G1329	"interpret," "by interpretation"	diermeneuo has broader scope — expounding meaning (Luke 24:27 Scriptures), interpreting tongues (1 Cor 14), and name translation; hermeneuo is restricted to name/term translation
μεθερμηνεύω (methermeneuo)	G3177	"being interpreted"	Functionally interchangeable with hermeneuo for name glossing (cf. John 1:38 uses both in parallel constructions); methermeneuo appears more in the Synoptics and Acts
ἐπίλυσις (epilusis)	G1955	"interpretation"	epilusis = explanation/resolution of meaning (2 Pet 1:20 "no private interpretation"); hermeneuo = linguistic translation of a term