G4160 — ποιέω (poiéō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4160
Original: ποιέω
Transliteration: poiéō
Pronunciation: poy-eh'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary
Occurrences: 518 unique verses (597 tokens) across 26 NT books
First Occurrence: Matt 1:24 — "Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct). The word is the broadest Greek term for performing an action or producing a result, covering everything from physical creation to moral conduct to the carrying out of a command.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 042 — Perform, Do
Subdomain 042002: Do, Perform
Subdomain 042003: Make, Create
Also appears in: Domain 041 (Behavior), Domain 013 (Be/Become/Happen), Domain 023 (Physiological/Produce), Domain 037 (Assign to Role), Domain 057 (Transfer/Exchange)

The word's breadth of application across multiple Louw-Nida domains reflects its function as the default all-purpose action verb in Greek.

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[013] Be, Become, Exist, Happen
[023] Physiological Processes and States
[025] Attitudes and Emotions
[037] Control, Rule
[041] Behavior and Related States
[042] Perform, Do
[057] Possess, Transfer, Exchange
[090] Case

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
do / did / doeth / done / doing / doest	~260	~50%
make / made / maketh / making	~80	~15%
bring forth / bringeth forth	6	1.2%
committeth / committed	4	0.8%
wrought / had wrought	3	0.6%
working / worketh	3	0.6%
cause / causeth	4	0.8%
fulfil / fulfilling	3	0.6%
Other (keep, bear, perform, execute, etc.)	~155	~30%

The KJV uses over 100 distinct English phrases to render ποιέω. The word is one of the most versatile verbs in the NT, functioning as the default word for any action or production.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
3 John	3	21.4
Philemon	3	12.0
John	97	11.0
1 John	11	10.5
James	10	9.3
Luke	81	7.0
Mark	47	6.9
Matthew	72	6.7
Acts	66	6.6
Ephesians	10	6.5
Revelation	26	6.4
Hebrews	18	5.9
Romans	23	5.3
2 Peter	3	4.9
1 Thessalonians	4	4.5
Galatians	6	4.0
1 Timothy	4	3.5
Colossians	3	3.2
1 Corinthians	13	3.0
1 Peter	3	2.9
2 Corinthians	7	2.7
Titus	1	2.2
2 Thessalonians	1	2.1
2 Timothy	1	1.2
Philippians	3	—
Jude	2	—

Pattern: Heaviest concentration in the Johannine corpus (John 97×, 1 John 11×, 3 John 3×). The Gospel of John's theological emphasis on doing (deeds, works, commandments) drives this density. Synoptics show moderate density; epistles vary widely. Revelation uses the word frequently in describing the beast's actions (13:5–16).

Semantic Categories¶

1. General Action / Carrying Out a Command¶

The most basic usage: performing what one is told or what duty requires.

Matt 1:24 — "Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him"
Col 3:17 — "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus"
Col 3:23 — "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men"
2 Thess 3:4 — "that ye both do and will do the things which we command you"

2. Physical Making / Creating¶

Bringing something into existence or fabricating an object.

Matt 19:4 — "he which made them at the beginning made them male and female"
Acts 17:24 — "God that made the world and all things therein"
Heb 1:2 — "by whom also he made the worlds"
Rev 14:7 — "worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea"

3. Performing Signs and Miracles¶

ποιέω + σημεῖον ("signs") is a recurring NT pattern, especially in John.

John 2:11 — "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee"
Acts 6:8 — "And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people"
Acts 15:12 — "declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles"
John 14:12 — "the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do"

4. Moral / Ethical Conduct (Doing Good or Evil)¶

Used to describe righteous conduct or sinful action; often paired with ἀγαθός ("good") or κακός ("evil").

1 Pet 2:22 — "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth"
1 Pet 3:11 — "Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace"
John 5:29 — "they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil"
John 3:21 — "he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest"

5. Committing Sin¶

A specialized usage in the Johannine letters, ποιέω + ἁμαρτία = "commit sin."

John 8:34 — "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin"
1 John 3:4 — "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law"
1 John 3:8 — "He that committeth sin is of the devil"

6. Fulfilling / Doing the Law¶

Obedience to Torah or commandment expressed as ποιέω.

Rom 2:14 — "the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law"
Gal 3:12 — "The man that doeth them shall live in them"
Jas 2:8 — "If ye fulfil the royal law... ye do well"
Matt 25:40 — "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me"

7. Divine Redemptive Action¶

God and Christ as the subject of ποιέω in acts of salvation, appointment, and new creation.

Acts 2:36 — "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ"
2 Cor 5:21 — "he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin"
Rev 1:6 — "hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father"
Eph 2:14 — "he is our peace, who hath made both one"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
λέγω (légō)	G3004	107x (21%)	Narrative sequence: "said... and did"
πᾶς (pâs)	G3956	87x (17%)	"all things that he did / whatsoever ye do"
θεός (theós)	G2316	77x (15%)	God as subject or standard of doing
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs)	G2424	70x (14%)	Jesus as subject performing deeds
κύριος (kýrios)	G2962	50x (10%)	"the Lord did / do as the Lord commands"
πατήρ (patḗr)	G3962	41x (8%)	"works my Father doeth / do the Father's will"
θέλω (thélō)	G2309	32x (6%)	"do what I will / that which ye would that men should do"
ἔργον (érgon)	G2041	31x (6%)	"do works" — the noun parallels the verb
ἀκούω (akoúō)	G191	30x (6%)	"hear and do / heareth these sayings and doeth them"
σημεῖον (sēmeîon)	G4592	25x (5%)	"do signs/miracles" — a fixed Johannine formula
λόγος (lógos)	G3056	23x (4%)	"do the word / doeth not the sayings"
υἱός (huiŏs)	G5207	23x (4%)	"Son doeth / sons of God that do righteousness"

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4161 ποίημα (poíēma) — what is made, workmanship (2 verses: Rom 1:20; Eph 2:10)
G4162 ποίησις (poíēsis) — the act of doing (1 verse: Jas 1:25)
G4163 ποιητής (poiētēs) — doer, maker (6 verses: Acts 17:28; Rom 2:13; Jas 1:22, 23, 25; 4:11)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4160.

Antonyms¶

G2309 θέλω (thelō) — listed by Abbott-Smith via search_relationships.py

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV Translation	Key Difference
πράσσω (prássō)	G4238	"do, doeth, done, doing"	prássō emphasizes habitual or ongoing practice; ποιέω is the broader term for any single act or state of doing
γίνομαι (gínomai)	G1096	"done, made"	γίνομαι = become / come into being (often passive); ποιέω = actively produce or perform
κατεργάζομαι (katergázomai)	G2716	"done, doeth, wrought"	κατεργάζομαι = work through to completion, with stress on the result achieved; ποιέω is less intensive
ἐργάζομαι (ergázomai)	G2038	"do, working"	ἐργάζομαι = labor / toil, often with effort implied; ποιέω focuses on the act itself

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 042003 — Make, Create)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Verses	Primary KJV
G886	ἀχειροποίητος	3	made without hands
G2602	καταβολή	11	the foundation
G2675	καταρτίζω	5	mending, perfect
G2936	κτίζω	9	created
G2937	κτίσις	15	creature, creation
G2938	κτίσμα	4	creature
G2939	κτίστης	1	Creator
G3619	οἰκοδομή	11	edification
G4111	πλάσσω	3	formed
G4161	ποίημα	2	workmanship, things made
G5499	χειροποίητος	6	made with hands

Key difference from neighbors: κτίζω (G2936) is specifically divine creation ex nihilo; ποιέω is the everyday word for making or doing anything. πλάσσω (G4111) = to form/mold (potter's language, Gen 2:7 LXX).

Hebrew Source (Greek → Hebrew via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Definition
עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh)	H6213	2022	23.97	To do or make, in the broadest sense (primary LXX equivalent)
מְלָאכָה (mᵉlâʼkâh)	H4399	77	10.70	Work, occupation, ministry
חֻקָּה (chuqqâh)	H2708	44	8.06	Appointed ordinance, statute
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpâṭ)	H4941	126	7.95	Judgment, ordinance, manner
מַעֲשֶׂה (maʻăseh)	H4639	77	7.89	Action, deed, work
עֲבַד (ʻăbad)	H5648	16	7.65	(Aramaic) to do, make, prepare
צָוָה (tsâvâh)	H6680	140	7.60	To command, enjoin

Note: H6213 עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh) is the dominant Hebrew source with 2022 co-occurrences and a score of 23.97 — the highest-confidence pairing in the database. ποιέω in the NT regularly carries the same broad semantic range as עָשָׂה in the OT: generic doing, making, performing, and creating.