G5218 — ὑπακοή (hupakŏē)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G5218
Original: ὑπακοή
Transliteration: hupakŏē
Pronunciation: hoop-ak-o-ay
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: ὑπακούω (G5219) — to hear under, to heed; itself from ὑπό (under) + ἀκούω (to hear)
Occurrences: 14 unique verses (15 tokens) in NT
First Occurrence: Rom 1:5 — "for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G5219; attentive hearkening, i.e. (by implication) compliance or submission:—obedience, (make) obedient, obey(-ing).

The word pictures one who listens as a subordinate — not passive hearing, but the responsive, submissive hearkening of a servant who acts on what is heard.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - 036 — Guide, Discipline, Follow - 036.003 — Obey, Disobey

Other words in 036.003: ἀκούω (G0191), ἀνυπότακτος (G0506), ἀπείθεια (G0543), ἀπειθέω (G0544), ἀπειθής (G0545), δικαιόω (G1344), εἰσακούω (G1522)

UBS Semantic Domains: - [036] Guide, Discipline, Follow

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
obedience	8	57%
obedient	2	14%
the obedience	2	14%
obey	1	7%
obeying	1	7%
of obedience	1	7%

KJV renders this word almost exclusively with "obedience" forms. There is no translation ambiguity.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Philemon	1	4.0
1 Peter	3	2.9
Romans	6	1.4
2 Corinthians	3	1.2
Hebrews	1	0.3

Concentrated in Paul's letters (Romans, 2 Corinthians, Philemon = 10 of 14 verses). The 1 Peter cluster is dense (3 in 105 verses). Hebrews has one pivotal occurrence. Entirely absent from the Gospels, Acts, Revelation, and the Johannine epistles.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Obedience to the Gospel / Faith (Gentile Mission Scope)¶

Rom 1:5 — "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name"
Rom 15:18 — "to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed"
Rom 16:26 — "made known to all nations for the obedience of faith"
1 Pet 1:2 — "Elect...through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ"

2. Christ's Obedience as Redemptive Counterpart to Adam's Disobedience¶

Rom 5:19 — "For as by one man's disobedience (παρακοή) many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous"
Heb 5:8 — "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered"

3. Obedience vs. Disobedience (Antithetical Pairing)¶

Rom 5:19 — direct contrast: παρακοή (disobedience of Adam) / ὑπακοή (obedience of Christ)
Rom 6:16 — "whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness"
2 Cor 10:5–6 — "bringing into captivity every thought...having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled"

4. Practical/Personal Submission to Apostolic Authority¶

2 Cor 7:15 — "his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all"
Phlm 1:21 — "Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say"
Rom 16:19 — "your obedience is come abroad unto all men; I am glad therefore on your behalf"

5. Sanctification through Obedience to Truth (1 Peter Cluster)¶

1 Pet 1:14 — "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance"
1 Pet 1:22 — "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occ	Typical Pattern
πᾶς (all/every)	G3956	6x	"obedience among all nations"; "every thought captive"
ἔθνος (nations)	G1484	3x	"obedience to the faith among all nations"
θεός (God)	G2316	3x	obedience directed toward God
Χριστός (Christ)	G5547	3x	"obedience of Christ"; obedience shaped by Christ
παρακοή (disobedience)	G3876	2x	Adam/Christ contrast; punishing disobedience
πίστις (faith)	G4102	2x	"obedience of/to the faith"
πνεῦμα (Spirit)	G4151	2x	"sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience"
χάρις (grace)	G5485	2x	grace as source/context of obedience

Word Family / Cognates¶

Word	Strong's	POS	Occurrences	Gloss
ὑπακούω	G5219	verb	21	to obey, to heed
ὑπήκοος	G5255	adjective	3	obedient
παρακοή	G3876	noun	3	disobedience (para- = beside/amiss; antonym)
ἀκούω	G0191	verb	157	to hear (root component)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G5218.

Antonyms¶

G3876 παρακοή (parakoē) — direct opposite in Rom 5:19: Adam's disobedience contrasted with Christ's obedience.
G266 ἁμαρτία (hamartia) — sin as the rival master in Rom 6:16, opposed to obedience unto righteousness.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ὑπήκοος (hupēkoos)	G5255	"obedient"	Adjective form of same root; describes the quality of person, not the act
ὑποτάσσω (hupotassō)	G5293	"obedient" (occasionally)	Means "to place under authority" — structural subordination, not attentive compliance
שָׁמַע (shama')	H8085	"obey" (OT quotes)	Hebrew root covering both hearing and heeding; LXX often uses ὑπακούω (G5219) for this

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 036.003 — Obey, Disobey)¶

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary KJV	Key Difference from ὑπακοή
G0191	ἀκούω	157	hear, heard	Hearing without the subordination nuance; the root word
G0506	ἀνυπότακτος	4	unruly, disobedient	Adjective: one who refuses to be placed under authority
G0543	ἀπείθεια	6	disobedience, unbelief	Obstinate disbelief / rebellious non-compliance
G0544	ἀπειθέω	16	believed not, disobedient	Active verb: to disbelieve wilfully; often of rejecting the gospel
G0545	ἀπειθής	6	disobedient	Adjective: unpersuadable, stubborn
G1344	δικαιόω	17	justified	Justification — linked in Louw-Nida because obedience/compliance leads to being declared right
G1522	εἰσακούω	4	is heard, hear	God hearing prayer — the complementary side (God "heeds" upward as petitioners heed downward)

Hebrew Source¶

No direct LXX bridge found via --hebrew-source. G5218 is a distinctly NT term with no dominant LXX precedent. However, the shared Hebrew source data shows שָׁמַע (H8085, shama') bridging strongly to G5219 (its cognate verb), establishing the conceptual lineage: Hebrew shama' (hear/obey) → LXX ὑπακούω → NT ὑπακοή.