Working¶

Overview¶

The Greek vocabulary for action and work clusters around five interlocking words. ποιέω is the broadest all-purpose verb (do, make, create), while πράσσω stresses habitual practice, ἐργάζομαι emphasizes labor with effort, κατεργάζομαι focuses on bringing to full completion, and ἔργον is the noun for the resulting work or deed. These words regularly appear together in ethical, eschatological, and Christological contexts.

Word Group Members¶

Strong's	Word	Transliteration	POS	Occurrences	Role in Concept	Library Entry
G4160	ποιέω	poiéō	verb	518	The broadest action verb: do, make, create, perform	G4160-poieo.md
G4238	πράσσω	prássō	verb	36	Habitual practice: do repeatedly, transact, commit	TODO(need G4238 study)
G2716	κατεργάζομαι	katergázomai	verb	23	Work through to completion: accomplish, bring about	TODO(need G2716 study)
G2038	ἐργάζομαι	ergázomai	verb	37	Labor with effort: work, toil, trade	TODO(need G2038 study)
G2041	ἔργον	érgon	noun	161	The resulting deed or work itself: work, deed, act	G2041-ergon.md

Relationships¶

Shared Roots¶

G2038 ἐργάζομαι and G2041 ἔργον share the root ἔργ- (work/labor)
G4160 ποιέω and G4161 ποίημα share the root ποι- (make/produce); the noun ποίημα (G4161) = "workmanship" (Rom 1:20; Eph 2:10)
G2716 κατεργάζομαι is a compound of κατά + ἐργάζομαι — intensifying "work through to full result"

Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶

Word A	Word B	Shared Verses	Typical Context
G4160 ποιέω	G2041 ἔργον	31x	"do works" — Jesus doing the Father's works; believers doing good works
G2038 ἐργάζομαι	G2041 ἔργον	7x	"work the works" — John 6:28; 9:4
G4160 ποιέω	G4238 πράσσω	6x	Paired in ethical contrasts: doing vs. practicing evil
G4160 ποιέω	G2038 ἐργάζομαι	6x	Practical action and labor together
G4238 πράσσω	G2041 ἔργον	3x	"practice evil deeds"
G4160 ποιέω	G2716 κατεργάζομαι	2x	Rom 7:15 — the conflict between willing and accomplishing
G4238 πράσσω	G2716 κατεργάζομαι	1x	Rom 7:15 — all three action verbs appear together
G2041 ἔργον	G4161 ποίημα	1x	Eph 2:10 — "his workmanship, created for good works"

Shared Hebrew Sources (LXX Bridge)¶

Hebrew	Gloss	→ Greek Members
H6213 עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh)	do, make (broadest)	→ G4160 (2022×), G4238 (7×), G4161 (12×)
H4639 מַעֲשֶׂה (maʻăseh)	deed, work, action	→ G2041 (152×), G4160 (77×), G4161 (26×)
H4399 מְלָאכָה (mᵉlâʼkâh)	work, occupation, craftsmanship	→ G2041 (105×), G4160 (77×), G2038 (6×)
H5656 עֲבֹדָה (ʻăbôdâh)	work, service, labor	→ G2041 (55×), G2038 (8×)

The shared Hebrew sources confirm that this Greek cluster translates a unified Hebrew semantic field. H6213 עָשָׂה is so dominant that ποιέω is essentially its NT Greek counterpart.

Roles in the Concept¶

Default action: ποιέω (G4160) — the all-purpose "do/make" covering any agent and any action
Habitual practice: πράσσω (G4238) — emphasizes ongoing or repeated conduct; often used for sin or trade
Effortful labor: ἐργάζομαι (G2038) — working as a tradesperson or with physical effort; "work the works"
Full accomplishment: κατεργάζομαι (G2716) — bringing an action through to its completed result; "work out your salvation"
The resulting deed: ἔργον (G2041) — the noun for any act or work; "good works," "works of the law," "dead works"

Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶

John 3:21 — [G4160 + G2038 + G2041] — "he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God"
John 6:28 — [G4160 + G2038 + G2041] — "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?"
Rom 7:15 — [G4160 + G4238 + G2716] — "that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I" (ποιέω, κατεργάζομαι, and πράσσω all appear in Rom 7:15–20)
Eph 2:10 — [G2041 + G4161] — "we are his workmanship (ποίημα), created in Christ Jesus unto good works (ἔργον)"

Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, G4160 word study data Last updated: 2026-04-02