WG: Speech and Speaking¶
Overview¶
The NT speech/speaking concept involves a cluster of Greek words covering the act of speaking, the content spoken, and the reception of speech. These words are distinguished by whether they emphasize the process of utterance (laleo), the content/declaration (lego, logos), the specific statement (epo, rhema), or the reception (akouo). The word for tongue/language (glossa) connects especially to Spirit-empowered speech.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G2980 | λαλέω | laleo | verb | 271 | The act of speaking/uttering | G2980-laleo.md |
| G3004 | λέγω | lego | verb | 1244 | Declaring/stating (content-focused) | TODO(need G3004 study) |
| G2036 | ἔπω | epo | verb | 901 | Definite past "said" (aorist only) | TODO(need G2036 study) |
| G3056 | λόγος | logos | noun | 314 | The word/message spoken | TODO(need G3056 study) |
| G4487 | ῥῆμα | rhema | noun | 66 | A specific utterance/saying | TODO(need G4487 study) |
| G191 | ἀκούω | akouo | verb | 402 | Hearing/receiving speech | TODO(need G191 study) |
| G1100 | γλῶσσα | glossa | noun | 47 | Tongue/language (instrument of speech) | TODO(need G1100 study) |
Relationships¶
Semantic Distinctions¶
- laleo (G2980) vs. lego (G3004): laleo emphasizes the act/process of speaking; lego emphasizes what is said (the content). In the same verse, lego typically introduces the quoted words while laleo describes the activity of speaking (48 shared verses).
- lego (G3004) vs. epo (G2036): epo is used only in definite past tenses; lego covers all tenses. They appear together in 153 verses, often as narrative framing ("he said...saying").
- logos (G3056) vs. rhema (G4487): logos = the word/message as a whole; rhema = a specific utterance or saying. They share only 4 verses, confirming they occupy distinct niches.
- laleo + akouo: The speaking-hearing pair (33 shared verses). "He that speaketh...he that heareth."
- laleo + glossa: The tongues-speaking collocation (21 verses, 45% of all glossa occurrences).
Co-occurrence (shared distinct verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| lego + epo | G3004 + G2036 | 153 | Narrative speech framing |
| lego + akouo | G3004 + G191 | 99 | Teaching/hearing pattern |
| logos + akouo | G3056 + G191 | 56 | "hear the word" |
| epo + akouo | G2036 + G191 | 55 | "when he heard, he said" |
| laleo + lego | G2980 + G3004 | 48 | Act vs. content of speech |
| epo + logos | G2036 + G3056 | 42 | "said...the word" |
| laleo + akouo | G2980 + G191 | 33 | Speaking-hearing pair |
| laleo + epo | G2980 + G2036 | 28 | Two speech verbs in same context |
| laleo + logos | G2980 + G3056 | 28 | "spake the word" |
| laleo + glossa | G2980 + G1100 | 21 | "speak with tongues" |
| laleo + rhema | G2980 + G4487 | 16 | "speak words/sayings" |
Shared Hebrew Sources¶
These Greek words converge on two major Hebrew roots:
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Maps to Greek Members |
|---|---|---|
| H1696 דָבַר (verb) | dabar | laleo (869x), lego (289x), rhema (97x), logos (143x) |
| H1697 דָּבָר (noun) | dabar | logos (744x), rhema (338x), laleo (213x), akouo (182x) |
| H559 אָמַר | amar | epo (2941x), lego (1496x), laleo (455x) |
| H8085 שָׁמַע | shama | akouo (750x), logos (160x) |
The Hebrew verb dabar splits into multiple Greek words: the act (laleo), the content (logos/rhema), and the declaration (lego). Similarly, Hebrew amar (to say) maps primarily to epo and lego. This shows the NT Greek speech vocabulary is more differentiated than the Hebrew.
Roles in the Concept¶
- Act/Process: laleo (λαλέω) — the activity of speaking, producing utterance
- Declaration: lego (λέγω) — stating or declaring content; introduces direct speech
- Past statement: epo (ἔπω) — "he said" in definite past; the aorist speech verb
- Message: logos (λόγος) — the word or message as content
- Utterance: rhema (ῥῆμα) — a specific word, saying, or matter spoken
- Reception: akouo (ἀκούω) — hearing and receiving what is spoken
- Instrument: glossa (γλῶσσα) — the tongue; language as the medium of speech
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Mat 12:36 — [laleo + lego + logos + rhema] "But I say (lego) unto you, That every idle word (rhema) that men shall speak (laleo), they shall give account thereof"
- Mrk 5:36 — [laleo + lego + logos + akouo] "As soon as Jesus heard (akouo) the word (logos) that was spoken (laleo), he saith (lego) unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid"
- Jhn 8:26 — [laleo + lego + akouo] "I have many things to say (lego) and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak (laleo) to the world those things which I have heard (akouo) of him"
- 1Co 14:9 — [laleo + logos + glossa] "except ye utter by the tongue (glossa) words (logos) easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken (laleo)?"
- Act 2:11 — [laleo + akouo + glossa] "we do hear (akouo) them speak (laleo) in our tongues (glossa) the wonderful works of God"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py Last updated: 2026-04-10