Greek word · G138

αἱρέω

haireō

to choose

Active: to take or seize. Middle: to choose, prefer, or take for oneself. In the NT the middle form only means "choose" (Phil 1:22; Heb 11:25).

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

αἱρέω,

[in LXX for אמר hi., בּחר, etc. ;]

to take; Mid., -ομαι (M, Pr., 158 f.; MM, VGT, see word), to choose: Philippians 1:22, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 11:25. (Cf. ἀν-, ἀφ-, δι-, ἐξ-, καθ-, περι-, προ-αιρέω.) †

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Range of meaning

Active: to take or seize. Middle: to choose, prefer, or take for oneself. In the NT the middle form only means "choose" (Phil 1:22; Heb 11:25).

Against the English

Every major version translates it "chose" or "has chosen", which is accurate. English cannot easily show the middle voice's sense of choosing something for oneself.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Deut 26:18: "the LORD has chosen you (εἵλατό σε) today to be his treasured people". Related verbs are used for Israel's election in Deut 7:6–7 and 10:15. Paul's usual election words are ἐκλέγομαι / ἐκλογή (as in 1 Thess 1:4). This rarer verb, used just before the "possession" language of 2:14 (περιποίησις), sounds like Deuteronomy's language for God taking a people for himself.

From the study of Hebrews 11:25

Range of meaning

In the active, "to take, seize". In the middle voice (the form used when the subject acts for or on himself), "to choose for oneself, prefer, decide on". Related nouns include hairesis, "choice", later "party" or "school of thought".

Against the English

All the major versions say "chose" or "choosing", which is accurate. YLT's "having chosen" keeps the past participle, showing the choice lies behind the refusal of verse 24.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare in the New Testament in this sense: Philippians 1:22 ("what I shall choose") and 2 Thessalonians 2:13 (God choosing believers). The pattern of a deliberate "rather … than" choice for God over safety is typical of Jewish martyr stories: in 2 Maccabees 6:19 Eleazar takes "death with honor rather than life with pollution", and in 4 Maccabees 15:2–3 the mother of seven sons, offered their "temporary (proskairos) safety", loves piety more.

From the study of Philippians 1:22

Range of meaning

In the active, 'take, seize'. In the middle voice, as here, 'take for oneself, choose, prefer'. The related noun hairesis means 'choice', then 'school of thought, party' (and later 'heresy').

Against the English

'Choose' is accurate, but English readers may take it to mean Paul literally controlled whether he lived or died. 'Prefer' captures the force of the middle voice well.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used only three times in the NT: here; 2 Thess 2:13 (God 'chose you'); Heb 11:25 (Moses 'choosing rather to suffer'). In the Septuagint, Deut 26:17–18 (some forms) and common in classical Greek for preferring one option over another.

Where it appears

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 1:22 αἱρήσομαι will I choose

    But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know.

    Here: 'I will choose' or 'I will prefer'. This middle form means taking something for oneself. Paul talks as though he had a preference to state, though the verdict was not his to give.

2 Thessalonians · 1

  1. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 εἵλατο has chosen

    But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.

    Here: Aorist middle: "chose for himself". The middle form means the subject acts for his own benefit or on his own behalf. Paul does not use this word elsewhere for God choosing. The Greek Old Testament uses it in Deuteronomy 26:18 for the LORD taking Israel as his own people.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 11:25 ἑλόμενος having chosen

    He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin.

    Here: "Having chosen for himself." The middle form stresses a deliberate personal choice. The participle explains the refusal of verse 24: he turned down the title of Pharaoh's grandson because he had chosen the other side.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.