Greek word · G1486
ἔθω
ethō
to have a custom
To be accustomed, to have a habit. It occurs in the New Testament only in the past-perfect form εἰώθει and the participle τὸ εἰωθός ("the custom", Luke 4:16; Acts 17:2). The past-perfect works as a simple past of habit: "was accustomed".
Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
ἔθω, pf. with present sense εἴωθα,
[in LXX: Numbers 24:1 (כְּפַעַם־בְּפַעַם), Dan LXX Su 13, Sirach 37:14, 4Ma.1:12 * ;]
to be accustomed, wont: Matthew 27:15, Mark 10:1; ptcp., τὸ εἰθός, custom: κατὰ τὸ εἰ. (Nu, l.with), Luke 4:16, Acts 17:2.†
(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 Matthew 27:15
- Range of meaning
To be accustomed, to have a habit. It occurs in the New Testament only in the past-perfect form εἰώθει and the participle τὸ εἰωθός ("the custom", Luke 4:16; Acts 17:2). The past-perfect works as a simple past of habit: "was accustomed".
- Against the English
KJV "was wont" (archaic but exact); WEB and ESV "was accustomed"; BSB and NIV "it was the governor's custom". All are accurate.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Luke 4:16, Jesus in the synagogue "according to his custom". Mark 10:1 uses the past-perfect, "as he was accustomed". It is common in classical and later Greek.
- Range of meaning
Found only in the perfect, with present meaning: 'to be accustomed'. The neuter participle with the article (τὸ εἰωθός) means 'custom' or 'habit'.
- Against the English
'As was his custom' (BSB, WEB), 'as his manner was' (KJV). These are accurate. YLT's 'according to the custom of Paul' keeps the Greek structure.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The phrase κατὰ τὸ εἰωθός is common in Greek papyri and literature for routine practice. In the NT: Luke 4:16 (Jesus at the Nazareth synagogue, 'according to his custom'), Matt 27:15 and Mark 10:1. Luke uses the identical phrase of Jesus and of Paul, which is almost certainly deliberate.
- Range of meaning
Ethō survives almost only in the perfect form, eiōtha, meaning 'I am accustomed'. With the article, to eiōthos means 'the custom, what someone usually does'.
- Against the English
'As was his custom' (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV) is exact. NLT's 'as usual' is looser but keeps the sense.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Acts 17:2: 'according to Paul's custom' (kata to eiōthos tō Paulō) he went into the synagogue. The phrasing is almost identical, and Luke wrote both books. Compare Luke 1:9 and 22:39 (kata to ethos, 'according to the custom') and Mark 10:1 ('as he was accustomed, he taught them').
Where it appears
Matthew · 1
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Matthew 27:15 εἰώθει had been accustomed
Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing.
Here: The form is past-perfect but works as a simple past of habit: "had made it his habit", "was in the habit of". It presents the release as an established practice, not an improvisation by Pilate on this day.
Mark · 1
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Mark 10:1 εἰώθει He had been accustomed
Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.
Luke · 1
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Luke 4:16 εἰωθὸς being customary
Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,
Here: 'What was usual, his habit.' This was not a special trip. Sabbath attendance was Jesus' settled practice, and Luke uses the same phrase of Paul's synagogue habit in Acts 17:2.
Acts · 1
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Acts 17:2 εἰωθὸς being customary
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
Here: A perfect participle, 'that which has become customary'. It describes a settled, established habit, not a one-off decision. Luke uses this exact phrase of Jesus going to the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:16).
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.