Greek word · G2095

εὖ

eu

well/well done!

“It goes well, it turns out well”: to prosper, fare well, be safe and flourishing. A common idiom in Greek generally. Compare εὖ πράσσειν, “to fare well,” which ends letters such as Acts 15:29.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

εὖ

adv. (prop. neuter of old Epic ἐΰς, good, noble) [in LXX, εὖ γίγνεσθαι, εὖ ποιεῖν (יָטַב) ;]

well: εὖ γιν., Ephesians 6:3 (LXX); εὖ ποιεῖν, with dative (cf. Sirach 12:1-2), to do good, Mark 14:7 (where Nestle suggests εὐποιεῖν, which see); εὖ πράσστειν, to fare well, Acts 15:29; in replies (= εὖγε), good! well done! Matthew 25:21, 23 Luke 19:17 (εὖγε, WH, txt.).†

εὖ-γε,

adv.,

in replies, well! good! well done!: Luke 19:17 (WH for Rec. εὖ, which see).†

(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 Ephesians 6:3

Range of meaning

“It goes well, it turns out well”: to prosper, fare well, be safe and flourishing. A common idiom in Greek generally. Compare εὖ πράσσειν, “to fare well,” which ends letters such as Acts 15:29.

Against the English

“That it may be well with thee” (KJV) and “go well with you” (BSB, NIV) are fine. “Well” in English can sound purely emotional (feeling well); the Greek and the Hebrew behind it (yîṭab, from ṭôb, “good”) mean outward and inward wellbeing together: health, household, crops, peace.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek Deut 5:16: ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται. The Hebrew Exodus 20:12 lacks this clause; it comes from Deuteronomy 5:16 (lemaʿan yîṭab lāk, “so that it may be good for you”), and the Greek translator added it to Exodus as well. The same idiom appears in Deut 4:40, 5:33, 6:3, 6:18, 12:25, 12:28, 22:7.

From the study of Mark 14:7

Range of meaning

'To do good to, to benefit, to treat kindly.' It is a common Greek phrase for doing someone a favour and for public generosity, used with an accusative or (in Koine) a dative.

Against the English

BSB and NIV have 'help them', which is fine but loses the verbal link with the woman's 'beautiful deed' (v.6). KJV, WEB, NASB and ESV keep 'do good'.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint, e.g. Exodus 1:20 ('God dealt well with the midwives'), Ruth and Sirach 14:11 ('do well for yourself'). It is common in honorific inscriptions for benefactors.

From the study of Acts 15:29

Range of meaning

In classical Greek, eu prattein means mainly 'to fare well, prosper' (Plato used it as a greeting), though it can also mean 'to act rightly.' The future 'you will do well' was also a common polite formula in letters.

Against the English

BSB and NIV turn it into advice: 'You will do well to avoid these things.' KJV and ESV keep the condition: 'if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well.' WEB takes the 'fare well' sense: 'it will be well with you.'

Used elsewhere in the period

Similar courteous wording in papyrus letters (e.g., eu poiēseis, 'you will do well [to…]' = 'please'); 2 Maccabees 9:19–20 and 11:28 use forms of 'if you are well, it is well' in official letters. Ignatius of Antioch, Smyrnaeans 11:3 uses eu prassein of a church 'faring well.'

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 25:21 εὖ, Well done,

    His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

    Here: An exclamation of approval: 'Excellent!' It is the master's public praise, and in an honor-based world being commended by one's lord in front of others was itself a reward.

  2. Matthew 25:23 εὖ, Well done,

    His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

    Here: A one-word exclamation of approval, close to "Excellent!" or "Bravo!". It is the master's first word, so the verdict comes before any explanation.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 14:7 εὖ good

    The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me.

    Here: With 'to do' it makes the set phrase 'do good to, benefit'. It is the language of active kindness and generosity, broader than a coin in a bowl.

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 15:29 εὖ well

    You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

    Here: With the next word it forms a set phrase, 'do well.' See the study.

Ephesians · 1

  1. Ephesians 6:3 εὖ well

    “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.”

    Here: A simple adverb, “well.” With the verb that follows it forms a stock phrase, “it goes well,” meaning things turn out good: prosperity, safety, a life that holds together.

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