Greek word · G2317

θεοσέβεια

theosebeia

reverence for God

'Reverence for God, worship of God, piety' (BDAG). It is built from θεός (God) + σέβομαι (to revere, worship). It covers religious devotion as a whole way of life: worship, awe, and conduct that honours the deity.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

θεοσέβεια, -ας, ἡ

(θεοσεβής), [in LXX Genesis 20:11 (אֱלֹהִים יִרְאָה), Job 28:28 (אֲדֹנָי id.), Sirach 1:24, Baruch 5:4, 4Ma.7:6 4Mac 7:22, א 4Ma.15:28 א 4Ma.17:15 * ;]

fear of God, godliness: 1 Timothy 2:10.†

(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 1 Timothy 2:10

Range of meaning: 'Reverence for God, worship of God, piety' (BDAG). It is built from θεός (God) + σέβομαι (to revere, worship). It covers religious devotion as a whole way of life: worship, awe, and conduct that honours the deity.
Against the English: KJV/WEB 'godliness' and YLT 'godly piety' are fair but abstract. BSB/NIV 'profess to worship God' brings out the God-directed, cultic side. ESV 'godliness' falls together with the Pastorals' usual word εὐσέβεια, which English also renders 'godliness', so readers cannot see that Paul uses a different, rarer word here.
How it drifted: Modern 'godliness' tends to mean general moral saintliness or a spiritual inner quality. The Greek word is first of all about one's stance toward God (reverence, worship), with ethical conduct as its expression.
Used elsewhere in the period: NT hapax (the only NT occurrence), though the related adjective appears in John 9:31. LXX: Gen 20:11, 'there is no fear of God [θεοσέβεια] in this place', translating yirat Elohim; Job 28:28, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord [θεοσέβεια], that is wisdom'; Baruch 5:4; frequent in 4 Maccabees. Philosophical use: Plato, Epinomis. The adjective θεοσεβής appears in Josephus (Ant. 20.195, of Nero's wife Poppaea) and in the Aphrodisias inscription listing 'God-fearers' attached to a synagogue.

Similar words

θεοσεβής theosebēs · godly

Where it appears

1 Timothy · 1

1 Timothy 2:10 θεοσέβειαν, [the] fear of God,

but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

Here: 'Reverence for God' or 'devotion to God'. It occurs only here in the New Testament. In the Greek Old Testament it translates the Hebrew 'fear of God'. It names a whole religious life of honouring God, not a private inner mood.

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