Greek word · G3402

μιμητής

mimētēs

imitator

One who imitates, copies or reproduces another's conduct or character. It is related to mimeomai ('to imitate') and mimēsis (imitation, representation; English 'mime' and 'mimic' come from this family).

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

μιμητής, -οῦ, ὁ

(μιμέομαι),

in NT always (like the verb) in good sense, an imitator: 1 Corinthians 4:16 11:1, Ephesians 5:1, 1 Thessalonians 1:6 2:14, Hebrews 6:12.†

(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 Corinthians 11:1

Range of meaning: One who imitates, copies or reproduces another's conduct or character. It is related to mimeomai ('to imitate') and mimēsis (imitation, representation; English 'mime' and 'mimic' come from this family). In moral and educational settings it means someone who learns a way of life by watching a living model and reproducing it.
Against the English: ESV, NASB, WEB and BSB give 'imitate/imitators', which is accurate. NIV paraphrases with 'follow my example', which is close in meaning. KJV and YLT have 'followers', which in 1611 could mean someone who follows an example, but today usually means an adherent, disciple or fan.
How it drifted: Over time 'follower' shifted from 'one who copies a pattern' to 'one who belongs to someone's movement' (and lately, social-media 'followers'). In Corinth that second sense is exactly what Paul rejects: 'I follow Paul' (1:12) is one of the faction slogans he attacks.
Used elsewhere in the period: Ancient education was built on imitation. In Xenophon's Memorabilia (1.6.3) a critic tells Socrates that teachers make their pupils 'imitators' (mimētai) of themselves. Seneca tells Lucilius that people learn more from a living example than from precepts, and advises choosing a model to live by (Epistles 6.5–6; 11.8–10). In 4 Maccabees 9:23 the eldest martyred brother calls out, 'Imitate me, brothers.' Wisdom 4:2 speaks of people imitating virtue. Paul uses the word group again in 1 Cor 4:16, Phil 3:17, 1 Thess 1:6 and 2:14, and 2 Thess 3:7, 9; see also Eph 5:1 and Heb 6:12.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 4:16

Range of meaning: One who imitates, copies or reproduces another person's manner, conduct or work. In Greek thought the related word mimēsis ('imitation') covered art copying nature, actors playing characters and, most relevant here, moral formation: a pupil becomes like a teacher and a son becomes like a father. BDAG gives 'imitator.' The word is about copying a pattern you can see, not about joining someone's group.
Against the English: BSB, NIV, WEB, ESV and NASB render it as 'imitate' or 'imitators,' which is accurate. KJV and YLT have 'followers.' In 1611 that meant people who follow an example. Today it more often means adherents or fans.
How it drifted: Over time 'follower' shifted from 'one who follows an example' to 'one who belongs to a leader's party or audience.' That later sense happens to be exactly the faction mentality Paul attacks in this letter (1:12, 'I belong to Paul').
Used elsewhere in the period: Xenophon, Memorabilia 1.6.3: teachers 'make their pupils imitators (mimētas) of themselves.' 4 Maccabees 9:23: the eldest of seven martyred brothers tells the others, 'Imitate me, brothers,' meaning follow him into faithful suffering. Philo often uses the word for children copying the virtues of parents and ancestors. Paul uses it in 1 Thess 1:6 and 2:14, 1 Cor 11:1 ('as I am of Christ') and Eph 5:1 ('imitators of God'), and a compound form in Phil 3:17.

From the study of Ephesians 5:1

Range of meaning: An imitator: someone who copies how another person acts, speaks or lives. It comes from the same family as mimos (a mime or actor) and mimeomai (to imitate). In moral writing it means someone who models their conduct on a teacher, parent or ideal figure. In Paul's letters it is always positive: 'imitators of me' (1 Cor 4:16; 11:1), 'of us and of the Lord' (1 Thess 1:6), 'of the churches of God' (1 Thess 2:14), 'fellow-imitators' (Phil 3:17).
Against the English: Most modern versions (BSB, WEB, ESV, NASB) say 'imitators', which is accurate. The KJV and YLT say 'followers', taken over from Tyndale. To a modern ear that suggests walking behind someone or belonging to their movement, not copying their character. The NIV's 'follow God's example' gets the idea back in a paraphrase.
How it drifted: In 1611 'follower' could mean 'one who follows an example'. Today it mostly means an adherent, a supporter, or someone who subscribes to an account. Separately, the English word 'imitation' has picked up a sense of 'fake' or 'cheap copy', which the Greek does not have.
Used elsewhere in the period: Greek thought had a long tradition of becoming like God. Plato wrote of 'becoming like God as far as possible' by being just and holy (Theaetetus 176b). Hellenistic Jewish writers use the language of imitating God directly. The Letter of Aristeas (§188, §210, §281) urges a king to imitate God's gentleness and kindness. Philo speaks of imitating God by doing good (e.g. Spec. Laws 4.73; Virtues 168). In Jewish tradition the idea grows from Lev 19:2 ('be holy, for I am holy'), and later rabbis put it as 'as He is merciful, so be merciful' (Mekilta on Exod 15:2; b. Shabbat 133b). Jesus' words are the closest parallel: 'Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful' (Luke 6:36; cf. Matt 5:44–48, where loving enemies shows that you are 'sons of your Father').

Where it appears

1 Corinthians · 2

1 Corinthians 4:16 μιμηταί imitators

Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

Here: People who reproduce a pattern they have watched. It is the ordinary word for a student copying a teacher, or a son copying a father. The noun is plural and stands first in its clause, which puts the stress on it.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Μιμηταί Imitators

You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Here: Someone who copies another's way of acting, the way a pupil copies a teacher or a child a parent. It comes first in the sentence for emphasis: 'Imitators of me' is what Paul asks them to be. He is not asking them to be his adherents or his party.

Ephesians · 1

Ephesians 5:1 μιμηταὶ imitators

Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children,

Here: People who copy a model's way of acting. The model here is God Himself. This is the only place in the New Testament that calls believers 'imitators of God'. Elsewhere Paul says 'imitators of me' or 'of the Lord'.

1 Thessalonians · 2

1 Thessalonians 1:6 μιμηταὶ imitators

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.

Here: People who copy a pattern or model. It comes first in its clause for weight. Paul is not saying they joined his movement. He is saying their lives came to look like his, and like the Lord's.
1 Thessalonians 2:14 μιμηταὶ imitators

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews,

Here: People who copy or come to look like a model. Here it is less a matter of deliberately copying than of ending up living the same pattern the Judean believers lived.

Hebrews · 1

Hebrews 6:12 μιμηταὶ imitators

Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Here: Imitators, people who copy a pattern. They are to model their lives on known examples of faith, which the writer begins to give in verses 13–15 (Abraham) and lays out at length in chapter 11.

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