Greek word · G362
ἀναμένω
anamenō
to await
To wait for or await something or someone, usually expecting it to arrive. It can also mean to stay or hold on until something happens. The prefix ana- adds the sense of waiting it out over time.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
ἀνα-μένω
[in LXX for קָוָה pi. ;]
to await "one whose coming is expected, perhaps with the added idea of patience and confidence" with accusative, 1 Thessalonians 1:10 (see M, Th., in l; MM, VGT, see word).†
(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 Thessalonians 1:10
- Range of meaning
To wait for or await something or someone, usually expecting it to arrive. It can also mean to stay or hold on until something happens. The prefix ana- adds the sense of waiting it out over time. In the biblical period it is used for waiting for a person's arrival, for an event, and in Jewish texts for God's help or judgment.
- Against the English
"Wait for" (KJV, WEB) and "await" (BSB) are accurate. A modern reader may hear "wait" as something passive, like time spent idle. Here it is paired with "to serve" in verse 9, so the waiting is the active, forward-looking side of a life of service. It is not a pause.
- Used elsewhere in the period
This is the only use in the New Testament. In the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) and related Jewish writings it describes waiting on God. Judith 8:17 speaks of "waiting for the salvation that comes from him". Sirach 2:7 says "you who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy". Isaiah 59:11 says "we waited for justice." Classical writers use it for waiting for someone to arrive.
- Range of meaning
To wait for, await, stay expecting something. It is a confident waiting for something you have reason to expect.
- Against the English
"Wait for" is right. The Hebrew behind it, qawweh ("hope for, wait eagerly"), adds the feeling of hope. That is lost if "wait" is heard only as passing time.
- Used elsewhere in the period
It is used in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 for waiting for God's Son from heaven. The Hebrew qwh is the classic Psalm verb for waiting on God (Psalm 27:14; 40:1). James 5:7 uses the same picture with a different verb: the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth.
Where it appears
1 Thessalonians · 1
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1 Thessalonians 1:10 ἀναμένειν to await
and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
Here: To wait for someone you expect to arrive. This is the only place the word appears in the New Testament. The present tense describes a continuing state: the converts now live as people who are waiting.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.