Greek word · G3713

ὀρέγω

oregō

to aspire

Literally to stretch out the hand. In the middle voice it means to reach for, strive after, or aspire to something. It can be neutral or positive: Heb 11:16 uses it of longing for a better country, and 1 Tim 3:1 of aspiring to be an overseer.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

ὀρέγω

[in Sm.: Job 8:20, Ezekiel 16:49 * ;]

to reach, stretch out; pass. and mid., to stretch oneself out, reach forth; metaphorically, to reach after, grasp at, aspire to: with genitive of thing(s), 1 Timothy 3:1, Hebrews 11:16; φιλαργυρίας (see Ellic. and CGT, in l), 1 Timothy 6:10.†

SYN.: ἐπιθυμέω, to desire (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 1 Timothy 6:10

Range of meaning: Literally to stretch out the hand. In the middle voice it means to reach for, strive after, or aspire to something. It can be neutral or positive: Heb 11:16 uses it of longing for a better country, and 1 Tim 3:1 of aspiring to be an overseer.
Against the English: KJV 'coveted after', NIV 'eager for money', BSB 'craving', ESV 'craving', NASB 'longing for'. 'Craving' adds an appetite flavour that is not strictly in the verb, which is about reaching or grasping.
Used elsewhere in the period: Common in classical and Hellenistic Greek for reaching toward something, and in moral writers for aiming at goals. In Aristotle, orexis is the general word for desire or appetite.

From the study of 1 Timothy 3:1

Range of meaning: Literally 'stretch oneself out, reach with the hand'. Figuratively 'reach after, aspire to, strive for, desire'. In classical Greek it is used for ambition for power or honour, and in philosophy for the soul's striving.
Against the English: 'Aspires to' (BSB and most modern versions) fits well. KJV and the Vulgate use 'desire' for both verbs in the verse, which loses the change from 'reaching for' to 'longing for'.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the NT only three times: here; 1 Tim 6:10 (some, 'reaching after' money, wandered from the faith); Heb 11:16 (the patriarchs 'reached for' a better, heavenly homeland). The same writer uses it for a bad ambition in 6:10 and a good one here, so the verb is neutral. Its object decides whether the ambition is good or bad.

From the study of Hebrews 11:16

Range of meaning: Literally 'stretch out' (the hand). In the middle voice: 'reach for, grasp at, strive after, aspire to, long for'. The word carries the sense of movement toward a goal, not only an inward feeling.
Against the English: KJV and ESV 'desire' and BSB and NIV 'longing' are accurate but quieter. They suggest an inner wish. The Greek suggests a life stretched toward something.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the NT it appears only here and in 1 Tim 3:1 ('aspires to the office of overseer') and 1 Tim 6:10 ('some, reaching for [money], have wandered from the faith'). Plato uses it for the soul reaching out toward true reality (Phaedo 65c). The verb takes a genitive object, which explains the genitive 'better' here.

Where it appears

1 Timothy · 2

1 Timothy 3:1 ὀρέγεται, aspires to,

This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task.

Here: The picture is of reaching out a hand for something. Used of ambition, it means wanting to get it. The present tense describes an ongoing aim. The form is middle voice, which Greek normally uses with this verb.
1 Timothy 6:10 ὀρεγόμενοι stretching after

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Here: Literally reaching or stretching out the hand toward something. A present participle: an ongoing grasping. The same verb in 3:1 describes aspiring to be an overseer, so here it means a desire that has become a life's aim.

Hebrews · 1

Hebrews 11:16 ὀρέγονται, they stretch forward to,

Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Here: Literally 'stretch out toward', the picture of a hand or body straining toward something. The present tense shows a lasting orientation: their whole lives leaned toward this homeland.

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