Greek word · G4104

πιστόω

pistoō

be convinced

Active: to make trustworthy or reliable, to confirm, to bind someone by a pledge. Passive: to be shown reliable or confirmed; of persons, to be assured, convinced, to have confidence; also to keep faith with someone.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 21, 2026

What it means

πιστόω, -ῶ

(πιστός), [in LXX chiefly for אָמֵן ni. ;]

to make trustworthy (Thuc., 1 Kings 1:36), hence, to establish (1 Chronicles 17:14). Pass. and mid., to be assured of: with accusative of thing(s), 2 Timothy 3:14.†

(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 2 Timothy 3:14

Range of meaning: Active: to make trustworthy or reliable, to confirm, to bind someone by a pledge. Passive: to be shown reliable or confirmed; of persons, to be assured, convinced, to have confidence; also to keep faith with someone. It comes from the same root as pistis (trust, faithfulness, proof) and pistos (faithful, reliable).
Against the English: KJV and WEB "have been assured of", BSB "firmly believed", NASB "become convinced of", YLT "wast entrusted with". BSB turns a passive ("were made sure") into Timothy's own active believing. YLT follows a different line of interpretation, also found in the Latin Vulgate, that reads it as "entrusted", which is not the usual sense of this verb.
How it drifted: Translations into "believed" can suggest a private act of mental assent. The Greek passive puts the emphasis on Timothy having been brought to certainty, with reasons. This is a nuance, not a reversal.
Used elsewhere in the period: This is the only use in the New Testament. In the LXX, 2 Kingdoms (2 Samuel) 7:16: "your house shall be made sure (πιστωθήσεται)", meaning established as reliable. 3 Kingdoms (1 Kings) 8:26: "let your word be confirmed". Psalm 77(78):8, 37: a generation whose spirit "was not faithful" (οὐκ ἐπιστώθη) with God, who "were not faithful in his covenant". Sirach 27:17; 29:3: "keep faith with" a friend or a borrower. In classical Greek (LSJ) it means to give or receive pledges and assurances.

Where it appears

2 Timothy · 1

2 Timothy 3:14 ἐπιστώθης you were assured of

But as for you, continue in the things you have learned and firmly believed, since you know from whom you have learned them.

Here: "You were made sure of" or "you were convinced of". The verb is passive: the conviction was produced in Timothy, which fits the next clause about the people who taught him. This is the only place the word occurs in the New Testament. It comes from the same root as pistis (faith, trust, reliability).

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