Greek word · G4741

στηρίζω

stērizō

to establish

To fix firmly, set up, prop or buttress something so it stands; figuratively, to strengthen, confirm or make steadfast, especially someone under strain who might waver.

Appears 12 times in 12 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

στηρίζω

[in LXX for סָמַךְ, שׂוּם, etc. ;]

to fix, set fast, make fast: Luke 16:26; τ. πρόσωτον (Ezekiel 6:2, al.; see Dalman, Words, 30 f.), Luke 9:51. Metaphorical, to confirm, establish: with, accusative, Luke 22:32, Acts 18:23, Romans 1:11 16:25, 1 Thessalonians 3:2 3:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, James 5:8, 1 Peter 5:10, Revelation 3:2; id. before ἐν, 2 Thessalonians 2:17, 2 Peter 1:12.†

(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 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Range of meaning

To fix firmly, set up, prop or buttress something so it stands; figuratively, to strengthen, confirm or make steadfast, especially someone under strain who might waver.

Against the English

KJV 'stablish', WEB and ESV 'establish', BSB, NIV and NLT 'strengthen'. 'Establish' now usually means to found or start something, which loses the idea of propping up what already exists. 'Strengthen' is closer but can suggest general empowerment. The Greek pictures being made immovable.

How it drifted

The KJV's 'stablish' meant 'make stable'. Modern 'establish' has moved toward 'found, set up' (an institution, a fact), so the picture of steadying has faded.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint it is used for setting something firmly in place, and in Luke 22:32 Jesus tells Peter to 'strengthen your brothers' after his own wavering. In the Thessalonian letters it is a key word: Timothy was sent 'to establish you… so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions' (1 Thess 3:2–3). Paul prays God will 'establish your hearts blameless' (1 Thess 3:13), and that God will 'establish' them 'in every good work and word' (2 Thess 2:17).

From the study of 1 Thessalonians 3:2

Range of meaning

To fix firmly, set up, prop up, support. Figuratively, to strengthen or make someone steady and resolute.

Against the English

'Establish' (KJV, ESV) and 'strengthen' (BSB, NIV, NASB) are both fair. 'Establish' keeps the picture of something set firmly in place.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint uses it for setting a face toward something, supporting the body with bread, and steadying the heart (Judges 19:5, 8; Psalm 104:15 [LXX 103:15]; Psalm 112:8 [LXX 111:8]). In the New Testament it is almost a technical term for strengthening young churches (Luke 22:32; Acts 14:22 'strengthening the souls of the disciples'; Romans 1:11; 16:25; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:17).

From the study of 1 Peter 5:10

Range of meaning

To fix firmly, set up, prop up, make stable. Used figuratively, it means to strengthen someone inwardly so they do not waver.

Against the English

KJV "stablish", WEB "establish", ESV/NASB "confirm", BSB "secure", NIV "firm". "Confirm" can sound like signing off on something on paper. The Greek picture is physical: something set firmly so it cannot slip.

Used elsewhere in the period
  • Jesus' charge to Peter: "when you have turned again, strengthen (stērison) your brothers" (Luke 22:32).
  • Jesus "set his face" to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51).
  • In early Christian exhortation it is a stock word for being made steady in faith (Rom 16:25; 1 Thess 3:2, 13; 2 Thess 2:17; 2 Pet 1:12).
  • In the Septuagint, Jacob's ladder is "set on the earth" (Gen 28:12).

Where it appears

Luke · 3

  1. Luke 9:51 ἐστήρισεν steadfastly set

    As the day of His ascension approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

    Here: Aorist, a single decisive act: he fixed his face firm, like setting something on a solid support. Together with "face" it reproduces the prophetic idiom "set the face toward/against" from the Greek Old Testament.

  2. Luke 16:26 ἐστήρικται has been fixed

    And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

  3. Luke 22:32 στήρισον do strengthen

    But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

    Here: A command: "make firm," "steady," "prop up." Verse 31 pictured the disciples shaken like grain in a sieve. Peter, once steadied himself, is to steady the others.

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 1:11 στηριχθῆναι strengthening

    For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

    Here: To be made firm and steady, like something propped up so it will not wobble. It is passive: they are to be strengthened, and in Paul God is the one who does it (Rom 16:25).

1 Thessalonians · 2

  1. 1 Thessalonians 3:2 στηρίξαι to strengthen

    We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

    Here: To make the believers stable and immovable, like a post set firmly in the ground, so that pressure does not 'shake' them (3:3).

  2. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 στηρίξαι to strengthen

    so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.

    Here: To set something solidly so it will not wobble or give way. The subject is 'the Lord' of v.12. The same verb was used in 3:2 for Timothy's mission 'to strengthen' them, so what Timothy began, Paul now asks the Lord to finish.

2 Thessalonians · 2

  1. 2 Thessalonians 2:17 στηρίξαι would He strengthen

    encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good word and deed.

    Here: Another aorist optative, also singular: 'may he make firm.' The picture is of something set solid so it cannot wobble. That answers verse 2, where the readers were being 'shaken' and 'alarmed' by claims that the Day of the Lord had already come.

  2. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 στηρίξει will strengthen

    But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

    Here: Future tense: 'will make you firm, will steady you.' The picture is of propping something up so it stands and does not topple. It is about staying firm under pressure, not about becoming physically or emotionally strong.

James · 1

  1. James 5:8 στηρίξατε do strengthen

    You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

    Here: To set something so it stands and does not wobble, like a post or a support. Applied to the heart, it means to steady and brace the inner self so it does not give way.

1 Peter · 1

  1. 1 Peter 5:10 στηρίξει, he will confirm [you],

    And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.

    Here: "He will make you firm", fixed so you do not slip or topple. It answers v. 9's call to stand "firm" (stereoi) against the devil. God supplies the firmness he asks of them.

2 Peter · 1

  1. 2 Peter 1:12 ἐστηριγμένους strengthened

    Therefore I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you now have.

    Here: Perfect passive: they have been made firm and still stand firm. Someone else did the steadying (God, through the apostolic teaching). The word picks up the letter's theme of stability against 'unstable' people (2:14; 3:16–17).

Revelation · 1

  1. Revelation 3:2 στήρισον do strengthen

    Wake up and strengthen what remains, which is about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God.

    Here: Aorist imperative, a decisive act: "shore up, steady." It pictures bracing something about to collapse. It is the same form Jesus uses to Peter in Luke 22:32, "strengthen your brothers."

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