Greek word · G5615
ὡσαύτως
hōsautōs
likewise
'In the same way, just so, likewise, similarly.' Formed from ὡς ('as') plus αὐτός ('the same'). In Koine Greek it often works as a light 'also, likewise' (e.g. Luke 20:31; 22:20), but it can also stress a matching manner.
Appears 17 times in 17 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
ὡσαύτως
adv.,
strengthened for ὡς (in Hom, at the beginning of a clause, in the form ὣς δ᾽ αὔτως, later in one word), in like manner, just so, likewise: Matthew 20:5 21:30, 36 25:17, Mark 14:31, Luke 13:5 20:31, Romans 8:26, 1 Timothy 5:25, Titus 2:6; with verb to be supplied from context, Mark 12:21, Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25, 1 Timothy 2:9 3:8 3:11, Titus 2:3.†
(AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
'In the same way, just so, likewise, similarly.' Formed from ὡς ('as') plus αὐτός ('the same'). In Koine Greek it often works as a light 'also, likewise' (e.g. Luke 20:31; 22:20), but it can also stress a matching manner.
- Against the English
KJV/ESV/NASB 'likewise' and WEB 'in the same way' keep the link to the victims' fate. BSB/NIV 'you too' softens it to 'you as well', which drops the possible stress on a similar manner of death.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Used widely in papyri and literary Koine for 'likewise'. Its partner in v. 3, ὁμοίως, has a very similar range. Luke appears to vary the word for style rather than meaning.
From the study of Matthew 21:30
- Range of meaning
In the same way, likewise, similarly.
- Against the English
'Likewise' (KJV), 'the same thing' (BSB, WEB). These are equivalent.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Matthew uses it in parables to show that two parties were treated alike (20:5; 21:36; 25:17).
- Range of meaning
In the same way, likewise, similarly.
- Against the English
KJV has 'in like manner', BSB 'in the same way', and NLT turns it into a paraphrase about the pattern continuing.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Common in Koine Greek, for example in Luke 13:5, 22:20 and 1 Timothy 2:9.
Where it appears
Matthew · 4
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Matthew 20:5 ὡσαύτως. likewise.
So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.
Here: 'In just the same way'. He found idle men, sent them into the vineyard, and again named no wage, only the promise to pay what is right.
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Matthew 21:30 ὡσαύτως. likewise.
Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go.
Here: Both sons receive exactly the same command: 'Child, go today and work in the vineyard' (v. 28). So the only difference between them is how they respond.
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Matthew 21:36 ὡσαύτως. likewise.
Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.
Here: 'In just the same way.' This one word makes the second group suffer everything the first group suffered: beating, killing, stoning. The violence becomes a fixed pattern, not one outburst.
-
Matthew 25:17 ὡσαύτως Likewise
Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more.
Here: Points straight back to verse 16. Without repeating them, it carries over everything said of the first servant: he went at once, put the money to work in trade, and doubled it. The second servant did exactly the same thing on a smaller scale.
Mark · 2
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Mark 12:21 ὡσαύτως· likewise;
Then the second one married the widow, but he also died and left no children. And the third did likewise.
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Mark 14:31 ὡσαύτως Likewise
But Peter kept insisting, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the others said the same thing.
Luke · 3
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Luke 13:5 ὡσαύτως likewise
No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Here: 'In the same way', i.e. as those eighteen did. It is debated whether it presses a parallel in manner (sudden death under falling structures) or simply means 'you too'. Either way it ties the hearers' fate to the disaster just named.
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Luke 20:31 ὡσαύτως likewise
and the third married the widow, and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children.
Here: 'In just the same way.' It squeezes brothers four to seven into a single word. The same pattern repeats each time: marriage, no child, death.
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Luke 22:20 ὡσαύτως likewise
In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.
Here: Points back to verse 19: Jesus did with the cup what he did with the bread. He took it and gave thanks, and he gave it with a saying that explained it.
Romans · 1
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Romans 8:26 ὡσαύτως Likewise
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.
Here: Ties this verse back to what precedes. Most naturally it points to the groaning of vv. 22–23: creation groans, we groan, and in the same way the Spirit also groans. Some connect it instead to the hope that sustains believers in v. 25.
1 Corinthians · 1
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1 Corinthians 11:25 ὡσαύτως Likewise
In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Here: Points back to verse 23–24: just as Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and spoke over it, he did the same with the cup. It also carries over the verb "took", which the Greek leaves unstated here.
1 Timothy · 4
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1 Timothy 2:9 ὡσαύτως likewise
Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,
Here: Ties this sentence back to verse 8, "I want the men everywhere to pray." The same "I want" governs what follows, so this is the matching instruction for women in the same worship setting.
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1 Timothy 3:8 ὡσαύτως likewise
Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.
Here: Ties this list to the overseer's list in vv. 2–7. The same standard of character applies, with a few changes. The word comes back in v. 11 ('women likewise').
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1 Timothy 3:11 ὡσαύτως likewise
In the same way, the women must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things.
Here: The same word opens the deacon section in 3:8 ('Deacons likewise…'). There it brought in a new group after the overseers. Here it seems to bring in another group with a parallel set of standards.
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1 Timothy 5:25 ὡσαύτως Likewise
In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even the ones that are inconspicuous cannot remain hidden.
Here: Ties this verse directly to v. 24. Sins come to light in two ways, some at once and some later, and good works follow the same pattern.
Titus · 2
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Titus 2:3 ὡσαύτως likewise
Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good.
Here: Ties the older women to the older men of v. 2. The same 'to be' (einai) carries over, and the same concern for a dignified, self-controlled life applies, adjusted to their situation.
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Titus 2:6 ὡσαύτως likewise
In the same way, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
Here: Ties this instruction to the series before it (older men, v. 2; older women, v. 3 also 'likewise'; younger women, vv. 4–5). The younger men get the same sort of teaching, and the same core virtue, as everyone else.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.