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Greek

To follow

ἀκολουθέωStrong’s G0190

akoloutheō

Appears in 86 verses of the New Testament

In short

Akoloutheō is the Greek word usually translated “followed”, “do follow” and “following”. It appears in 86 verses of the New Testament.

“And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”
Matthew 4:20 KJV
Meaning

Usually translated “followed”, “do follow” and “following”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.

How it's translated
  • followed 18
  • do follow 14
  • following 10
  • they followed 7
  • was following 6
  • were following 5
  • he should follow 4
  • he was following 4

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • Matthew 24
  • John 18
  • Luke 17
  • Mark 16
  • Revelation 6
  • Acts 4

7 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 86 verses, by book
1 Corinthians 1
10:4
Greek dictionary

ἀκολουθέω akoloutheō · to follow

ἀκολουθέω, -ῶ (ἀκόλουθος, following; ἀ- cop., κέλευθος, poët., away), [in LXX chiefly for הָלַךְ ;] to accompany, follow: Mat.4:25, al. Metaphorical, of discipleship: Mat.9:9, Mrk.9:38, Jhn.12:26, al. Absol.: Mat.18:10; more freq., with dative (cl.), Mat.8:1, al.; before μετά, with genitive, (cl.; Eutherford, N.Phr., 458 f.), Luk.9:49; ὀπίσω, with genitive (Heb. הָלַךְ אָהֲרֵי), Mat.10:38 (cf. ἐξ-, ἐπ-, κατ-, παρ-, συν-ἀκολουθέω). SYN.: (cl.) ἕπομαι, not in NT (see Cremer, 80; MM, VGT, see word). (AS)

From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “follow” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

FOL'LOW, verb transitive

  1. To go after or behind; to walk, ride or move behind, but in the same direction.
  2. To pursue; to chase; as an enemy, or as game.
  3. To accompany; to attend in a journey.“And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode on the camels, and followed the man” Genesis 24:61
  4. To accompany; to be of the same company; to attend, for any purpose. Luke 5:27
All definitions and other forms of “follow”
  1. To succeed in order of time; to come after; as a storm is followed by a calm.
  2. To be consequential; to result from, as effect from a cause.
  3. To result from, as an inference or deduction.
  4. To pursue with the eye; to keep the eyes fixed on a moving body.
  5. To imitate; to copy; as, to follow a pattern or model; to follow fashion.
  6. To embrace; to adopt and maintain; to have or entertain like opinions; to think or believe like another; as, to follow the opinions and tenets of a philsophic sect; to follow Plato.
  7. To obey; to observe; to practice; to act in conformity to.
  8. To pursue as an object of desire; to endeavor to obtain.“Follow peace with all men” Hebrews 12:14
  9. To use; to practice; to make the chief business; as, to follow the trade of a carpenter; to follow the profession of law.
  10. To adhere to; to side with.“The house of Judah followed David” 2 Samuel 2:10
  11. To adhere to; to honor; to worship; to serve.“If the Lord be God, follow him” 1 Kings 18:21
  12. To be led or guided by.“Wo to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing” Ezekiel 13:3
  13. To move on in the same course or direction; to be guided by; as, to follow a track or course.

FOL'LOW, verb intransitive

  1. To come after another.“The famine - shall follow close after you” Jeremiah 42:16
  2. To attend; to accompany.
  3. To be posterior in time; as following ages.
  4. To be consequential, as effect to cause.
  5. To result, as an inference.

Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.