1060. gameó

Lexical Summary

gameó: To marry, to wed

Original Word: γαμέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: gameó
Pronunciation: gah-MEH-oh
Phonetic Spelling: (gam-eh'-o)
KJV: marry (a wife)
NASB: marry, married, marries, get married, marrying, marriage
Word Origin: [from G1062 (γάμος - wedding feast)]

1. to wed (of either sex)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

marry

From gamos; to wed (of either sex) -- marry (a wife).

see GREEK gamos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from gamos
Definition
to marry
NASB Translation
get married (2), marriage (1), married (7), marries (7), marry (9), marrying (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1060: γαμέω

γαμέω, γάμω; imperfect ἐγάμουν (Luke 17:27); 1 aorist ἔγημα (the classic form (Matthew 22:25 L T Tr WH); Luke 14:20; 1 Corinthians 7:28a R G, 28b) and ἐγάμησα (the later form, Matthew 5:32; ( R G); Mark 6:17; Mark 10:11; 1 Corinthians 7:9 (a L T Tr WH), 33); perfect γεγάμηκα; 1 aorist passive ἐγαμήθην; (cf. Winers Grammar, 84 (80); Buttmann, 55 (48); Alexander Buttmann (1873) Ausf. Spr. ii. 134; Lob. ad Phryn., p. 742; (Veitch, under the word));

1. used of the man, as in Greek writings from Homer down, to lead in marriage, take to wife;

a. with the addition of γυναῖκα or other accusative: Matthew 5:32 (here WH brackets the clause); Matthew 19:9; Mark 6:17; Mark 10:11; Luke 14:20; Luke 16:18.

b. without a case, absolutely to get married, to marry, (cf. Buttmann, 145 (127)): Matthew 19:10; Matthew 22:25, 30; Matthew 24:38; Mark 12:25; Luke 17:27; Luke 20:34; 1 Corinthians 7:28, 33; (Aelian v. h. 4, 1; οἱ γεγαμηκοτες, Xenophon, Cyril 1, 2, 4; opposed to ἄγαμοι, Xenophon, symp. 9, 7). Passive and middle γαμέομαι τίνι, of women (Latinnuberealicui, cf. Buttmann, § 133, 8), to give oneself in marriage (Winer's Grammar, § 38, 3): 1 aorist passive, Mark 10:12 (where L T Tr WH γαμήσῃ ἄλλον for R G γαμηθῇ ἄλλῳ); 1 Corinthians 7:39.

2. contrary to Greek usage, the active γαμεῖν is used of women, to give oneself in marriage; and a. with the accusative: Mark 10:12 L T Tr WH (see above);

b. absolutely: 1 Corinthians 7:28, 34: (ἡ γαμήσασα, opposed to ἡ ἄγαμος); 1 Timothy 5:11, 14.

3. absolutely of both sexes: 1 Timothy 4:3; 1 Corinthians 7:9f, 36 (γαμείτωσαν, namely, the virgin and he who seeks her to wife). In the O. T. γαμεῖν occurs only in 2 Macc. 14:25.

STRONGS NT 1060a: γαμίζωγαμίζω; (passive, present γαμίζομαι; imperfect ἐγαμιζομην); (γάμος); to give a daughter in marriage: 1 Corinthians 7:38a (L T Tr WH, 38{b}) G L T Tr WH; passive: Matthew 22:30 L T Tr WH; (Matthew 24:38 T WH); Mark 12:25; Luke 17:27; Luke 20:35 (WH marginal reading γαμίσκονται). (The word is mentioned in Apoll. de constr. 3, 31, p. 280, 10, Bekker edition). (Compare: ἐκγαμίζω.)

Topical Lexicon

Root and Scope of the Verb

Strong’s Greek 1060, γαμέω, is the ordinary New Testament verb for “to marry.” It occurs in every Synoptic Gospel, in 1 Corinthians, and in First and 2 Timothy. The forms may be active (“to marry”), middle/passive (“to be married”), or participial (“marrying”), but the core idea always concerns entering the covenant of marriage. Related words include γάμος (wedding, marriage) and γαμήσας / γεγαμηκόσιν (the one who has married).

Historical–Cultural Background

In first-century Judaism a marriage comprised two stages: betrothal (kiddushin), a binding contract often arranged by families, and consummation (nissuin), when the groom took the bride to his home. Breaking a betrothal required formal divorce (Matthew 1:18-19). In the wider Greco-Roman world, marriage was likewise a legal union, though often less covenantal and more contractual, governed by Roman law (usus, coemptio, confarreatio). Against this backdrop the New Testament highlights God’s design and permanence of marriage, treating the institution not merely as social convention but as divine ordinance (cf. Genesis 2:24 cited in Matthew 19:5-6).

Marriage in the Gospel Narratives

1. Personal history: Mark 6:17 records Herod Antipas who “had married” his brother’s wife, Herodias. John the Baptist’s denunciation shows that illicit marriage can constitute ongoing sin.
2. Ordinary life: Jesus names marrying as part of daily routine in the days of Noah and Lot (Luke 17:27), underscoring how normal activities can numb spiritual alertness.
3. Social excuses: In the parable of the banquet a man declines the invitation because “I have married a wife” (Luke 14:20), illustrating misplaced priorities.

Teaching of Jesus on Divorce and Remarriage

Jesus directly links γαμέω with adultery when marriage is entered after an unlawful divorce:

• “And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:32)
• “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:9)
• “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.” (Mark 10:11; cf. Mark 10:12; Luke 16:18)

These sayings emphasize lifelong faithfulness, the seriousness of covenant breaking, and the protective intent behind the Mosaic concession (Matthew 19:8).

Marriage and Eschatology

Jesus contrasts the present age with the resurrection age:

• “In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.” (Matthew 22:30; cf. Mark 12:25; Luke 20:34-35)

Marriage is temporal, pointing beyond itself to a consummation where earthly unions give way to the perfected fellowship of the redeemed with God.

Pauline Counsel on Marriage and Singleness

1 Corinthians 7 applies γαμέω more than any other chapter:

• Permission: “But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” (1 Corinthians 7:9)
• Freedom from sin: “But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.” (1 Corinthians 7:28)
• Practical concerns: “But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his wife.” (1 Corinthians 7:33)

Paul treats marriage as honorable yet temporal, balancing the goodness of matrimony with the call to undistracted devotion to the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:29-35).

Pastoral Directives in the Pastorals

False asceticism forbids marriage (1 Timothy 4:3), but Paul counters by affirming it as God’s gift. For younger widows he writes, “So I advise the younger widows to marry, to have children, and to manage their households” (1 Timothy 5:14), linking marriage to household stability and the church’s witness.

Theological Significance

1. Covenant symbolism: Earthly marriage anticipates the union of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32), though γαμέω itself is not used in that text.
2. Moral sanctity: The verb’s frequent pairing with warnings about adultery underscores marriage’s exclusivity.
3. Eschatological pointer: The cessation of marrying in the resurrection highlights its provisional nature and the sufficiency of future fellowship with God.

Pastoral and Missional Implications

• Uphold marriage as divinely instituted and lifelong.
• Guard against both libertinism (illicit remarriage) and legalism (forbidding marriage).
• Teach singles and married alike to view their status as stewardship for gospel service.
• Provide compassionate application of Jesus’ exception clause while maintaining the gravity of divorce.

Key Passages for Study

Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 14:20; Luke 17:27; Luke 20:34-35; 1 Corinthians 7:9-10, 7:28-39; 1 Timothy 4:3; 1 Timothy 5:14.

Summary

γαμέω encapsulates the act of entering marriage—a relationship ordained by God, regulated by Christ’s teaching, tempered by eschatological hope, and directed toward holy living and faithful witness. Its New Testament usage presents marriage as both gift and responsibility, to be honored now and transcended in the age to come.

Forms and Transliterations

γαμειν γαμείν γαμεῖν γαμειτωσαν γαμείτωσαν γαμηθή γαμηθηναι γαμηθήναι γαμηθῆναι γαμησαι γαμήσαι γαμῆσαι γαμησας γαμήσας γαμησασα γαμήσασα γαμησατωσαν γαμησάτωσαν γαμηση γαμήση γαμήσῃ γαμησης γαμήσῃς γαμουντες γαμούντες γαμοῦντες γαμούσι γαμουσιν γαμούσιν γαμοῦσιν γαμων γαμών γαμῶν γεγαμηκόσι γεγαμηκοσιν γεγαμηκόσιν γημας γήμας γημη γήμη γήμῃ γήμης εγαμησεν ἐγάμησεν εγαμουν εγάμουν ἐγάμουν εγημα έγημα ἔγημα egamesen egamēsen egámesen egámēsen egamoun egámoun egema egēma égema égēma gamein gameîn gameitosan gameitōsan gameítosan gameítōsan gamesai gamêsai gamēsai gamē̂sai gamesas gamēsas gamḗsas gamesasa gamēsasa gamḗsasa gamesatosan gamesátosan gamēsatōsan gamēsátōsan gamese gamēsē gamḗsei gamḗsēi gamḗseis gamḗsēis gameses gamēsēs gamethenai gamethênai gamēthēnai gamēthē̂nai gamon gamôn gamōn gamō̂n gamountes gamoûntes gamousin gamoûsin gegamekosin gegamekósin gegamēkosin gegamēkósin gemas gēmas gḗmas geme gēmē gḗmei gḗmēi

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 5:32 V-ASA-3S
GRK: ἐὰν ἀπολελυμένην γαμήσῃ μοιχᾶται
NAS: and whoever marries a divorced
KJV: whosoever shall marry her that is divorced
INT: if her who is divorced shall marry commits adultery

Matthew 19:9 V-ASA-3S
GRK: πορνείᾳ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην μοιχᾶται
NAS: for immorality, and marries another woman
KJV: and shall marry another,
INT: sexual immorality and shall marry another commits adultery

Matthew 19:9 V-APA-NMS
GRK: ὁ ἀπολελυμένην γαμήσας μοιχᾶται
KJV: and whoso marrieth her which
INT: he who her [that is] put away marries commits adultery

Matthew 19:10 V-ANA
GRK: οὐ συμφέρει γαμῆσαι
NAS: it is better not to marry.
KJV: not good to marry.
INT: not it is better to marry

Matthew 22:25 V-APA-NMS
GRK: ὁ πρῶτος γήμας ἐτελεύτησεν καὶ
NAS: with us; and the first married and died,
KJV: the first, when he had married a wife, deceased,
INT: the first having married died and

Matthew 22:30 V-PIA-3P
GRK: ἀναστάσει οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίζονται
NAS: they neither marry nor
KJV: they neither marry, nor
INT: resurrection neither do they marry nor are given in marriage

Matthew 24:38 V-PPA-NMP
GRK: καὶ πίνοντες γαμοῦντες καὶ γαμίζοντες
NAS: and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
KJV: drinking, marrying and
INT: and drinking marrying and giving in marriage

Mark 6:17 V-AIA-3S
GRK: ὅτι αὐτὴν ἐγάμησεν
NAS: Philip, because he had married her.
KJV: wife: for he had married her.
INT: because her he had married

Mark 10:11 V-ASA-3S
GRK: αὐτοῦ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην μοιχᾶται
NAS: his wife and marries another woman
KJV: and marry another,
INT: of him and should marry another commits adultery

Mark 10:12 V-ASA-3S
GRK: ἄνδρα αὐτῆς γαμήσῃ ἄλλον μοιχᾶται
NAS: her husband and marries another man,
KJV: and be married to another,
INT: husband herself [and] be married to another she commits adultery

Mark 12:25 V-PIA-3P
GRK: ἀναστῶσιν οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίζονται
NAS: they neither marry nor
KJV: they neither marry, nor
INT: they rise neither do they marry nor are given in marriage

Luke 14:20 V-AIA-1S
GRK: εἶπεν Γυναῖκα ἔγημα καὶ διὰ
NAS: said, I have married a wife,
KJV: said, I have married a wife,
INT: said A wife I have married and because of

Luke 16:18 V-PPA-NMS
GRK: αὐτοῦ καὶ γαμῶν ἑτέραν μοιχεύει
NAS: his wife and marries another
KJV: and marrieth another,
INT: of him and marries another commits adultery

Luke 16:18 V-PPA-NMS
GRK: ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς γαμῶν μοιχεύει
NAS: adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced
KJV: whosoever marrieth her that is put away
INT: from a husband marries commits adultery

Luke 17:27 V-IIA-3P
GRK: ἤσθιον ἔπινον ἐγάμουν ἐγαμίζοντο ἄχρι
NAS: they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage,
KJV: they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage,
INT: They were eating they were drinking they were marrying they were being given in marriage until

Luke 20:34 V-PIA-3P
GRK: αἰῶνος τούτου γαμοῦσιν καὶ γαμίσκονται
NAS: age marry and are given in marriage,
KJV: world marry, and
INT: age this marry and are given in marriage

Luke 20:35 V-PIA-3P
GRK: νεκρῶν οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίζονται
NAS: neither marry nor
KJV: neither marry, nor
INT: [the] dead neither marry nor are given in marriage

1 Corinthians 7:9 V-AMA-3P
GRK: οὐκ ἐγκρατεύονται γαμησάτωσαν κρεῖττον γάρ
NAS: they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better
KJV: contain, let them marry: for
INT: not they have self-control let them marry better indeed

1 Corinthians 7:9 V-PNA
GRK: γάρ ἐστιν γαμῆσαι ἢ πυροῦσθαι
NAS: for it is better to marry than
KJV: it is better to marry than to burn.
INT: indeed it is to marry than to burn with passion

1 Corinthians 7:10 V-RPA-DMP
GRK: Τοῖς δὲ γεγαμηκόσιν παραγγέλλω οὐκ
NAS: But to the married I give instructions,
KJV: And unto the married I command,
INT: to moreover married I warn not

1 Corinthians 7:28 V-ASA-2S
GRK: δὲ καὶ γαμήσῃς οὐχ ἥμαρτες
NAS: But if you marry, you have not sinned;
KJV: and if thou marry, thou hast not
INT: however also you might have married not you did sin

1 Corinthians 7:28 V-ASA-3S
GRK: καὶ ἐὰν γήμῃ ἡ παρθένος
NAS: a virgin marries, she has not sinned.
KJV: if a virgin marry, she hath not
INT: and if might have married the virgin

1 Corinthians 7:33 V-APA-NMS
GRK: ὁ δὲ γαμήσας μεριμνᾷ τὰ
NAS: but one who is married is concerned
KJV: But he that is married careth
INT: the [one] however having been married cares for the things

1 Corinthians 7:34 V-APA-NFS
GRK: ἡ δὲ γαμήσασα μεριμνᾷ τὰ
NAS: and spirit; but one who is married is concerned
KJV: but she that is married careth
INT: the [one] however having been married cares for the things

1 Corinthians 7:36 V-PMA-3P
GRK: οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει γαμείτωσαν
NAS: he does not sin; let her marry.
KJV: he sinneth not: let them marry.
INT: not he does sin let them marry

Strong's Greek 1060
29 Occurrences

ἐγάμησεν — 1 Occ.
ἐγάμουν — 1 Occ.
ἔγημα — 1 Occ.
γαμῆσαι — 2 Occ.
γαμήσας — 2 Occ.
γαμήσασα — 1 Occ.
γαμησάτωσαν — 1 Occ.
γαμήσῃ — 4 Occ.
γαμήσῃς — 1 Occ.
γαμηθῆναι — 1 Occ.
γαμεῖν — 3 Occ.
γαμείτωσαν — 1 Occ.
γαμῶν — 2 Occ.
γαμοῦντες — 1 Occ.
γαμοῦσιν — 4 Occ.
γήμας — 1 Occ.
γήμῃ — 1 Occ.
γεγαμηκόσιν — 1 Occ.