Lexical Summary prosdeomai: To need, to require, to ask for, to request earnestly. Original Word: προσδέομαι Strong's Exhaustive Concordance need. From pros and deomai; to require additionally, i.e. Want further -- need. see GREEK pros see GREEK deomai NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom pros and deomai Definition to want further NASB Translation needed (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4326: προσδέομαιπροσδέομαι; deponent passive, to want besides, need in addition, (cf. πρός, IV. 2): προσδεόμενός τίνος, quom nullius boni desideret accessionem (Erasmus) (A. V. as though he needed anything), Acts 17:25. (Xenophon, Plato, and following; the Sept.; (in the sense to ask of, several times in Herodotus).) Topical Lexicon Entry Overview Strong’s Greek 4326 portrays the idea of an additional need. In its single New Testament appearance it exposes the profound truth that the living God stands in no deficit and depends on nothing outside Himself. Canonical Occurrence Acts 17:25—Paul, addressing the Areopagus, says of God: “Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Instead, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” (Berean Standard Bible) Self-Sufficiency of God (Doctrine of Aseity) The word negates the very possibility of divine lack. Scripture consistently affirms this attribute: Prosdeomai therefore underlines God’s complete independence, a foundational doctrine that safeguards every other biblical teaching. Because God needs nothing, His acts toward creation are always gracious, never compulsory. Paul’s Apologetic Strategy in Athens In a city crowded with temples, Paul contrasts impotent idols—daily tended and supplied by worshipers—with the Creator who “does not live in temples made by human hands” (Acts 17:24). By denying that God is prosdeomai, Paul removes any basis for pagan bargaining. Salvation cannot be earned by provisioning the deity; it must be received as a gift. Historical and Cultural Background Greco-Roman religion assumed that gods required food, drink, and maintenance. Sacrifices were viewed as essential supply lines. Paul’s denial of divine need would have sounded radical, repositioning worship from obligatory provisioning to grateful acknowledgment of grace. Implications for Worship and Service 1. Motivations purified—Believers serve not to fill a gap in God but to glorify Him and participate in His mission (1 Corinthians 3:9). Relationship to the Broader Biblical Narrative From creation, where God fashions a self-sustaining world (Genesis 1), to the consummation, where He freely “makes everything new” (Revelation 21:5), Scripture presents a God who initiates and sustains all things without outside supply. The unique occurrence of 4326 crowns this narrative by explicitly denying any contrary notion. Applications for Ministry Today • Evangelism—Stress the sufficiency of Christ; call hearers to repent of attempts to bribe God with works. Summary Strong’s Greek 4326, though appearing only once, anchors the believer’s understanding of a God who lacks nothing yet lovingly supplies all. Recognizing His non-dependence transforms worship into thanksgiving, service into fellowship, and life into a continual reception of His overflowing grace. Forms and Transliterations προσδέομαι προσδεομενος προσδεόμενος προσδεόμενός prosdeomenos prosdeómenósLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Acts 17:25 V-PPM/P-NMSGRK: ἀνθρωπίνων θεραπεύεται προσδεόμενός τινος αὐτὸς NAS: hands, as though He needed anything, KJV: hands, as though he needed any thing, INT: of men is served as needing anything himself |
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