Lexical Summary bebaioó: To confirm, establish, make firm, secure Original Word: βεβαιόω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance confirm, establish. From bebaios; to stabilitate (figuratively) -- confirm, (e-)stablish. see GREEK bebaios HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 950 bebaióō – properly, to walk where it is solid (reliable, guaranteed); hence, make sure (fully reliable). See 949 (bebaios). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom bebaios Definition to confirm, secure NASB Translation confirm (2), confirmed (3), established (1), establishes (1), strengthened (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 950: βεβαιόωβεβαιόω, βεβαιω; future βεβαιώσω; 1 aorist ἐβεβαιωσα; passive (present βεβαιοῦμαι); 1 aorist ἐβεβαιωθην; (βέβαιος); to make firm, establish, confirm, make sure: τόν λόγον, to prove its truth and divinity, Mark 16:20; τάς ἐπαγγελίας make good the promises by the event, i. e. fulfil them, Romans 15:8 (so also in Greek writings as Diodorus 1, 5); passive: τό μαρτύριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, 1 Corinthians 1:6; ἡ σωτηρία ... εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαιώθη,a constructio praegnans (Winer's Grammar, § 66, 2 d.) which may be resolved into εἰς ἡμᾶς παρεδόθη καί ἐν ἡμῖν βέβαιος ἐγένετο, Hebrews 2:3 cf. Hebrews 2:2; see βέβαιος. of men made steadfast and constant in soul: Hebrews 13:9; 1 Corinthians 1:8 (βεβαιώσει ὑμᾶς ἀνεγκλήτους will so confirm you that ye may be unreprovable (Winer's Grammar, § 59, 6 at the end)); 2 Corinthians 1:21 (βεβαιῶν ἡμᾶς εἰς Χριστόν, causing us to be steadfast in our fellowship with Christ; cf. Meyer at the passage); ἐν τῇ πίστει, Colossians 2:7 (L T Tr WH omit ἐν). (In Greek writings from Thucydides and Plato down.) (Compare: διαβεβαιωμαι.) Topical Lexicon Canonical ScopeStrong’s 950 underlies eight passages in the Greek New Testament, clustering in the Gospels, Pauline writings, and Hebrews. In every setting the verb highlights God’s action of rendering something firm, reliable, and unassailable, thereby safeguarding the gospel, confirming covenant promises, and securing believers for persevering witness and holy living. Foundation in God’s Covenantal Faithfulness Romans 15:8 links the confirming work to the patriarchal promises: “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs”. The Old Testament commitments of God never waver; they are given final, public attestation in Jesus Christ. The verb underscores that the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants are not merely honored but rendered incontestable in the incarnate Son. Christ, the Divine Confirmer 2 Corinthians 1:21–22 places the verb at the center of Trinitarian salvation: “Now it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge”. The confirming activity is both Christocentric and relational—believers are stabilized “with you,” knitting Paul, his co-workers, and the Corinthian church into a single Spirit-sealed fellowship. 1 Corinthians 1:6 and 1:8 present an eschatological horizon. The testimony concerning Christ “was confirmed in you” (1:6), and on the Last Day Christ Himself “will sustain you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:8). The initial establishment of the gospel in the church and its ultimate vindication before the judgment seat form one unbroken continuum. Apostolic Authentication Mark 16:20 shows the original missionary setting: “And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it”. Hebrews 2:3 echoes the same principle—salvation “was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.” Divine confirmation validates apostolic proclamation through signs, wonders, and Spirit-empowered witness, leaving hearers without excuse. Stability in Christian Discipleship Colossians 2:7 exhorts believers to continue “rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”. Here the verb describes the day-to-day fortifying of the believer’s walk, grounding head and heart in a tradition received from faithful teachers. Hebrews 13:9 warns, “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. For it is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace”. The variant renderings “confirmed” or “strengthened” indicate that God’s grace, not speculative doctrines, secures the inner life. The Holy Spirit’s Sealing Work Three passages (2 Corinthians 1:21, Romans 15:8, Colossians 2:7) frame confirmation as the Spirit’s seal. The Spirit applies the objective work of Christ to subjective assurance, engraving divine ownership and enabling persevering obedience. Historical Reception Early Church writers drew pastoral lines from these texts. Irenaeus argued that post-apostolic miracles continued to confirm the same gospel preached by the apostles (Against Heresies 2.32.4). Tertullian cited Hebrews 2:3 against Montanist critics, asserting that authentic prophecy maintains continuity with the message once “confirmed” by apostolic witnesses. Augustine applied 1 Corinthians 1:8 to the doctrine of perseverance, contending that the same God who elects also confirms believers until the end. Doctrinal and Practical Implications 1. Assurance: God Himself guarantees the believer’s standing; subjective feelings yield to objective confirmation in Christ. In sum, Strong’s 950 traces a golden thread from patriarchal promise to eschatological fulfillment. The God who binds Himself by oath is the God who, in Christ and by the Spirit, irrevocably confirms His word, His servants, and His people. Forms and Transliterations βεβαιουμενοι βεβαιούμενοι βεβαιουντος βεβαιούντος βεβαιοῦντος βεβαιουσθαι βεβαιούσθαι βεβαιοῦσθαι βεβαιων βεβαιών βεβαιῶν βεβαίως βεβαιωσαι βεβαιώσαι βεβαιῶσαι βεβαιωσει βεβαιώσει βεβαίωσόν εβεβαιωθη εβεβαιώθη ἐβεβαιώθη εβεβαίωσάς bebaion bebaiôn bebaiōn bebaiō̂n bebaiosai bebaiôsai bebaiōsai bebaiō̂sai bebaiosei bebaiōsei bebaiṓsei bebaioumenoi bebaioúmenoi bebaiountos bebaioûntos bebaiousthai bebaioûsthai ebebaiothe ebebaiōthē ebebaiṓthe ebebaiṓthēLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Mark 16:20 V-PPA-GMSGRK: τὸν λόγον βεβαιοῦντος διὰ τῶν NAS: worked with them, and confirmed the word KJV: [them], and confirming the word INT: the word confirming by the Romans 15:8 V-ANA 1 Corinthians 1:6 V-AIP-3S 1 Corinthians 1:8 V-FIA-3S 2 Corinthians 1:21 V-PPA-NMS Colossians 2:7 V-PPM/P-NMP Hebrews 2:3 V-AIP-3S Hebrews 13:9 V-PNM/P Strong's Greek 950 |
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