dokeō · think, seem

What it means

dokeō (δοκέω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “think, seem”.

Think, suppose, seem; also be held in high regard.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To hold something as true in one's mind, rightly or not.
2. To seem to be something; “to seem good” is to agree on a decision.
3. To be regarded as someone of note.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

To seem, give the impression; to think, believe, suppose. With a dative, to seem good to someone, to decide. The participle names those of repute, “those who were considered”. Of the same family are δόξα (opinion; glory, G1391) and δόγμα (decree).

• “What do you think?” Matthew 18:12Matthew 22:42Luke 10:36
• Thinking, supposing (often wrongly) Matthew 6:7Mark 6:49Matthew 3:9
• Thinking of oneself: “the one who thinks he stands” 1 Corinthians 10:12Galatians 6:3
• “It seemed good”: a decision Acts 15:22Acts 15:28Luke 1:3
• “Those who were considered”: the men of repute Galatians 2:6Galatians 2:9

How we translate it

“Think” 21 times, “thinks” 8, “thought” 7, “seems” 4, “seem” 3, according to who judges; “presume” in Matthew 3:9. οἱ δοκοῦντες is “those who were considered”, with the complement supplied: “those who were considered {important}” (Galatians 2:6). In the decisions of Acts 15 it says “it seemed good” (Acts 15:22, 28).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• think ×21
• thinks ×8
• thought ×7
• it seemed good ×4
• seems ×4
• thinking ×4
• seem ×3
• expect ×2
• seemed ×2
• those who were considered important ×2
• others ×5

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×10
• Mark×2
• Luke×10
• John×8
• Acts×8
• 1 Corinthians×9
• 2 Corinthians×3
• Galatians×5
• Philippians×1
• Hebrews×4
• James×2

• Matthew 3:9

  and do not presume to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

• Matthew 6:7

  And when praying, do not babble like the Gentiles, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.

• Matthew 17:25

  He says, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke first to him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or tribute? From their sons or from strangers?”

• Matthew 18:12

  What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is going astray?

• Matthew 21:28

  But what do you think? A man had two children. He came to the first and said, ‘Child, go, work today in the vineyard.’

• Matthew 22:17

  Tell us, then, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay the tax to Caesar, or not?”

• Matthew 22:42

  saying, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They say to him, “David’s.”

• Matthew 24:44

  Because of this you also must be ready, because at an hour you do not expect the Son of Man is coming.

• Matthew 26:53

  Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will put at my side right now more than twelve legions of angels?

• Matthew 26:66

  What do you think?” And they answered, “He is deserving of death.”

• Mark 6:49

  But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost, and they cried out;

• Mark 10:42

  And summoning them, Jesus says to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

• Luke 1:3

  it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely from the start, to write for you in orderly sequence, most excellent Theophilus,

• Luke 8:18

  So take care how you listen; for whoever has, it will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

• Luke 10:36

  Which of these three seems to you to have become a neighbor to the one who fell among the bandits?”

• Luke 12:40

  You also be ready, because at an hour you do not expect the Son of Man is coming.”

• Luke 12:51

  Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

• Luke 13:2

  And he answered and said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were sinners more than all the other Galileans because they have suffered these things?

• Luke 13:4

  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were debtors more than all the people who live in Jerusalem?

• Luke 19:11

  And as they were listening to these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.

• Luke 22:24

  And there arose also a dispute among them as to which of them seemed to be the greatest.

• Luke 24:37

  But startled and terrified, they thought they were seeing a spirit.

• John 5:39

  You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify about me;

• John 5:45

  Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; there is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.

• John 11:13

  Now Jesus had spoken about his death, but they thought that he was speaking about the rest of sleep.

• John 11:31

  So the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

• John 11:56

  So they were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?”

• John 13:29

  For some thought that, since Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.

• John 16:2

  They will put you out of the synagogue; indeed, an hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.

• John 20:15

  Jesus says to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She, thinking that he was the gardener, says to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away.”

• Acts 12:9

  And going out he was following, and he did not know that what was happening through the angel was real, but he thought he was seeing a vision.

• Acts 15:22

  Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers.

• Acts 15:25

  it seemed good to us, having come to one mind, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

• Acts 15:28

  For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these necessary things:

• Acts 17:18

  And some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were debating with him, and some were saying, “What would this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign deities,” because he was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.

• Acts 25:27

  For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without also indicating the charges against him.”

• Acts 26:9

  I indeed thought to myself that I ought to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene,

• Acts 27:13

  And when a south wind blew gently, thinking they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and were sailing along Crete close to shore.

• 1 Corinthians 3:18

  Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish, so that he may become wise.

• 1 Corinthians 4:9

  For I think God has displayed us apostles as last, as men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.

And 22 more times.