Abarim Publications' online Biblical Greek Dictionary

δεω I

• The noun δεσμη (desme), meaning a bundle or something bound (Matthew 13:30 only).
• The noun δεσμος (desmos), meaning a thing that binds: a bond or restriction; or the condition of being bound: imprisonment, bondage. This noun is used 20 times, see full concordance, and from it in turn derive:
  • The verb δεσμευω (desmeuo), meaning to apply bonds or imprison (Matthew 23:4 and Acts 22:4 only).
  • The alternate but similar verb δεσμεω (desmeo), also meaning to apply bonds or imprison (Luke 8:29 only). From this verb comes:
    • The noun δεσμιος (desmios), meaning a bound one, a prisoner. And note that in the old world imprisonment was not a form of punishment; one was thrown in prison in order to wait one's trial during which one was either acquitted or else punished with a fine, torture, forced labor, exile or death. Only on rare occasions would a person be bound — perhaps to protect others from his violent outbursts (Mark 5:3). This word is used 16 times, see full concordance, and is equivalent with the noun δεσμωτης (desmotes), see below.
  • Together with the noun φυλαξ (phulax), meaning keeper, from the verb φυλασσω (phulasso), to ward or guard: the noun δεσμοφυλαξ (desmophulax), meaning prison-keeper or warden (Acts 16:23, 16:27 and 16:36 only). In the classical world, a prison was a holding pen where to-be-tried people were held. Since these suspects might be guilty of a crime punishable by death, letting any prisoner escape translated to a death sentence to the prison-keeper.
  • The noun δεσμωτηριον (desmoterion), meaning a prison or place of bondage: a place where suspects awaited their trial. This word is used 4 times; see full concordance.
  • The noun δεσμωτης (desmotes), meaning a prisoner (Acts 27:1 and 27:42 only). A more common word for prisoner is δεσμιος (desmios), see above.
• Together with the preposition δια (dia), meaning through or throughout: the verb διαδεω (diadeo), meaning to bind throughout or all around. In the classics this verb was used for any kind of binding by winding around, but most often of hair bound together or items that bound around the head (a bandage, veil or diadem). This verb is not used in the New Testament, but from it derives:
  • The noun διαδημα (diadema), from which comes the English word diadem (Revelation 12:3, 13:1 and 19:12 only). It literally means "a binding through and through" and obviously refers to the legislative aspect of the authority of a central ruler. Since Isis and Osiris are celebrated as one of mankind's original law-givers (see the 5th century BC Hermetic work Kore Kosmou), our word originally described the headbands worn by Isis and Osiris, whose "diadem pierces the heavens and becomes a brother unto the stars" (from a Hymn to Osiris, written on a stele from the 28th dynasty). The διαδημα (diadema) was an early crown — στεφανος (stephanos) — and a signature element of the outfit of the Persian kings, then of Alexander the Great. Its significance lies in its relation to the sun — the familiar Latin word for sun, sol, gave us the adjective solo, whereas the Greek word mono gave us the word monarch — the solitary golden light-giver. Its counterpart was the silver starry night, whose anarchistic manifestation was the animal wilderness, a lawless freedom, but whose democratic ideal was the republican concept of ελευθερια (eleutheria), or lawful freedom (for more on this, see our articles on αργυρος, arguros, silver, and χρυσος, chrusos, gold). The purpose of the gospel is ελευθερια (eleutheria; Galatians 5:1), which means that everyone in Christ is Christ (John 14:20), the sovereign of his own life, and this explains why Christ is crowned with many diadems (Revelation 19:12). Any creature with a mere seven or ten crowns is a confederacy of tyrannies or an oligarchy at best (and see Mark 3:24 about that).
• Together with the preposition εν (en), meaning in, at, on: the adjective ενδεης (endees), literally meaning bound-in but in the classics descriptive of anything lacking, deficient, insufficient or inferior. Used as substantive, this word describes needy people, or people who suffer insufficient resources. As such this word appears in the New Testament (Acts 4:34 only).
• Together with the preposition κατα (kata), meaning down from or down upon: the verb καταδεω (katadeo), meaning to bind down, or to dress or bandage (Luke 10:34 only).
• Together with the preposition περι (peri), meaning around or about: the verb περιδεω (perideo), meaning to bind around: to swaddle or wrap (John 11:44 only).
• Together with the preposition συν (sun), meaning together or with: the verb συνδεω (sundeo), meaning to bind together with or jointly bind (Hebrews 13:3 only). From this word comes:
  • The noun συνδεσμος (sundesmos), meaning a thing that binds together or is bound together: a conglomeration. This noun is used 4 times; see full concordance.
• Together with the preposition υπο (hupo), meaning under, beneath: the verb υποδεω (hupodeo), meaning to bind under. This verb served as the regular verb for shoeing foot wear (Mark 6:9, Acts 12:8 and Ephesians 6:15 only), and from it in turn derives:
  • The noun υποδημα (hupodema), literally meaning under-bound and denoting foot wear: sandals or shoes. The sandal is probably a much younger invention than the shoe and even in Biblical times many cultures (including the Greeks) shunned the wearing of foot wear. The Romans normalized footwear, but only for free people, and slaves still went barefoot (Acts 7:33). This may also help to understand why John the Baptist seemed so concerned about the foot wear of Jesus (Matthew 3:11, but see Ruth 4:7). For a more detailed look at why sandals are so important in the Bible, see our article on the name Rhoda. Our noun υποδημα (hupodema) is used 10 times; see full concordance.

δεω II

An identical verb δεω (deo), or perhaps rather a specialized nuance of the previous, means to lack, miss or be in need of. This verb, or this particular specialization, is very common in the Greek classics but not at all used in the New Testament. From it, however comes:

• The curious verbal expression δει (dei) or δειν (dein), which is basically an impersonal 3rd person singular form of our parent verb, meaning: it is needed, required, necessary, fitting or even morally obligatory. The imperfect form points to something that's been long deemed necessary: it ought to be so ... according to long-standing conviction. The present tense refers to necessity derived from an acute situation. Our verb is used 104 times; see full concordance.

δεομαι

• The noun δεησις (deesis), which describes a cry of need or bondage — not yet a cry for help or a cry for deliverance, but an expression of helplessness, restraint and frustration; not the details of an elaborate aid program or escape plan, but a formless expression of the bare awareness of captivity. This noun is used 19 times; see full concordance.
• Together with the preposition προς (pros), which describes a motion toward: the difficult and paradoxical verb προσδεομαι (prosdeomai), which combines the primal awareness of restriction with willful intent. The active form, προσδεω (prosdeo), appears in the classics with the meaning of to need besides, or additionally want, but this passive adaptation (used in Acts 17:25 only) appears to be a Pauline (or Lukan) invention, apparently to respond to the assumption that the Creator created out of some need or restriction. This familiar and popular assumption ties the statement that "It is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18) to "Let us make man in our own image" (1:26) and "God is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4), and concludes that God brought about creation when he realized that he was one, and thus alone, which was not good. And that means that prior to creation, God was "not good" and became good upon creating. The so-called "problem of evil" is certainly formidable (also because both good and evil originate in the same Creator: Isaiah 45:7), but this theory of prosdeomai has more screws loose than an old Volvo. God's aloneness may have been "not good", but that didn't make God "not good" (likewise, Adam was found alone, not good, before the fall). But more importantly, God did not create out of a lack or need, particularly the kind that is described by our verb δεομαι (deomai), namely the kind that has to be solved from the outside. Said simpler: God did not create because he needed help with anything (see for a slightly more elaborate reflection on the nature of the Creator our article on the verb πασχω, pascho, to experience).

δυσ-

• Together with the verb βασταζω (bastazo), to provide footing for, to carry: the adjective δυσβαστακτος (dusbastaktos), meaning hard to bear, oppressive (Matthew 23:4 and Luke 11:46 only).
• Together with the adverb εντος (entos), meaning within or inside: the noun δυσεντερια (dusenteria), which describes all sorts of bowel discomfort, hence our English word dysentery (Acts 28:8 only).
• Together with the verb ερμηνευω (hermeneuo), meaning to interpret, explain or translate: the adjective δυσερμηνευτος (dusermeneutos), meaning hard to interpret or understand (Hebrews 5:11 only).
• Together with the adjective κολοσ (kolos), which is of unclear meaning (but probably stopped, settled or arrested: i.e. pleased, no longer looking about): the equally mysterious adjective δυσκολος (duskolos), meaning discontent, difficult or hard to please, apparently in the sense of hard to satisfy and stop looking around for something better (Mark 10:24 only). From this adjective n turn comes:
  • The adverb δυσκολως (duskolos), meaning discontentedly, with difficulty or unsatisfactorily (Matthew 19:23, Mark 10:23 and Luke 18:24 only).
• Together with the verb νοεω (noeo), meaning to understand by reason: the adjective δυσνοητος (dusnoetos), meaning hard to understand, hard to attain to logically (2 Peter 3:16 only).
• Together with the noun φημη (pheme), meaning rumor: the noun δυσφημια (dusphemia), meaning gossip or to spread bad words: to slander, malign or poison verbally (2 Corinthians 6:8 only). It's the opposite of ευφημος (euphemos), to use good words.