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Greek verb · G5342

φέρω

pherofer'-o

to bear, carry; to bear, endure; to bring, bring forward; to bear, produce, bring forth; to bring, lead

66 uses in the Greek text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key

Concordance spelling: phérō

Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's G5342is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.

  • 12 of 27
    New Testament books
  • 33
    spellings
  • 5
    meanings

The definition in full

Strong's key (1890) · G5342

to "bear" or carry (in a very wide application, literally and figuratively, as follows)

The King James renders it: be, bear, bring (forth), carry, come, + let her drive, be driven, endure, go on, lay, lead, move, reach, rushing, uphold.

James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.

Summary

phero is rendered "to bear, carry; to bear, endure; to bring, bring forward; to bear, produce, bring forth; to bring, lead". It stands 66 times in the Greek text, across twelve books.

  • Seventeen of the uses stand in John, more than in any other book.
  • The lexicon lists five meanings for it, beginning with "to bear, carry".
  • Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.Matthew 14:11John’s head was brought in on a platter and presented to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
  • The Greek text spells it thirty-three different ways.

The first use

John’s head was brought in on a platter and presented to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

Matthew 14:11ἠνέχθη

The first use, in the order of the New Testament's books.

Where the word stands

Seventeen of the word's sixty-six uses are in John.

The other 15 New Testament books never use the word.

What the word means

The word carries five meanings: to bear, carry, and to bear, endure, and to bring, bring forward, and to bear, produce, bring forth, and to bring, lead.

Each meaning, and the words it is translated by

The English STEP Bible gives each use, word by word, and how many times.
to bear, carryTagged as
  • bearing4
  • was brought3
  • they brought2
  • you may bear2
  • bears1
  • being carried1
  • bring1
  • bring you1

and 24 more, 39 uses in all

WhereLuke 23:26As the soldiers led Him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene on his way in from the country…
to bear, endureTagged as
  • bore1
  • they were bearing1
WhereRomans 9:22What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known…
to bring, bring forwardwith accusative of person(s), Act.5:16; id. before πρός, Mrk.1:32 2:3 9:17, 19-20; ἐπί, Luk.5:18; with dative, Mrk.7:32 8:22; with...Tagged as
  • do bring9
  • bringing3
  • they bring3
  • they were bringing2
  • carrying1
  • to be brought1
WhereMark 1:32That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all who were sick and demon-possessed,
to bear, produce, bring forthκαρπόν, Mat.7:18, Mrk.4:8, Jhn.12:24 15:2, 4-5 15:8, 16.Tagged as
  • it bears1
  • was bearing1
WhereMatthew 7:18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
to bring, leadMrk.15:22Tagged as
  • having brought2
  • is leading1
  • will bring1
WhereMatthew 11:8Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look…

The words built on the same word-part

Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.

The words it stands beside

All 66, in canonical order

Every use, in order

Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.

33 spellings and their grammar

STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.

How it is spelled

  • φέρουσιν6
  • ἤνεγκεν5
  • φέρετε5
  • ἔφερον4
  • φέροντες4
  • ἤνεγκαν3
  • φέρε3
  • φέρει3
  • φέρετέ3
  • ἐνέγκας2
  • ἠνέχθη2
  • φέρειν2

and 21 more spellings in the ledger below.

The grammar of each form

  • verb · present active, command · 2nd person plural7V-PAM-2P
  • verb · present active, indicative · 3rd person plural6V-PAI-3P
  • verb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singular5V-AAI-3S
  • verb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person plural4V-IAI-3P
  • verb · present active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine plural4V-PAP-NPM
  • verb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person plural3V-AAI-3P
  • verb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singular3V-PAI-3S
  • verb · present active, command · 2nd person singular3V-PAM-2S
  • verb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singular2V-AAP-NSM
  • verb · aorist passive, indicative · 3rd person singular2V-API-3S
  • verb · present active, infinitive (“to…”)2V-PAN
  • verb · present active, participle · accusative (object) · neuter singular2V-PAP-ASN

Matthew

four uses
  • John’s head was brought in on a platter and presented to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

    Matthew 14:11

    • ἠνέχθηenechtheverb · aorist passive, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: was brought
    • ἤνεγκενenegkenverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: she brought
  • “Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said.

    Matthew 14:18

    • φέρετέphereteverb · present active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do bring
  • “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.”

    Matthew 17:17

    • φέρετέphereteverb · present active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do bring

Mark

fifteen uses
  • That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all who were sick and demon-possessed,

    Mark 1:32

    • ἔφερονepheronverb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they were bringing
  • Then a paralytic was brought to Him, carried by four men.

    Mark 2:3

    • φέροντεςpherontesverb · present active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine pluraltagged: bringing
  • Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”

    Mark 4:8

    • ἔφερενepherenverb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: was bearing
  • So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison.

    Mark 6:27

    • ἐνέγκαιenegkaiverb · aorist active, infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to be brought
  • The man brought John’s head on a platter and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.

    Mark 6:28

    • ἤνεγκενenegkenverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: brought
  • Some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him.

    Mark 7:32

    • φέρουσινpherousinverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they bring
  • When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

    Mark 8:22

    • φέρουσινpherousinverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they bring
  • Someone in the crowd replied, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute.

    Mark 9:17

    • ἤνεγκαenegkaverb · aorist active, indicative · 1st person singulartagged: I brought
  • “O unbelieving generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.”

    Mark 9:19

    • φέρετεphereteverb · present active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do bring
  • So they brought him, and seeing Jesus, the spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

    Mark 9:20

    • ἤνεγκανenegkanverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they brought
  • and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

    Mark 11:2

    • φέρετεphereteverb · present active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do lead
  • Then they led the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and He sat on it.

    Mark 11:7

    • φέρουσινpherousinverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they lead
  • But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to inspect.”

    Mark 12:15

    • φέρετέphereteverb · present active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do bring
  • So they brought it, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they answered.

    Mark 12:16

    • ἤνεγκανenegkanverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they brought
  • They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull.

    Mark 15:22

    • φέρουσινpherousinverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they bring

Luke

four uses
  • Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus,

    Luke 5:18

    • φέροντεςpherontesverb · present active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine pluraltagged: carrying
  • Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us feast and celebrate.

    Luke 15:23

    • φέρετεphereteverb · present active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do bring
  • As the soldiers led Him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.

    Luke 23:26

    • φέρεινphereinverb · present active, infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to carry
  • On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.

    Luke 24:1

    • φέρουσαιpherousaiverb · present active, participle · nominative (subject) · feminine pluraltagged: bringing

John

seventeen uses
  • “Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so,

    John 2:8

    • φέρετεphereteverb · present active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do carry
    • ἤνεγκανenegkanverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: carried
  • So the disciples asked one another, “Could someone have brought Him food?”

    John 4:33

    • ἤνεγκενenegkenverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: did bring
  • Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

    John 12:24

    • φέρειphereiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: it bears
  • He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

    John 15:2

    • φέρονpheronverb · present active, participle · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: bearing
    • φέρονpheronverb · present active, participle · accusative (object) · neuter singulartagged: bearing
    • φέρῃphereverb · present active, subjunctive · 3rd person singulartagged: it may bear
  • Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.

    John 15:4

    • φέρεινphereinverb · present active, infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to bear
  • I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

    John 15:5

    • φέρειphereiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: bears
  • This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.

    John 15:8

    • φέρητεphereteverb · present active, subjunctive · 2nd person pluraltagged: you may bear
  • You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

    John 15:16

    • φέρητεphereteverb · present active, subjunctive · 2nd person pluraltagged: you may bear
  • So Pilate went out to them and asked, “What accusation are you bringing against this man?”

    John 18:29

    • φέρετεphereteverb · present active, indicative · 2nd person pluraltagged: bring you
  • Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

    John 19:39

    • φέρωνpheronverb · present active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: bearing
  • Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”

    John 20:27

    • φέρεphereverb · present active, command · 2nd person singulartagged: do bring
    • φέρεphereverb · present active, command · 2nd person singulartagged: do bring
  • Jesus told them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

    John 21:10

    • ἐνέγκατεenegkateverb · aorist active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do bring
  • Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

    John 21:18

    • οἴσειoiseiverb · future active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: will bring

Acts

ten uses
  • Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

    Acts 2:2

    • φερομένηςpheromenesverb · present passive, participle · genitive (“of”) · feminine singulartagged: rushing
  • There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales,

    Acts 4:34

    • ἔφερονepheronverb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they were bringing
  • sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

    Acts 4:37

    • ἤνεγκενenegkenverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: he brought
  • With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

    Acts 5:2

    • ἐνέγκαςenegkasverb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: having brought
  • Crowds also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.

    Acts 5:16

    • φέροντεςpherontesverb · present active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine pluraltagged: bringing
  • They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.

    Acts 12:10

    • φέρουσανpherousanverb · present active, participle · accusative (object) · feminine singulartagged: is leading
  • The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates, hoping to offer a sacrifice along with the crowds.

    Acts 14:13

    • ἐνέγκαςenegkasverb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: having brought
  • But when his accusers rose to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.

    Acts 25:18

    • ἔφερονepheronverb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: were bringing
  • Unable to head into the wind, the ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven along.

    Acts 27:15

    • ἐφερόμεθαepheromethaverb · imperfect passive, indicative · 1st person pluraltagged: we were driven along
  • After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along.

    Acts 27:17

    • ἐφέροντοepherontoverb · imperfect passive, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they were driven along

Romans

one use
  • What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?

    Romans 9:22

    • ἤνεγκενenegkenverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: bore

2 Timothy

one use
  • When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

    2 Timothy 4:13

    • φέρεphereverb · present active, command · 2nd person singulartagged: do bring

Hebrews

five uses
  • The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

    Hebrews 1:3

    • φέρωνpheronverb · present active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: upholding
  • Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God,

    Hebrews 6:1

    • φερώμεθαpheromethaverb · present passive, subjunctive · 1st person pluraltagged: we may go on
  • In the case of a will, it is necessary to establish the death of the one who made it,

    Hebrews 9:16

    • φέρεσθαιpheresthaiverb · present passive, infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to establish
  • For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”

    Hebrews 12:20

    • ἔφερονepheronverb · imperfect active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they were bearing
  • Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore.

    Hebrews 13:13

    • φέροντεςpherontesverb · present active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine pluraltagged: bearing

1 Peter

one use
  • Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

    1 Peter 1:13

    • φερομένηνpheromenenverb · present passive, participle · accusative (object) · feminine singulartagged: is being brought

2 Peter

five uses
  • For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

    2 Peter 1:17

    • ἐνεχθείσηςenechtheisesverb · aorist passive, participle · genitive (“of”) · feminine singulartagged: was brought
  • And we ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

    2 Peter 1:18

    • ἐνεχθεῖσανenechtheisanverb · aorist passive, participle · accusative (object) · feminine singulartagged: having been brought
  • For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

    2 Peter 1:21

    • ἠνέχθηenechtheverb · aorist passive, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: was brought
    • φερόμενοιpheromenoiverb · present passive, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine pluraltagged: being carried
  • Yet not even angels, though greater in strength and power, dare to bring such slanderous charges against them before the Lord.

    2 Peter 2:11

    • φέρουσινpherousinverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they do bring

2 John

one use
  • If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him.

    2 John 1:10

    • φέρειphereiverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: does bring

Revelation

two uses
  • By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory.

    Revelation 21:24

    • φέρουσινpherousinverb · present active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: bring
  • And into the city will be brought the glory and honor of the nations.

    Revelation 21:26

    • οἴσουσινoisousinverb · future active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they will bring

Where it leads

How the numbers are counted

Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.

Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.

The words it stands beside are the nouns, verbs and adjectives immediately before or after it, counted in every verse where the word stands. The article, the conjunctions and the prepositions are left out, because they stand beside every word.

Hebrew and Greek text, word tagging and grammar: STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org), Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0. Their grammar codes are written out in English here and shown as tagged beside each one.

Meaning and senses: STEP Bible TBESG (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0), the Brief lexicon based on Abbott-Smith (1922).

Dictionary key: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890, public domain). English verse text: Berean Standard Bible (public domain, 2023).

Revised 2026-09-05. Every cited work, the sources registry →