διά

diathrough/because ofHow to read Greek
greekNew TestamentPreposition667 occurrences27 books600 verses

Definition

διά (before a vowel δ᾽, exc. Romans 8:10, 2 Corinthians 5:7, and in (Proper name)s; Tdf., Pr., 94),

prep. with genitive, accusative, as in cl.;

1. with genitive, through;

(i) of Place, after verbs of motion or action: Matthew 2:12; 12:43, Mark 2:23, Luke 4:30, John 4:4, 2 Corinthians 11:33, al.; σώζεσθαι (διας-) δ. πυρός, ὕδατος, 1 Corinthians 3:15, 1 Peter 3:20; βλέπειν δ. ἐσόπτρου, 1 Corinthians 13:12; metaphorically, of a state or condition: Romans 14:20, 2 Corinthians 2:4; 5:7, 10; δ. γράμματος, ἀκροβυστίας (Lft., Notes, 263, 279), Romans 2:27; 4:11; δι ̓ὑπομενῆς, Romans 8:25.

(ii) Of Time;

(a) during which: Matthew 26:61, Mark 14:58, Luke 5:5; δ. παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν, Hebrews 2:15; δ. παντός (διαπαντός in Mark 5:5, Luke 24:53), always, continually, Matthew 18:10, Acts 2:25" (LXX) 10:2 24:16, Romans 11:10" (LXX), 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Hebrews 9:6; 13:15.

(b) within which: Acts 1:3; δ. νυκτός, Acts 5:19; 16:9; 17:10; 23:31;

(with) after which (Field, Notes, 20; Abbott, JG, 255f.): Mark 2:1, Acts 24:17, Galatians 2:1.

(iii) Of the Means or Instrument;

(1) of the efficient cause (regarded also as the instrument): of God, Romans 11:36, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Galatians 4:7, Hebrews 2:10; 7:21; of Christ, Romans 1:8; 5:1, 17, 1 Corinthians 15:21, 1 Peter 4:11, al.; δ. τ. ὑμῶν δεήσεως, Romans 1:12, 2 Corinthians 1:4, Galatians 4:23, al.;

(2) of the agent, instrument or means;

(a) with genitive of person(s), Matthew 11:2, Luke 1:70, John 1:17, Acts 1:16, Romans 2:16, 1 Corinthians 1:21, Ephesians 1:5, Hebrews 2:14, Revelation 1:1, al.; ὑπὸ τ. κυρίου δ. τ. προφήτου (δ. τ. κυρίου, 1 Thessalonians 4:2 (M, Th., in l.); Lft., Rev., 121f.), Matthew 1:22; 2:15, Romans 1:2; δ. ἐπιστολῆς ὡς δ. ἡμῶν (Field, Notes, 202), 2 Thessalonians 2:2; δ. Σ. (NTD, 22), 1 Peter 5:12;

(b) with genitive of thing(s) (where often the simple dative is used in cl.; Jannaris, Gr., 375), John 11:4, Acts 5:12; δ. τ. πίστεως, Romans 3:30; δ. λόγου θεοῦ, 1 Peter 1:23; δ. παραβολῆς, Luke 8:4; δουλεύειν δ. τ. ἀγάπης, Galatians 5:13; δ. ἐπαγγελίας, Galatians 3:18,

2. C. accusative;

(i) rarely, as with genitive, through (Hom), δ. μέσον Σαμαρίας (ICC, in l.; Bl., §42, 1; Robertson, Gr., 581), Luke 17:11.

(ii) by reason of, because of, for the sake of;

(a) with accusative of person(s) (M, Pr., 105), Mark 2:27, John 6:57; 11:42, Romans 8:20;

(b) with accusative of thing(s), δ. φθόνον, Matthew 27:18, Mark 15:10; δ. φόβον, John 7:13; 20:19; δ. ἀγάπην, Ephesians 2:4; δ. τοῦτο, freq., for this cause, therefore, Matthew 6:25, Mark 6:14, Luke 11:49, John 6:65, al.; id. before ὅτι, John 5:16; 10:17, al.; δ. τί, why, Matthew 9:11, 14, Mark 2:18, John 7:45, al.; δ. τό, with inf., Mark 5:4, Luke 9:7, James 4:2.

3. In composition,

(1) through, as in διαβαίνω;

(2) of separation, asunder, as in διασπάω;

(3) of distribution, abroad, as in διαγγέλλω;

(4) of transition, as διαλλάσσω;

(5) of "perfective" action (M, Pr., 112f., 115f.), as διαφύγω, διακαθαρίζω.

Hebrew words it translates

The Hebrew words that the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament renders as διά:

Usage patterns

Old TestamentNew Testament

Occurrences

667 total
  1. Acts 3:21διὰ · through
    Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets.
  2. Acts 4:2διὰ · that
    …greatly disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
  3. Acts 4:16δι’ · through
    “What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it.
  4. Acts 4:21διὰ · because
    After further threats they let them go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened.
  5. Acts 4:25διὰ · by
    You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
  6. Acts 4:30διὰ · through
    …as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
  7. Acts 5:3διὰ · how is it that
    Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land?
  8. Acts 5:12Διὰ
    The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
  9. Acts 5:19διὰ · during
    But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,
  10. Acts 7:25διὰ
    He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.
  11. Acts 8:11διὰ · because
    They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.
  12. Acts 8:18διὰ · through
    When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.
  13. Acts 8:20διὰ · with
    But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
  14. Acts 9:25διὰ · through [ a window ]
    One night, however, his disciples took him and lowered him in a basket through a window in the wall.
  15. Acts 9:32διὰ · throughout
    As Peter traveled throughout the area, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.
  16. Acts 10:2διὰ · regularly
    He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.
  17. Acts 10:21δι’
    So Peter went down to the men and said, “Here am I, the one you are looking for. Why have you come?”
  18. Acts 10:36διὰ · through
    He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
  19. Acts 10:43διὰ · through
    All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
  20. Acts 11:28διὰ · through
    One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted through the Spirit that a great famine would sweep across the whole world. (This happened under Claudius.)
  21. Acts 11:30διὰ · with
    This they did, sending their gifts to the elders with Barnabas and Saul.
  22. Acts 12:9διὰ
    So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was only seeing a vision.
  23. Acts 12:20διὰ · because
    Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.
  24. Acts 13:38διὰ · through
    Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
  25. Acts 13:49δι’ · throughout
    And the word of the Lord spread throughout that region.
  26. Acts 14:3διὰ
    So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
  27. Acts 14:22Διὰ · endure
    …strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
  28. Acts 15:7διὰ · from
    After much discussion, Peter got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you that the Gentiles would hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
  29. Acts 15:11διὰ · [it is] through
    On the contrary, we believe it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
  30. Acts 15:12δι’ · through
    The whole assembly fell silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.
  31. Acts 15:23διὰ
    …and sent them with this letter: The apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.
  32. Acts 15:27διὰ
    Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to tell you in person the same things we are writing.
  33. Acts 15:32διὰ · said much
    Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
  34. Acts 16:3διὰ · on account of
    Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, so he took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
  35. Acts 16:9διὰ · During
    During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
  36. Acts 17:10διὰ
    As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
  37. Acts 18:2διὰ · because
    There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them,
  38. Acts 18:3διὰ · because
    …and he stayed and worked with them because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was.
  39. Acts 18:9δι’ · in
    One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.
  40. Acts 18:27διὰ · by
    When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
  41. Acts 18:28διὰ · from
    For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
  42. Acts 19:11διὰ · through
    God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul,
  43. Acts 19:26διὰ
    And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.
  44. Acts 20:3διὰ · through
    …where he stayed three months. And when the Jews formed a plot against him as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.
  45. Acts 20:28διὰ · with
    Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
  46. Acts 21:4διὰ · Through
    We sought out the disciples in Tyre and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they kept telling Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
  47. Acts 21:19διὰ · through
    Paul greeted them and recounted one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
  48. Acts 21:34διὰ · because of
    Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, and some another. And since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks.
  49. Acts 21:35διὰ · because of
    When Paul reached the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.
  50. Acts 22:24δι’ · for
    …the commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him.