Anagkē ἀνάγκη

Anagkē (Greek ἀνάγκη, Strong's G318) is a Greek feminine noun meaning “necessity”. It occurs 18 times in 18 verses of the New Testament.

Definition

From the STEPBible Brief Lexicon of Greek (based on Abbott-Smith), STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.

Translated as

Verses

Every verse with Anagkē, with the English words that translate it highlighted (KJV or BSB; other translations show the KJV here).

Matthew

• Matthew 18:7
  Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!

Luke

• Luke 14:18
  And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’
• Luke 21:23
  But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.
• Luke 23:17
  (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)(not included in this translation)

Romans

• Romans 13:5
  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.

1 Corinthians

• 1 Corinthians 7:26
  I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.Because of the present crisis, I think it is good for a man to remain as he is.
• 1 Corinthians 7:37
  Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.But the man who is firmly established in his heart and under no constraint, with control over his will and resolve in his heart not to marry the virgin, he will do well.
• 1 Corinthians 9:16
  For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 6:4
  But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities;
• 2 Corinthians 9:7
  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.
• 2 Corinthians 12:10
  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

1 Thessalonians

• 1 Thessalonians 3:7
  Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we have been reassured about you, because of your faith.

Philemon

• Philemon 1:14
  But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but by your own free will.

Hebrews

• Hebrews 7:12
  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed as well.
• Hebrews 7:27
  Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.
• Hebrews 9:16
  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.In the case of a will, it is necessary to establish the death of the one who made it,
• Hebrews 9:23
  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.So it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Jude

• Jude 1:3
  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.Beloved, although I made every effort to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt it necessary to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith entrusted once for all to the saints.

Notes

1. Definition and verse list from STEPBible's tagged Hebrew Old Testament (TAHOT) and Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Brief Lexicons, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.
2. English renderings from the public-domain KJV with Strong's numbers (eBible.org) and the Berean Standard Bible interlinear (public domain).