ἕνεκα
heneka, ehineken
because of
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word ἕνεκα (heneka) is translated as "because of" and appears 26 times in the Bible. Its primary function is to indicate the reason or motivation behind an action or event. This word serves as a preposition, often connecting the noun that follows it to the main clause and clarifying its purpose or motivation. In terms of range of usage, ἕνεκα is used to introduce a variety of reasons, including gratitude, obligation, and consequences. For example, it may be used to express thankfulness, as in a situation where something is done because of or in response to a favor (e.g., a gift given because of a person's kindness). In other instances, it may indicate an obligation or requirement, such as a command given because of a certain reason. The significance of ἕνεκα lies in its ability to provide clarity and precision in understanding the motivations and intentions behind human actions. By specifying the reason or cause behind an event or action, this word allows readers to better grasp the context and nuances of a situation, and to appreciate the complexity and richness of human relationships and interactions.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
26 total occurrences across the text
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5:11“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Matthew 10:18Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.
Matthew 10:39He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 19:5and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?’
Matthew 19:29Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life.
Mark 8:35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it.
Mark 10:7For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will join to his wife,
Mark 10:29Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News,
Mark 10:29Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News,
Mark 13:9But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them.
Luke 4:18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,
Luke 6:22Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.
Luke 9:24For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, will save it.
Luke 18:29He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for God’s Kingdom’s sake,
Luke 21:12But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake.
Acts 19:32Some therefore cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion. Most of them didn’t know why they had come together.
Acts 28:20For this cause therefore I asked to see you and to speak with you. For because of the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”
Romans 8:36Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Romans 14:20Don’t overthrow God’s work for food’s sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.
2 Corinthians 3:10For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses.
2 Corinthians 7:12So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be revealed in you in the sight of God.
2 Corinthians 7:12So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be revealed in you in the sight of God.
2 Corinthians 7:12So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be revealed in you in the sight of God.
Acts 26:21For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.