Lexicon
τολμάω
tolmaō
G5111
G:V Greek

be bold

16
Occurrences
10
Books
Greek
Language

tolmao describes venturing to do or say something despite restraint, risk, or reluctance.

The occurrences describe venturing to act, speak, ask, or even die where hesitation, danger, or a limiting boundary is in view. The same verb can mark actions people do not venture to take, such as questioning or joining others, and actions undertaken with unusual readiness, such as speaking, entering before Pilate, or dying for another.

Senses in use

  1. Venturing despite restraint or risk · dominant

    The verb marks both reluctance and readiness before a difficult action: in Acts 5:13 the APB renders that none “dared to join them,” while in Mark 15:43 Joseph came and, “having been bold,” entered to Pilate to request Jesus’ body. It also frames constrained speech or questioning: in Matthew 22:46 no one dared to question Jesus further, whereas in Philippians 1:14 the brothers are rendered as bold to speak the word fearlessly.

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the verses, the APB variously uses “dared,” “bold,” “having been bold,” and “presume.” These renderings portray the verse-level situations of restraint or readiness, but the translation does not identify a fixed English equivalent for each occurrence.

Passages featuring this word

Across Scripture