to put something where other people can see it for themselves: to hold it up, point it out, or lay out the evidence for a claim
TranslatabilityApproximateCertaintySettled
This is the plain Greek verb for showing (δεικνύω) with a prefix that pushes it toward putting a thing on view for others. The core picture stays the same through all seven New Testament uses: someone makes something available to another person's eyes. What changes is what gets held up, and how much rides on the looking.
Sometimes it is an ordinary object. Jesus asks for the coin used to pay the tax, and the disciples call his attention to the temple buildings.
Sometimes it is a person. Ten men with a skin disease are told to present themselves to the priests, which was the inspection the law required before anyone could be pronounced clean.
Sometimes it is a claim. Apollos argues in public from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah, and God adds an oath to his promise so that the heirs can see for themselves that his purpose will not shift.
That last group is where English usually stops saying "show" and starts saying "prove." The switch is a translator's choice, not a change of Greek word. Greek can keep one verb because it treats proving as a kind of showing: you do not merely assert your case, you set the evidence out where people can look at it. That is what makes the word fit Hebrews 6:17 so well. God does not just state that his purpose is unchangeable; he supplies something his heirs can look at.
The gentlest use is in Acts 9:39, where the widows of Joppa stand around Peter weeping and holding up the tunics and coats Dorcas had made. The word there carries a hint that the clothes were theirs to show, which is why the scene reads as grief with evidence in hand rather than as a display staged for a visitor.
Nuances
1ato hold something up or point it out so another person can look at it
Mat 16:1Mat 22:19Mat 24:1Act 9:39
1bto present a person, including yourself, for someone else's inspection
Luk 17:14
1cto establish a point by setting the evidence out in the open
the Greek verb pictures a thing lifted up and set where eyes can rest on it, which is why it fits a coin held out and a building pointed atMat 22:19Mat 24:1
it stretches to setting evidence out in public so that a claim can be checked, a reach English "show" only barely hasAct 18:28Heb 6:17
it covers presenting a person for official examination, where English needs the whole phrase "show yourselves to" to get thereLuk 17:14
Both
both are the ordinary way to say that one person let another person see somethingMat 22:19Act 9:39
Only show
English "show" slides easily into putting on a show, suggesting appearance without substance, which is no part of this word
"show" in English also covers escorting a person somewhere and demonstrating a skill, uses this verb does not carry
even where the point is proof, the Greek keeps the picture of laying something out where people can look at it, which is why the same verb also serves for a coin and a buildingAct 18:28Heb 6:17
Both
both are used for making a case with evidence rather than by bare assertionAct 18:28
Only prove
English "prove" suggests a finished argument that settles the question, while the Greek word names the act of putting the evidence in view
"prove" in English can also mean to put something to the test, a sense this verb never has
“point out”
Comparison data is not available for this English gloss yet.
“display”
Comparison data is not available for this English gloss yet.
“demonstrate”
Comparison data is not available for this English gloss yet.
How epideiknumi differs from similar Greek words
δεικνύωthe plain verb for showing, which can point at a thing or simply let a person see it; this word adds the sense of holding something out in public for others to examine
Lays out evidence until a claim is settled, so the point is not merely seen but proved. Apollos works through the Scriptures in public until his case stands, and God swears an oath so that the heirs of the promise cannot doubt his purpose.Act 18:28Heb 6:17
Puts a thing on display for onlookers to take in, calling attention to it: the disciples steering Jesus toward the temple buildings so he will look them over, the widows bringing out the clothes Dorcas made and holding them up one by one.Mat 24:1Act 9:39
Both
Both carry the demand that a sign be produced as credentials, put by people who want Jesus to justify himself before they will accept what he does.Mat 16:1Jhn 2:18
Both are used of a healed man sent to present himself to the priests, so that the cure can be examined and certified.Luk 17:14Mat 8:4Mrk 1:44Luk 5:14
Both appear for the very same request in the tax question, where Jesus asks that the coin be handed over so its picture and its wording can be looked at closely. Matthew uses one word and Luke the other for that one moment.Mat 22:19Luk 20:24
Opens up what a person could never have seen on their own: a vision granted, a heavenly plan for the tent of worship, all the kingdoms of the world spread out at once. The seeing is a gift given from the other side, not an inspection the viewer could have arranged.Rev 1:1Rev 4:1Rev 21:10Heb 8:5Mat 4:8
Stretches to making a truth plain when there is no object to hold up at all. Jesus begins telling his followers what lies ahead of him, God settles for Peter that no person is unclean, and Paul turns his readers toward a better way to live.Mat 16:21Act 10:281Co 12:31
Points a person toward a place: the land God will bring Abraham to, the upstairs room a stranger will indicate as the one already made ready.Act 7:3Mrk 14:15Luk 22:12
ἐνδείκνυμιdisplays something the doer already possesses, such as power or kindness, and displays it by acting; this word puts an object, a person, or a piece of evidence in front of someone else
Something physical is held out or pointed at so another person can look straight at it: a coin, the temple buildings, the clothing a dead woman had sewn.Mat 22:19Mat 24:1Act 9:39
The showing is a formal presentation to someone with the standing to inspect and rule on it, whether the priests who certify a healing or opponents demanding a sign on their own terms.Luk 17:14Mat 16:1
It covers laying out evidence to settle an argument, so it can mean "prove": Apollos proved his case from the Scriptures, and God added an oath to put his purpose beyond question.Act 18:28Heb 6:17
Both
Both mean putting something where another person can see it instead of keeping it out of sight, and both name the audience it is aimed at.2Co 8:24Act 9:39
Neither is limited to objects: each can make an unseen thing plain, so both edge toward the idea of furnishing proof.Rom 2:15Act 18:28
Either word can have God as the one showing, describing him making his own dealings with people unmistakable.Rom 9:22Heb 6:17
What gets shown is a quality of the person doing the showing, made visible in how they treat other people: good faith, gentleness, love, or steady effort kept up to the end.Tit 2:10Tit 3:2Heb 6:10Heb 6:11
Because the showing happens through conduct rather than by handing anything over, the word can also describe treatment that harms someone: what Alexander "showed" Paul was injury.2Ti 4:14
When God is the one showing, what he puts on display is something of his own character worked out on people across time: power in Pharaoh, patience held back toward those under judgment, kindness in the ages to come, and unlimited forbearance in a single convert.Rom 9:17Eph 2:71Ti 1:16
ἀποδείκνυμιexhibits someone or something as accredited or proved, and can carry the weight of a public verdict; this word stays closer to the simple act of holding a thing up to be looked at
Much of the time this word is nothing weightier than holding a thing out so someone can look at it. Jesus asks for the tax coin to be handed up where he can see it, the widows lift the clothes Dorcas sewed, and the disciples point out the temple stonework to him.Mat 22:19Act 9:39Mat 24:1
It also covers presenting yourself or your evidence for someone else's inspection, where the ruling belongs to the person doing the looking, not to the one doing the showing. The healed men go present themselves to the priests, who must certify them, and the questioners demand a sign from the sky so they can sit in judgment on it.Luk 17:14Mat 16:1
Both
Both words mean making something visible on purpose, in front of watchers, rather than letting it be noticed by accident. Paul writes of apostles set out as a public show, and Luke describes grieving widows deliberately bringing out the garments for Peter to see.1Co 4:9Act 9:39
Both can be used of settling a claim by laying the evidence in plain sight, which is why either one gets rendered "prove" or "demonstrate" in English. Paul's accusers cannot make their charges stick, Apollos works through the Scriptures in public until his case is plain, and God adds an oath so the heirs can see how unchangeable his purpose is.Act 25:7Act 18:28Heb 6:17
This is the word for putting someone forward as vouched for, so that the showing itself amounts to a stamp of approval. Peter says God backed Jesus with acts of power in full view of the crowd, and the rebel in Paul's warning tries to counterfeit exactly that move by installing himself in God's temple and claiming the standing for himself.Act 2:222Th 2:4
Because the showing carries a verdict, it can just as easily hand down disgrace as honor. Paul says God put the apostles on show at the very bottom of the order, like men already condemned, a spectacle staged for the whole world to watch.1Co 4:9
φανερόωbrings into the open what had been hidden, so the stress falls on the uncovering; this word assumes the thing is at hand and puts it where it can be seen
Produces a thing that is already at hand and holds it out to be looked at. Nothing was hidden; someone asks, and the object is brought out: the coin used for the tax (Matthew 22:19), the temple buildings pointed out to Jesus as the disciples walked past (Matthew 24:1), the tunics and coats Dorcas had sewn, held up for Peter to see (Acts 9:39).Mat 22:19Mat 24:1Act 9:39
Presents something for official inspection, so that a person with authority can look it over and give a verdict. The healed men are sent to the priests to be checked (Luke 17:14), and Jesus is pressed for a sign his opponents can examine (Matthew 16:1).Luk 17:14Mat 16:1
Builds a case, laying out the evidence piece by piece until an audience is convinced. Apollos works through the Scriptures in public to prove that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 18:28), and God adds an oath so the heirs of the promise can see beyond any doubt that his purpose does not shift (Hebrews 6:17). The weight falls on persuading people, not on uncovering something that was out of sight.Act 18:28Heb 6:17
Both
Both can take a person as the thing put in view, so English Bibles render each of them "show" with a personal object. The cleansed men are told to show themselves to the priests (Luke 17:14), Jesus is urged to show himself to the world (John 7:4), and later he does show himself to the disciples by the sea (John 21:1).Luk 17:14Jhn 7:4Jhn 21:1
Both are used for making something plain enough that an audience is won over. Apollos argues his case from the Scriptures (Acts 18:28), and Paul says he and his coworkers have been made plain to God and hopes they are plain to the consciences of the Corinthians too (2 Corinthians 5:11), having made everything plain among them (2 Corinthians 11:6).Act 18:282Co 5:112Co 11:6
Both can have God as the one doing the showing, letting people in on his own purpose or name. God shows the heirs of the promise how settled his intention is (Hebrews 6:17), Jesus says he has made the Father's name known to those given him (John 17:6), and God himself has made plain to people what can be known of him (Romans 1:19).Heb 6:17Jhn 17:6Rom 1:19
Brings into the open what had genuinely been hidden, sometimes hidden for ages. A secret kept quiet through generation after generation is now out in the open (Colossians 1:26), and Jesus says nothing is hidden except so that it may come out into the light (Mark 4:22).Col 1:26Mrk 4:22
Used of God and of Christ becoming known where they had not been seen. Jesus lets his glory be seen in the first sign (John 2:11), Christ appears in a human body (1 Timothy 3:16), he appears at the close of the ages to deal with sin (Hebrews 9:26), and the Son of God appears to undo the devil's work (1 John 3:8).Jhn 2:111Ti 3:16Heb 9:261Jn 3:8
Drags hidden character and motive into the light, often at judgment, when no one wanted it seen. What each person actually did comes out before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), the Lord will light up the secrets of the dark and bring out what hearts were planning (1 Corinthians 4:5), and those who walked away turned out to have never belonged (1 John 2:19).2Co 5:101Co 4:51Jn 2:19
Often nobody does the showing at all: the thing simply comes to light. Everything exposed by the light becomes visible (Ephesians 5:13), Jesus becomes visible to two walking to the country in a form they did not recognize (Mark 16:12), and what believers will one day be has not yet come to light (1 John 3:2).Eph 5:13Mrk 16:121Jn 3:2
epideiknumi in the other biblical languages
רָאָהHebrew“to see: see”the common Hebrew verb for seeing; when it is used to mean causing someone to see, it covers much of the same ground, and the Greek Old Testament renders it with verbs of this family, including the inspection language behind Luke 17:14
Always describes the person doing the showing, never the person doing the looking. Every use puts an object in front of someone else: a coin held out for Jesus to look at, the temple buildings pointed out to him, the clothes Dorcas made held up for the mourners.Mat 22:19Mat 24:1Act 9:39
Stretches beyond holding something up to laying out a case, so that it can be rendered "prove" or "demonstrate". Apollos works through the Scriptures until his hearers can see that Jesus is the Messiah, and God adds an oath so the heirs of the promise can see how settled his purpose is.Act 18:28Heb 6:17
Both
Both cover putting something where another person can see it. Where the Old Testament uses this Hebrew verb for God showing Abram the land and showing Moses the design he is to copy, the Greek word does that same job in the New Testament, whether the crowd is demanding a sign to look at or the disciples are pointing out the temple buildings.Gen 12:1Exo 25:9Mat 16:1Mat 24:1
Both are the word for presenting a case of skin disease to a priest for his verdict. The Hebrew rules say the mark is to be shown to the priest, and Jesus tells the ten men to go and show themselves to the priests, which is the same procedure in the same words.Lev 13:49Luk 17:14
This is the plain Hebrew word for seeing with your eyes, which the Greek word never means. God looks at the light and judges it good, Eve looks at the fruit, Lot looks out over the whole Jordan valley.Gen 1:4Gen 3:6Gen 13:10
Covers the examiner's own looking, the other half of an inspection. The priest looks closely at the sore and gives his ruling, and God tells Samuel that people look at appearances while he looks at the heart.Lev 13:31Sa 16:7
Used for encountering God, and for God or his messenger becoming visible to a person. Isaiah sees the Lord seated in the temple, Hagar names the God who has seen her, Moses is told that no one can see God's face and live, and the messenger of the LORD appears to Samson's mother.Isa 6:1Gen 16:13Exo 33:20Jdg 13:3
Widens out to living through something rather than merely watching it, so that seeing God's goodness means tasting it for yourself and seeing good days means having them.Psa 34:8Psa 34:12
What scholars say about epideiknumi
BDAG divides the verb into two senses: to exhibit or point out something, covering the objects of Matthew 22:19,Matthew 24:1 and Acts 9:39 as well as the requested sign of Matthew 16:1, and including the use with a reflexive pronoun for presenting a person in Luke 17:14 (compare Leviticus 13:49 in the Septuagint); and to give proof of something, demonstrate, for Acts 18:28 and Hebrews 6:17. LSJ documents the same range in classical Greek, where the compound is at home both in the display of goods and persons and in the rhetorical and legal sense of exhibiting proof, the sense that produced the Greek noun for a rhetorical showpiece. Schlier's article on the δείκνυμι group in TDNT treats the compounds as differentiated by their prefixes rather than as free variants, with ἐπι- specifying display before onlookers. On Hebrews 6:17 Attridge and Ellingworth read the infinitive as expressing purpose, with the oath as the means: God adds a visible confirmation to a promise that needed none, and the verb shares the legal coloring of the surrounding vocabulary of guarantee. On Acts 18:28 Bruce notes that the whole clause is courtroom language, with this verb's participle attached to a strong compound for refuting an opponent, describing Apollos's public argument from Scripture.
Sources
BDAG, s.v. ἐπιδείκνυμιlexicon
LSJ, s.v. ἐπιδείκνυμιlexicon
Heinrich Schlier, "δείκνυμι κτλ.," in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, 2:25-33theological-dictionary
Harold W. Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews (Hermeneia, 1989), on Hebrews 6:17commentary
Paul Ellingworth, The Epistle to the Hebrews (NIGTC, 1993), on Hebrews 6:17commentary
F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 3rd ed. (1990), on Acts 9:39 and 18:28commentary