4234. praxis
Lexical Summary
praxis: Deed, action, practice

Original Word: πρᾶξις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: praxis
Pronunciation: PRAK-sis
Phonetic Spelling: (prax'-is)
KJV: deed, office, work
NASB: deeds, practices, action, function
Word Origin: [from G4238 (πράσσω - practice)]

1. practice
2. (concretely) an act
3. (by extension) a function

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
deed, office, work.

From prasso; practice, i.e. (concretely) an act; by extension, a function -- deed, office, work.

see GREEK prasso

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 4234 práksis – "a function, implying sustained activity and/or responsibility" (L & N, 1, 42.5). See 4238 (prássō).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from prassó
Definition
a deed, function
NASB Translation
action (1), deeds (2), function (1), practices (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4234: πρᾶξις

πρᾶξις, πράξεως, (πράσσω), from Homer down;

a. a doing, a mode of acting; a deed, act, transaction: universally, πράξεις τῶν ἀποστόλων (Griesbach; Rec. inserts ἁγίων, L Tr WH omit τῶν, Tdf. has simply πράξεις), the doings of (i. e. things done by) the apostles, in the inscription of the Acts; singular in an ethical sense: both good and bad, Matthew 16:27; in a bad sense, equivalent to wicked deed, crime, Luke 23:51; plural wicked doings (cf. our practices i. e. trickery; often so by Polybius): Acts 19:18; Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:9; (with κακῇ added, as Ev. Nicod. 1Ἰησοῦς ἐθεράπευσε δαιμονιζομένους ἀπό πράξεων κακῶν).

b. a thing to be done, business (A. V. office) (Xenophon, mem. 2, 1, 6): Romans 12:4.

Topical Lexicon
Range of Meaning and Thematic Thread

While the cognate verb refers to “doing,” the noun highlights the concrete outcome of doing—an act, practice, or function. Across its six New Testament appearances the term gathers a cohesive thread: human conduct is never neutral but stands either under the life-giving rule of the Spirit or the death-dealing rule of the flesh.

Occurrences in Canonical Context

Luke 23:51 introduces Joseph of Arimathea as a man who “had not consented to their decision and action.” His refusal shows that a single praxis can align a disciple against a corrupt majority and with God’s salvific purpose.
Acts 19:18 records believers in Ephesus “confessing and disclosing their deeds.” Openness about past praxeis becomes the doorway to freedom from occult bondage and demonstrates gospel power over entrenched behaviors.
Romans 8:13 warns, “If you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Praxis here is the battlefield on which the Spirit executes sanctification.
Colossians 3:9 urges, “Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices.” Old praxeis are treated as a wardrobe to be discarded; identity in Christ demands observable change.
Matthew 16:27 anchors all human activity to future judgment: “The Son of Man will repay each person according to what he has done.” Deeds become the evidentiary basis for final recompense.
Romans 12:4 shifts the word toward positive service: “Not all members have the same function.” Within the body of Christ, praxis describes Spirit-allotted ministry roles rather than self-asserted ambitions.

Ethical Weight and Moral Polarity

Every occurrence implies evaluation. Deeds rooted in unbelief culminate in death and condemnation; deeds birthed by faith and Spirit-enablement manifest life, witness, and reward. Scripture never isolates inner belief from outward action. Genuine faith produces new practices; unregenerate flesh perpetuates old ones.

Eschatological Accountability

Matthew connects praxis to the final audit before the returning Son of Man, echoing passages such as Revelation 20:12. The term therefore carries an eschatological gravity: daily choices anticipate eternal verdicts.

Transformative Discipleship

Acts and Colossians reveal the gospel’s capacity to alter established behaviors. Confession (Acts) and renunciation (Colossians) are twin disciplines that replace destructive praxeis with Spirit-formed habits, embodying repentance as an ongoing lifestyle.

Corporate and Charismatic Dimension

Romans 12:4 widens the focus from personal morality to communal function. The Spirit distributes diverse “functions” so that the body builds itself up in love. Ministry praxis derives its legitimacy from divine gifting, not human status.

Pastoral Implications

1. Preaching must move beyond abstract doctrine to concrete obedience, urging believers to “put to death” specific deeds of the body.
2. Church discipline gains clarity: the community discerns fruit (praxis) to assess repentance or hardness of heart.
3. Spiritual formation must cultivate new habits—truth-telling, generosity, intercession—that reflect the new self.

Historical Insight

In the Greco-Roman world praxis often denoted civic activity or philosophical habit. The New Testament recasts the term, rooting deeds not in civic virtue but in union with Christ and empowerment by the Spirit, subverting pagan moralism with grace-driven holiness.

Intertextual Echoes

Old Testament wisdom literature constantly links action and consequence (for example, Proverbs 12:14). The apostolic use of praxis stands in this tradition while adding Christological and pneumatological depth: deeds matter because they reveal allegiance—to the flesh or to Christ.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 4234 underscores that Christianity is irreducibly practical. Belief issues in behavior; orthodoxy pursues orthopraxy. Whether describing refusal to join injustice, confession of occult sin, mortification of fleshly habits, divinely appointed ministry roles, or the basis of final judgment, praxis integrates faith, ethics, and eschatology into a single call: “whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.”

Forms and Transliterations
πραξει πράξει πραξεις πράξεις πραξεσιν πράξεσιν πραξιν πράξιν πρᾶξιν praxei práxei praxeis práxeis praxesin práxesin praxin prâxin
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 16:27 N-AFS
GRK: κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ
NAS: EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.
KJV: according to his works.
INT: according to the deeds of him

Luke 23:51 N-DFS
GRK: καὶ τῇ πράξει αὐτῶν ἀπὸ
NAS: to their plan and action), [a man] from Arimathea,
KJV: and deed of them;)
INT: and the deed of them from

Acts 19:18 N-AFP
GRK: ἀναγγέλλοντες τὰς πράξεις αὐτῶν
NAS: and disclosing their practices.
KJV: shewed their deeds.
INT: declaring the deeds of them

Romans 8:13 N-AFP
GRK: πνεύματι τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος
NAS: you are putting to death the deeds of the body,
KJV: do mortify the deeds of the body,
INT: by [the] Spirit the deeds of the body

Romans 12:4 N-AFS
GRK: αὐτὴν ἔχει πρᾶξιν
NAS: do not have the same function,
KJV: not the same office:
INT: same have function

Colossians 3:9 N-DFP
GRK: σὺν ταῖς πράξεσιν αὐτοῦ
NAS: self with its [evil] practices,
KJV: with his deeds;
INT: with the practices of him

Strong's Greek 4234
6 Occurrences


πράξει — 1 Occ.
πράξεις — 2 Occ.
πράξεσιν — 1 Occ.
πρᾶξιν — 2 Occ.

4233
Top of Page
Top of Page