Strong’s Greek 1872 expresses the movement of something or someone coming close behind, tracing the path of a leader, action, or consequence. The term stresses continuity: what leads is never left unattended; what follows is inseparably linked to it.

Biblical Occurrences

Mark 16:20; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Timothy 5:24; 1 Timothy 5:10.

Christ’s Example to Be Followed (1 Peter 2:21)

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps.”

The verb here moves the call to discipleship beyond admiration into imitation. Believers trace the contours of the Savior’s self-sacrifice, accepting hardship as a normal and even necessary element of Christian vocation.

Signs Following Apostolic Proclamation (Mark 16:20)

“And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.”

The Gospel indicates that supernatural attestations did not precede but “accompanied” the preached word. Authority resides first in the message; miracles come in its train, underscoring that power and truth remain Christ’s gift rather than human possession.

Delayed Manifestation of Sins (1 Timothy 5:24)

“The sins of some men are obvious, leading them to judgment, but the sins of others do not surface until later.”

Paul warns Timothy that hidden sin will eventually “follow after,” overtaking its perpetrator. This perspective guards the church from hasty ordinations and satisfies any apparent tension between present injustice and ultimate divine reckoning.

Good Works Following a Godly Life (1 Timothy 5:10)

A widow truly “well-attested for good works” is one whose entire history testifies that good deeds have consistently trailed her steps. The church discerns eligibility for support by tracing this consecrated pattern.

Theological Reflection

1. Discipleship: The verb binds believers to their Lord in purposeful obedience. Salvation initiates a lifelong pursuit in which the church traces Christ’s ethic of suffering love.
2. Authentication: Ministry is corroborated, not created, by accompanying signs. The church prays for confirmation but never substitutes phenomena for proclamation.
3. Accountability: No sin remains permanently concealed. Final judgment draws every latent act into the open, incentivizing holiness and sobering shepherds.
4. Commendation: Lasting honor accrues to those whose works faithfully track them; reputation is not manufactured but emerges from a steady procession of merciful acts.

Historical Reception

Early fathers—Ignatius, Irenaeus, Tertullian—frequently echoed the “following” motif. Catechetical instructions framed martyrdom as literal foot-stepping behind Christ. Post-apostolic literature also cites Mark 16:20 to defend continuity between apostolic preaching and later charismatic occurrences while insisting that signs must never eclipse Scripture.

Ministry Application

• Preachers ground expectation of God’s power in fidelity to the word; sensationalism without substance is foreign to this verb.
• Elders assess candidates by looking at what predictably follows them—either integrity or compromise.
• Individual believers gauge spiritual maturity not by isolated moments but by the wake their lives leave in family, fellowship, and community.

Related Terms and Concepts

akoloutheō (Strong’s 190) highlights general discipleship; parakoloutheō (Strong’s 3877) emphasizes attentive tracing, especially in doctrinal accuracy. Together they form a spectrum showing that orthodoxy and orthopraxy, doctrine and deed, move in tandem—each “following after” the other in the ordered life of the church.