διώκω (diōkō)

The verb diōkō means to pursue, chase, or drive after someone or something. In its most common New Testament usage, it describes active hostility: to persecute, harass, or mistreat a person because of their faith. This sense appears clearly when Jesus warns that his followers will be persecuted just as the prophets were before them (Matthew 5:12), or when Paul recalls his own zeal in destroying the early church (Galatians 1:13). The word carries the force of relentless pursuit, whether by soldiers chasing believers or by a lion hunting a fugitive.

Yet diōkō also has a positive, metaphorical use where no hostility is involved. It can mean to eagerly seek after a virtue or goal, like running in a race toward a finish line. Paul uses it this way when he urges Timothy to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace (2 Timothy 2:22), or when he describes his own effort to lay hold of Christ’s prize (Philippians 3:12). In these cases, the same energy of pursuit is directed not against a person, but toward a godly character trait or spiritual reality.

This dual nature shows how the word captures intensity of action. Whether chasing an enemy or striving for holiness, diōkō implies moving forward with purpose and speed. Translators often render it as "persecute" in hostile contexts and "pursue" or "follow after" in positive ones, preserving the core idea of directed effort without adding emotional nuance that the Greek does not require.