diakonein

Diakonein, transliterated from Greek as diakonein and written in Greek letters as διακονεῖν, is the present active infinitive of the verb διακονέω, meaning “to serve” or “to minister.” The verb is closely linked to the noun diakonos, “servant” or “minister,” from which the English title deacon is derived. In classical and Koine Greek, diakonein covers acts of service for others, such as attending to needs, waiting on someone, or performing duties on another’s behalf.

In the New Testament and early Christian literature, diakonein is used to describe various forms of service, from charitable aid to liturgical ministry. The related noun diakonos develops into a specific church office, the deacon, charged with assisting in practical tasks and the distribution of aid. The verb also appears in broader contexts of serving God, obeying the Gospel, and ministering to congregants, depending on the passage’s scope and emphasis.

Today, the term remains the linguistic root for the English word “deacon” in many Christian traditions and is often translated as “to serve” or “to minister.” Scholarly discussions typically emphasize its semantic range from everyday service to ordained ministry and its role in shaping early church organization and the understanding of service within Christian communities.