Understanding the Significance of Diagnosis in Greek

διάγνωσις means “decision” and appears once in the New Testament, in Acts 25:21. In that courtroom setting, it names the formal outcome Paul seeks under imperial jurisdiction.

Root and Related Words

διάγνωσις is related to diaginosko (διαγινώσκω), “to decide” (Strong’s G1231). The noun expresses, in a compact form, what the related verb states as an action: arriving at a decision.

Occurrences

“But when Paul had appealed to be kept for the decision of the emperor, I commanded him to be kept until I could send him to Caesar.” (Acts 25:21)

In Acts 25:21, διάγνωσις sits inside an official explanation of custody and procedure. The speaker (in the narrative’s administrative context) describes Paul as having “appealed” and therefore being “kept” for a particular judicial endpoint. The word “decision” functions as the target of the appeal: Paul is not merely asking for transfer or delay, but for the case to be held until a recognized authority renders a definitive ruling. Within the sentence, “the decision of the emperor” is the reason given for a concrete command—“I commanded him to be kept”—and for the next step—“until I could send him to Caesar.”

The phrasing also shows what kind of “decision” is meant in this scene. It is not an informal personal choice but a legal determination tied to a named office (“the emperor”) and executed through custody (“to be kept”) and transport (“send him to Caesar”). The word therefore carries the weight of a procedural destination: a case moves forward toward a decision, and that expected decision shapes present actions. The narrative logic is straightforward: because an appeal has been made, the prisoner is held; because the decision belongs to the imperial level, the prisoner must be forwarded to Caesar. διάγνωσις names that decisive moment toward which the administrative machinery is directed.

Sense and Usage

In its lone New Testament appearance, διάγνωσις operates as a technical-sounding term for a settled outcome, the kind that closes a matter by issuing an authoritative determination. The verse frames it as something awaited (“to be kept for the decision”) and something located within a recognized chain of command (“of the emperor”). The noun’s force is thus forward-looking and procedural: a “decision” is not yet in hand, but it is the reason for holding Paul and for arranging his transfer.

The verse also illustrates how “decision” can function as a kind of legal reference point. It marks where responsibility for final judgment is understood to lie, and it justifies interim measures taken by officials. The statement “I commanded him to be kept” implies that custodial control is legitimate and purposeful because it serves the coming “decision.” Similarly, the timing phrase “until I could send him to Caesar” shows that the decision is tied to a specific venue and authority. διάγνωσις, then, is not merely the abstract idea of deciding; it is the concrete endpoint of a recognized process, the decisive result that the process is designed to produce.

Because the word is attached to the emperor, it also conveys finality in the sense of a highest-level determination within that setting. The decision envisioned is one that resolves a case at the imperial level; this is why an appeal leads to being held and then sent on. Even in a single verse, διάγνωσις is tightly bound to order, procedure, and accountability: it is the decision that must be awaited, sought in the proper place, and implemented through commanded actions.

Imagery

The imagery implied by Acts 25:21 is administrative and physical at the same time: a prisoner held under guard while paperwork and arrangements move toward an imperial “decision.” Without describing the decision itself, the verse paints the waiting space around it—custody now, transfer soon, and a final determination anticipated at the end of the process.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).