Exploring the Meaning of Hekastote in Greek

ἑκάστοτε expresses the idea of “always,” and it appears in a single New Testament sentence where a writer describes his ongoing concern that his readers retain what they have been taught. In its setting, the word marks a continuity that extends beyond the writer’s own life.

Root and Related Words

ἑκάστοτε (Hekastote) is connected with ἕκαστος (hekastos), “each” (Strong’s G1538), and τότε (tote), “then” (Strong’s G5119). The combination places the adverb alongside terms that speak of particularity (“each”) and time reference (“then”), shaping a word that functions naturally in discussions of repeated or continuing moments.

Occurrences

“Yes, I will make every effort that you may always be able to remember these things even after my departure.” (2 Peter 1:15)

Here ἑκάστοτε qualifies the readers’ ability to “remember these things.” The sentence is built around a resolve: “I will make every effort,” with a stated purpose introduced by “that.” Within that purpose, “always” sets the expected duration and regularity of remembrance. The concern is not merely that the readers remember once, or remember now, but that remembrance be a steady capacity available to them.

The immediate frame strengthens this temporal reach: “even after my departure.” The writer anticipates an approaching separation and uses that future moment to test the durability of the readers’ memory. By placing “always” before “be able to remember,” the statement reaches past a particular circumstance; it envisions the readers having a continuing readiness to recall “these things” regardless of the writer’s presence. “Always” therefore functions as a marker of persistence—an ongoing state intended to remain true before and after the writer’s departure.

The verse also shows that the “always” is not presented as automatic. It is tied to “every effort,” implying deliberate action directed toward a lasting outcome. The adverb strengthens the purpose of that effort: the writer’s work aims at a result that holds up over time. In this context, “always” does not float as a general ideal; it is the targeted endpoint of intentional planning and instruction so that remembrance continues as a stable ability.

Sense and Usage

The sense “always” in ἑκάστοτε is used to describe a continuity that is measured by time and by repeated occasion. In 2 Peter 1:15, the word is attached to a mental and moral activity—remembering—and it defines the desired character of that remembering: not sporadic, not limited to a season, but available at all times. The placement within the phrase “always be able to remember” is significant for how the idea works. It describes a sustained capability rather than a single act. The emphasis is on enduring readiness: the readers are to be in a condition where remembrance can happen whenever it is needed.

Within the logic of the sentence, ἑκάστοτε also interacts with the phrase “even after my departure.” The writer’s departure marks a boundary between two periods—before and after—and “always” spans that boundary. The word therefore carries an implicit contrast between what depends on a present relationship and what remains when that relationship changes. The readers’ remembrance is meant to continue uninterrupted, so that the truth being recalled does not fade with the writer’s absence. In this way, “always” underlines the stability of what is to be remembered and the permanence of the readers’ obligation to keep it in mind.

The adverb further serves a rhetorical role in the verse. The writer is making a promise about his own conduct (“I will make every effort”), and “always” heightens the seriousness of that promise by describing the goal in maximal temporal terms. Rather than aiming for occasional recall, he aims for a level of instruction and reinforcement that yields lasting retention. The sentence is concerned with memory over time, and ἑκάστοτε provides the key time-word: it turns remembrance into a continuing feature of life after the writer is gone.

Imagery

Although ἑκάστοτε itself is a time-word, the single occurrence gives it a concrete setting: a coming “departure” and a community that must carry forward what it has been taught. The word evokes the picture of teaching that remains effective when the teacher is no longer present, with “always” stretching the act of remembering across every moment that follows.

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).