Properly, to distinguish, i.e. Decide (mentally or judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish -- avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.

1. to separate, put asunder; to pick out, select, choose (Homer, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Xenophon, Plato, others; μετά νεανίσκων ἀρίστων κεκριμένων (chosen, picked), 2 Macc. 13:15; κεκρίμενοι ἄρχοντες, Josephus, Antiquities 11, 3, 10); hence,

2. to approve, esteem: ἡμέραν παῥ ἡμέραν, one day above another, i. e. to prefer (see παρά, III. 2 b.), Romans 14:5 (so τί πρό τίνος, Plato, Phil., p. 57 e.; τόν Ἀπολλῶ πρό Μαρσυου, rep. 3, p. 399{e}.); πᾶσαν ἡμέραν, to esteem every day, i. e. hold it sacred, ibid.

3. to be of opinion, deem, think: ὀρθῶς ἔκρινας, thou hast decided (judged) correctly, Luke 7:43; followed by an infinitive Acts 15:19; followed by a direct question, 1 Corinthians 11:13; τοῦτο, ὅτι etc. to be of opinion etc. 2 Corinthians 5:14; followed by the accusative with an infinitive Acts 16:15; τινα or τί followed by a predicate accusative, κρίνειν τινα ἄξιον τίνος, to judge one (to be) worthy of a thing, Acts 13:46; ἄπιστον κρίνεται, Acts 26:8.

4. to determine, resolve, decree: τί, 1 Corinthians 7:37 (κρῖναι τί καί πρόθεσθαι, Polybius 3, 6, 7; τό κρίθεν, which one has determined on, one's resolve, 5, 52, 6; 9, 13, 7; τοῖς κριθεισι ἐμμένειν δεῖ, Epictetus diss. 2, 15, 7ff); δόγματα, passive (the decrees that had been ordained (cf. A. V.)), Acts 16:4; τοῦτο κρίνατε, followed by an infinitive preceded by the article τό, Romans 14:13; also with ἐμαυτῷ added, for myself i. e. for my own benefit (lest I should prepare grief for myself by being compelled to grieve you), 2 Corinthians 2:1; followed by an infinitive, Acts 20:16; Acts 25:25; 1 Corinthians 2:2 G L T Tr WH ((see below)); ; Titus 3:12 (1 Macc. 11:33; 3Macc. 1:6 3Macc. 6:30; Judith 11:13; Wis. 8:9; Diodorus 17, 95; Josephus, Antiquities 7, 1, 5; 12, 10, 4; 13, 6, 1); with τοῦ prefixed, 1 Corinthians 2:2 Rec. ((see above)); followed by the accusative with an infinitive Acts 21:25 (2 Macc. 11:36); with τοῦ prefixed, Acts 27:1 (cf. Buttmann, § 140, 16 δ.); (κρίνεται τίνι, it is one's pleasure, it seems good to one, 1 Esdr. 6:20f (21f); (92)).

5. to judge;

a. to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong; α. in a forensic sense ((differing from δικάζειν, the official term, in giving prominence to the intellectual process, the sifting and weighing of evidence)), of a human judge: τινα, to give a decision respecting one, John 7:51; κατά τόν νόμον, John 18:31; Acts 23:3; Acts 24:6 Rec.; the substance of the decision is added in an infinitive, Acts 3:13; passive to be judged, i. e. summoned to trial that one's case may be examined and judgment passed upon it, Acts 25:10; Acts 26:6; Romans 3:4 (from Psalm 50:6 ()); περί with the genitive of the thing, Acts 23:6; Acts 24:21; (Acts 25:20); with addition of ἐπί and the genitive of the judge, before one, Acts 25:9. Where the context requires, used of a condemnatory judgment, equivalent to to condemn: simply, Acts 13:27. β. of the judgment of God or of Jesus the Messiah, deciding between the righteousness and the unrighteousness of men: absolutely, John 5:30; John 8:50; δικαίως, 1 Peter 2:23; ἐν δικαιοσύνη,Revelation 19:11; τινα, 1 Corinthians 5:13; passive James 2:12; ζῶντας καί νεκρούς, 2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5; νεκρούς, passive, Revelation 11:18 (Buttmann, 260 (224)); τήν οἰκουμένην, the inhabitants of the world, Acts 17:31 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 389 (364)); τόν κόσμον, Romans 3:6; τά κρυπτά τῶν ἀνθρώπων, Romans 2:16; κρίνειν τό κρίμα τίνος ἐκ τίνος (see κρίμα, 2 under the end), Revelation 18:20, cf. 6:10; κρίνειν κατά τό ἑκάστου ἔργον, 1 Peter 1:17; τούς νεκρούς ἐκ τῶν γεγραμμένων ἐν τοῖς βιβλίοις κατά τά ἔργα αὐτῶν, passive, Revelation 20:12f; with the accusative of the substance of the judgment, thou didst pronounce this judgment, ταῦτα ἔκρινας, Revelation 16:5; contextually, used specifically of the act of condemning and decreeing (or inflicting) penalty on one: τινα, John 3:18; John 5:22; John 12:47; Acts 7:7; Romans 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:31; 2 Thessalonians 2:12; Hebrews 10:30; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 4:6 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 630 (585)); James 5:9 (where Rec. κατάκριμα); Revelation 18:8; Revelation 19:2 (Wis. 12:10, 22); τόν κόσμον, opposed to σῴζειν, John 3:17; John 12:47; of the devil it is said ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου κέκριται, because the victorious cause of Christ has rendered the supreme wickedness of Satan evident to all, and put an end to his power to dominate and destroy, John 16:11. γ. of Christians as hereafter to sit with Christ at the judgment: τόν κόσμον, 1 Corinthians 6:2; ἀγγέλους, 1 Corinthians 6:3 (cf. ἄγγελος, 2 under the end; yet see Meyer edition Heinrici ad the passages cited).

b. to pronounce judgment; to subject to censure; of those who act the part of judges or arbiters in the matters of common life, or pass judgment on the deeds and words of others: universally, and without case, John 8:16, 26; κατά τί, John 8:15; κατ' ὄψιν, John 7:24; ἐν κρίματι τίνι κρίνειν, Matthew 7:2; τινα, passive (with the nominative of person), Romans 3:7; ἐκ τοῦ στόματος σου κρίνω σε, out of thine own mouth (i. e. from what thou hast just said) will I take the judgment that must be passed on thee, Luke 19:22; τί, 1 Corinthians 10:15; passive, 1 Corinthians 10:29; τό δίκαιον, Luke 12:57; followed by εἰ, whether, Acts 4:19; with the accusative of the substance of the judgment: τί i. e. κρίσιν τινα, 1 Corinthians 4:5; κρίσιν κρίνειν (Plato, rep. 2, p. 360 d.) δικαίαν (cf. Buttmann, § 131, 5), John 7:24 (ἀληθινήν καί δικαίαν, Tobit 3:2; κρίσεις ἀδίκους, Susanna 53); of the disciplinary judgment to which Christians subject the conduct of their fellows, passing censure upon them as the facts require, 1 Corinthians 5:12; of those who judge severely (unfairly), finding fault with this or that in others, Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37; Romans 2:1; τινα, Romans 2:1, 3; Romans 14:3f, 10, 13; followed by ἐν with the dative of the thing, Colossians 2:16; Romans 14:22; hence equivalent to to condemn: Romans 2:27; James 4:11f.

6. Hebraistically equivalent to to rule, govern; to preside over with the power of giving judicial decisions, because it was the prerogative of kings and rulers to pass judgment: Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30 (τόν λαόν, 2 Kings 15:5; 1 Macc. 9:73; Josephus, Antiquities 5, 3, 3; οἱ κρίνοντες τήν γῆν, Psalm 2:10; Sap. i. 1; cf. Gesenius, Thesaurus, iii., p. 1463f).

7. Passive and middle to contend together, of warriors and combatants (Homer, Diodorus, others); to dispute (Herodotus 3, 120; Aristophanes nub. 66); in a forensic sense, to go to law, have a suit at law: with the dative of the person with whom (Winer's Grammar, § 31, 1 g.), Matthew 5:40 (Job 9:3; Job 13:19; Euripides, Med. 609); followed by μετά with the genitive of the person with whom one goes to law, and ἐπί; with the genitive of the judge, 1 Corinthians 6: (1), 6. (Compare: ἀνακρίνω, ἀποκρίνω, ἀνταποκρίνω (ἀνταποκρίνομαι), διακρίνω, ἐνκρίνω, ἐπικρίνω, κατακρίνω, συνκρίνω, ὑποκρίνω (ὑποκρίνομαι), συνυποκρίνω (συνυποκρίνομαι).)