The Greek verb haireomai (αἱρέομαι) means to choose, prefer, or take for oneself. It is the middle-voice form of haireō, emphasizing that the choosing is done for one's own benefit or by one's own will. From this root come haeresis (G139, 'choice, sect, heresy') — originally just a 'chosen view' or 'school of thought.'
In the New Testament, haireomai appears in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Philippians 1:22, and Hebrews 11:25, each time conveying a significant act of deliberate will — God choosing His people, or a person choosing a course of action over another.
The three NT occurrences of haireomai collectively cover the full arc of divine and human choosing. In 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul declares that God 'chose' (heilato) believers as firstfruits for salvation — divine election. In Hebrews 11:25, Moses 'chose' to be mistreated with God's people rather than enjoy Egypt's pleasures — costly human choice. In Philippians 1:22–23, Paul weighs the choice between life and death, unable to declare a preference between the two goods.
Together these texts show that both God and humans make real choices with real consequences. Election is not coercion — it is the sovereign God choosing persons for covenant relationship, working through rather than around the human will. And the believer's call is to align their haireomai with God's — to choose what God values: suffering with His people over the world's comfort, the treasure of Christ over earthly advantage.