The Greek verb agrypneō (ἀγρυπνέω) means to be sleepless, to keep vigil, to watch alertly — from agreuō (to hunt, to chase away sleep) or possibly from agra (hunting) and hupnos (sleep) — literally "chasing away sleep." It describes the deliberate, disciplined practice of staying awake and alert. The word appears 4 times in the New Testament: in two of Jesus's warnings to watch for the End (Mark 13:33; Luke 21:36), in Hebrews 13:17 for leaders who keep watch over souls, and in Ephesians 6:18 for persisting in prayer.
Agrypneō captures the posture of the church in the "already/not yet" tension of the Kingdom. The disciples slept in Gethsemane when they should have watched; Jesus warns repeatedly against spiritual sleepiness. Mark 13:33 commands: "Be on guard! Be alert [agrypneite]! You do not know when that time will come." This watchfulness is not paranoid anxiety but eschatological readiness — living now in light of Christ's return. Paul pairs it with prayer (Ephesians 6:18): spiritual alertness and intercession reinforce each other. Hebrews 13:17 applies it to church leaders who "keep watch over your souls" — pastoral care as holy vigilance. The Christian life is a long vigil, sustained not by human willpower but by the Spirit, looking for the morning when the Bridegroom returns.