ἐμμαίνομαι (G1693) — Greek Lexicon

ἐμμαίνομαι

emmaínomai

G1693 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To be furiously enraged, to act with intense fury or rage; to display violent emotion, particularly in the sense of irrational behavior or speech directed against someone or something. The term emphasizes an uncontrolled, frenzied hostility rather than illness-induced madness.

Semantic Range

to be furiously enraged, to be frenzied, to act with uncontrollable rage, to direct violent passion against someone or something, to persecute with rage

Root / Etymology

The term is a compound of the preposition ἐν ('in, within') and the verb μαίνομαι ('to rage, to be mad, to be frenzied'), literally meaning 'to be in a state of rage' or 'to be possessed by frenzy.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Attested rarely in Greek literature, ἐμμαίνομαι is used almost exclusively to describe an extreme, hostile emotional state directed toward others—often involving the idea of aggressive rage that is perceived as unreasonable or frenzied. In the New Testament (Acts 26:11), it depicts intense hostility or persecution rather than insanity. The word draws from older Greek uses of μαίνομαι (to rage, to be mad), but intensifies the sense to a focused, external aggression. English translations often render ἐμμαίνομαι as 'be mad against' or 'furiously rage,' though the term is less about mental illness and more about an explosive, irrational animosity. The notion of being possessed or overwhelmed by rage is consistent with broader Greek understandings of emotional excess rather than clinical madness. Its rarity and dramatic connotation distinguish it from more common terms for anger (e.g., θυμόομαι, ὀργίζομαι).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἐν and μαίνομαι; to rave on, i.e. rage at:--be mad against.

Root Family

μαιν- (emmaínomai) — to rage, to be mad, to act frenziedly

Root μαιν- to rage, to be mad, to act frenziedly

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
G3105	μαίνομαι	you are raving

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G1693-01`	ἐμμαινόμενος	emmainomenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	being-mad	being frenzied with rage	being frenzied with rage	1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G1693-01`	Acts 26:11	ἐμμαινόμενος	emmainomenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	being-mad	being frenzied with rage	being frenzied with rage

← G1692 Greek Lexicon G1694 →