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ξηραίνω

xēraínō

G3583 verb

SILEX Entry

Root ξηρ- to dry, to make arid, to wither

Definition

To make or become dry; primarily, to remove moisture resulting in dryness or withering. The verb can mean (1) to cause to dry up, to make dry or arid (e.g., soil, land, plants); (2) in passive or middle usage, to become dry or withered, to lose vitality or freshness (e.g., a plant, a part of the body); (3) figuratively, to be deprived of strength or vitality (of a person or community). In agricultural contexts, it refers to the natural ripening or drying of fruit or crops; in anatomical or medical descriptions, to the atrophy or withering of limbs; and metaphysically, to lifelessness or desolation.

Semantic Range

to make dry, to dry up, to shrivel, to cause to wither, to become withered, to lose moisture, to be deprived of vitality, to mature (in the sense of fruit drying/ripening), to pine away

Root / Etymology

From the adjective ξηρός ('dry, arid'), with the verbal ending -αίνω indicating the act of rendering into the state described by the root. The underlying idea is the process or result of becoming dry.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Attested from classical Greek (e.g., Aristotle, Herodotus) through Hellenistic and Koine periods. In the Septuagint, frequently used to translate Hebrew terms describing dried-up rivers, parched land, or withered plants (cf. Isaiah 19:5; Joel 1:12). In the New Testament (e.g., Mark 3:1-5; Matthew 21:19), it describes the miraculous withering of a tree and the atrophy of a man's hand. The verb is not limited to purely physical phenomena but can represent diminished vitality or judgment (as in withered crops symbolizing divine displeasure). English translations such as 'wither,' 'dry up,' or 'pine away' generally capture the sense but may miss the full moral or metaphorical connotations present in some biblical or extra-biblical contexts. Related to but more process-oriented than the simple adjective ξηρός; distinct from ἀποξηραίνω, which can emphasize more thoroughly or permanently drying up.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ξηρός; to desiccate; by implication, to shrivel, to mature:--dry up, pine away, be ripe, wither (away).

Root Family

ξηραίνω (xērainō) — to dry, to make arid, to wither

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G3583-04 ἐξηράνθη exeranthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG it withered was dried up 10
G3583-01 ἐξηραμμένην exerammenen V PRF PASS PTCP ACC F SG withered having been dried up 2
G3583-02 ἐξήρανεν exeranen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG dried up he/it dried up 1
G3583-05 ξηραίνεται xerainetai V PRS PASS IND 3P SG withers is being dried up 1
G3583-03 ἐξήρανται exerantai V PRF PASS IND 3P SG has withered has been dried up 1

Occurrences in Scripture

15 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G3583-04 Matthew 13:6 ἐξηράνθη exeranthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG was dried up
G3583-04 Matthew 21:19 ἐξηράνθη exeranthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG was dried up
G3583-04 Matthew 21:20 ἐξηράνθη exeranthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG was dried up
G3583-01 Mark 3:1 ἐξηραμμένην exerammenen V PRF PASS PTCP ACC F SG withered having been dried up
G3583-04 Mark 4:6 ἐξηράνθη exeranthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG it withered was dried up
G3583-04 Mark 5:29 ἐξηράνθη exeranthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG was dried up was dried up
G3583-05 Mark 9:18 ξηραίνεται xerainetai V PRS PASS IND 3P SG withers is being dried up
G3583-01 Mark 11:20 ἐξηραμμένην exerammenen V PRF PASS PTCP ACC F SG withered having been dried up
G3583-03 Mark 11:21 ἐξήρανται exerantai V PRF PASS IND 3P SG has withered has been dried up
G3583-04 Luke 8:6 ἐξηράνθη exeranthe V AOR PASS IND 3P SG it withered was dried up
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