ὀνίνημι
onínēmi
G3685 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To bring benefit, to do good, to confer an advantage or help to someone; in the middle voice, to enjoy benefit, to receive help or profit; sometimes, to experience personal satisfaction or joy from a benefit received. The core sense is oriented toward being of benefit to another (active voice), or receiving/experiencing benefit oneself (middle voice).
Semantic Range
to be of benefit to, to assist, to confer help, to bring advantage, to profit, to derive benefit from, to have use or enjoyment of, to experience satisfaction or pleasure from a benefit
Root / Etymology
Root: ὀνι-; the formation is somewhat obscure, and its ultimate etymology is uncertain; no secure connection with ὄνομα ('name') has been established, despite occasional speculation. Related to ὀνίνημι, the shorter and more common form with similar meaning. The verb's formation is likely of pre-Homeric origin.
Historical & Contextual Notes
ὀνίνημι appears rarely in classical Greek, but occurs in the sense of 'to benefit' or 'do good to.' The middle voice (ὀνίναμαι) is more frequent and means 'to benefit from,' 'to have use of,' or 'to enjoy.' In Koine and New Testament Greek, it is rare but is found in Philemon 1:20 with the sense of receiving benefit or pleasure from an act. English translations typically render the verb with words like 'refresh,' 'have joy of,' or 'profit by,' but this may not capture the transactional or relational dimension of the term, which centers on practical benefit or helpfulness. In the Septuagint and contemporaneous Greek literature, the word conveys both tangible material gain and intangible benefit or satisfaction. Notably, the verb does not necessarily carry a sense of strong or euphoric 'joy,' but rather a measured sense of advantage or benefit gained.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a prolonged form of an apparently primary verb (, to slur); for which another prolonged form () is used as an alternate in some tenses (unless indeed it be identical with the base of ὄνομα through the idea of notoriety); to gratify, i.e. (middle voice) to derive pleasure or advantage from:--have joy.
Root Family
ὀνίνημι (oninēmi) — to benefit, to help, to do good, to bring advantage
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3685-01 |
ὀναίμην | onaimen | V AOR MID OPT 1P SG |
let me benefit | may I derive benefit | may I derive benefit | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3685-01 |
Philemon 1:20 | ὀναίμην | onaimen | V AOR MID OPT 1P SG |
let me benefit | may I derive benefit | may I derive benefit |