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ἀσθενέω

asthenéō

G770 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To be weak, to lack strength or power. In medical or physical contexts, to be ill, infirm, or suffering from disease; in a broader sense, to be powerless or lacking in capability, whether physically, morally, or socially. In extended usage, to be vulnerable, insufficient, or in a state of incapacity—whether bodily, emotional, or spiritual.

Semantic Range

to be weak, to be sick, to be ill, to suffer from infirmity or disease, to be powerless, to lack capability, to be insufficient, to be vulnerable

Root / Etymology

From ἀσθενής ('weak, without strength') formed by the prefix ἀ- (alphaprivative, ‘not’) + σθένoς ('strength, power') + the verbal suffix -έω. Thus, 'to be without strength' or 'to lack power.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἀσθενέω primarily referred to physical weakness or illness. By the Hellenistic and Koine periods, its usage broadened to encompass a wider range of infirmities—physical, mental, social, or even spiritual states of incapacity or vulnerability. In the Septuagint and New Testament, commonly used to describe those who are physically ill (e.g., the sick whom Jesus heals), but also metaphorically for those who are morally, spiritually, or socially powerless or lacking capability (e.g., 'the weak' in faith or conscience in Pauline texts). English Bible translations often render as 'be sick,' 'be weak,' or 'be ill,' but these may understate the wider semantic range covering not only health but conditions of weakness in status or agency. The term can contrast with δυνατός ('strong, able').

Translation Consistency

primary "be weak" 0 occurrences

ἀσθενέω primarily denotes a state of lacking strength or power (physically, morally, socially). “Be weak” is a natural, broad English rendering that covers sickness, infirmity, powerlessness, and vulnerability; it avoids the more active sense of “weaken” and is more general than the narrower “be sick.”

Alternatives (33 occurrences):
"weak" (17x) "those being weak" (6x) "sick" (2x) "he/she became weak" (2x) "became weak" (1x) "those being sick" (1x) "having become sick" (1x) "having become weak" (1x) "become weak" (1x) "ill" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀσθενής; to be feeble (in any sense):--be diseased, impotent folk (man), (be) sick, (be, be made) weak.

Root Family

ἀσθενέω (astheneō) — to be weak, to lack strength, to be sick

Root ἀσθεν- to be weak, to lack strength, to be sick
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G772 ἀσθενής being weak

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G770-01 ἀσθενεῖ asthenei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG is weak is weak is weak 6
G770-06 ἀσθενῶν asthenon V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG was sick being weak the one being weak 4
G770-09 ἀσθενοῦντας asthenountas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL sick those being weak those being weak 4
G770-12 ἠσθένει esthenei V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG was sick was being weak was being weak 3
G770-10 ἀσθενούντων asthenounton V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL impotent of those being weak of those being weak 3
G770-15 ἠσθένησεν esthenesen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG he was sick he/she became weak he/she became weak 2
G770-04 ἀσθενῶ astheno V PRS ACT IND 1P SG I am weak I am weak I am weak 2
G770-08 ἀσθενοῦντα asthenounta V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M SG who is weak being weak being weak 2
G770-02 ἀσθενήσας asthenesas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG weakened having become weak having become weak 1
G770-07 ἀσθενοῦμεν asthenoumen V PRS ACT IND 1P PL are weak we are weak we are weak 1

Occurrences in Scripture

33 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G770-09 Matthew 10:8 ἀσθενοῦντας asthenountas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL the sick those being weak those being weak
G770-14 Matthew 25:36 ἠσθένησα esthenesa V AOR ACT IND 1P SG I was sick I became weak I became weak
G770-09 Mark 6:56 ἀσθενοῦντας asthenountas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL sick those being weak those being weak
G770-09 Luke 4:40 ἀσθενοῦντας asthenountas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL who were sick those being weak those being sick
G770-12 John 4:46 ἠσθένει esthenei V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG was sick was being weak was being weak
G770-10 John 5:3 ἀσθενούντων asthenounton V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL impotent of those being weak of those being weak
G770-06 John 5:7 ἀσθενῶν asthenon V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG sick being weak the one being weak
G770-10 John 6:2 ἀσθενούντων asthenounton V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL who were sick of those being weak of those being weak
G770-06 John 11:1 ἀσθενῶν asthenon V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG was sick being weak the one being weak
G770-12 John 11:2 ἠσθένει esthenei V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG was sick was being weak was being weak
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