ἐπιθυμέω
To long for
Reading a lexicon entry
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What does ἐπιθυμέω (epithyméō) mean in the Bible?
ἐπιθυμέω (epithyméō) is a Greek word meaning "to long for". ἐπιθυμέω, -ῶ (θυμός), [in LXX chiefly for אָוָה pi. Identifies internal craving as covenant violation. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant.
Full entry for ἐπιθυμέω (G1937) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Intense desire directed toward an object, often with moral disapproval in NT ethical contexts.
(θυμός), [in LXX chiefly for אָוָה pi., hithp.; also for חָמַד, etc. ;] to set one's heart upon, desire, lust after, covet: absol., Jas.4:2, Rom.7:7 13:9" (LXX), 1Co.10:6 (of. 4Ma.2:6); before κατά (against, in opposition to), Gal.5:17; prop. (as in cl.) with genitive, Act.20:33, 1Ti.3:1; in late Gk. also with accusative (M, Pr., 65), Mat.5:28 (Rec. αὐτῆς; T omits; cf. Exo.20:17, Mic.2:2, Wis.16:3, al.); with inf., Mat.13:17, Luk.15:16 16:21 17:22, 1Pe.1:12, Rev.9:6; with accusative and inf., Heb.6:11; as in Hebrew, ἐπιθυμία ἐπεθύμησα, Luk.22:15.
Why This Word Matters
Identifies internal craving as covenant violation. Matthew 5:27–30
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Indicative states a fact or reality 14×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 16 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
New Testament Witnesses
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain