What does ἐπιθυμία · ἐπιθυμέω mean in the Bible?
ἐπιθυμία · ἐπιθυμέω is a Greek phrase meaning "desire, craving, or strong inclination; to desire or set one's longing upon".
Greek · G1939, G1937
ἐπιθυμίαν / ἐπιθυμεῖ
A longing (especially for what is forbidden) · to long for
Reading a lexicon entry
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
ἐπιθυμίαG1939a longing (especially for what is forbidden)
Pronunciationepithymía
Intense craving, especially for what is forbidden or worldly; often contrasted with rational choice or obedience to God.
Open lexicon entry →ἐπιθυμέωG1937to long for
Pronunciationepithyméō
Intense desire directed toward an object, often with moral disapproval in NT ethical contexts.
Open lexicon entry →What does ἐπιθυμίαν / ἐπιθυμεῖ (epithymian / epithymei) mean in the Bible?
ἐπιθυμία · ἐπιθυμέω is a Greek phrase meaning "desire, craving, or strong inclination; to desire or set one's longing upon".
Full entry for ἐπιθυμίαν / ἐπιθυμεῖ (G1939, G1937) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for G1939, G1937?
G1939, G1937 is connected to 38 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Greek phrase. desire, craving, or strong inclination; to desire or set one's longing upon
Source Gloss
desire, craving, or strong inclination; to desire or set one's longing upon
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 8 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns8Aligned forms38Case patternAccusative (15)Number patternPlural (22)
Nominative · Singular · FeminineJas 1:15 · 1 John 2:16 · 1 John 2:174×
Nominative · Plural · FeminineMark 4:191×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine1 Thess 4:5 · Jas 1:14 · Rev 18:143×
Genitive · Plural · Feminine1 Pet 2:111×
Dative · Plural · FeminineRom 1:24 · Rom 6:12 · Gal 5:24 · Eph 2:3 · 2 Tim 3:6 · Titus 3:3 · 1 Pet 1:14 · 1 Pet 4:2 · 1 Pet 4:3 · 2 Pet 2:1810×
Dative · Singular · FeminineLuke 22:15 · 1 Thess 2:17 · 2 Pet 1:4 · 2 Pet 2:104×
Accusative · Plural · FeminineJohn 8:44 · Rom 13:14 · Eph 4:22 · 1 Tim 6:9 · 2 Tim 2:22 · 2 Tim 4:3 · Titus 2:12 · 2 Pet 3:3 · Jude 1:16 · Jude 1:1810×
Accusative · Singular · FeminineRom 7:7 · Rom 7:8 · Gal 5:16 · Phil 1:23 · Col 3:55×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 16 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present6aorist5future4imperfect1
Voice
active16
Mood
indicative14participle1infinitive1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 5:28ἐπιθυμῆσαιaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveMatthew 13:17ἐπεθύμησανaorist active indicativecompletedLuke 15:16ἐπεθύμειimperfect active indicativebackgroundLuke 16:21ἐπιθυμῶνpresent active participleparticipleLuke 17:22ἐπιθυμήσετεfuture active indicativeprospectiveLuke 22:15ἐπεθύμησαaorist active indicativecompletedActs 20:33ἐπεθύμησαaorist active indicativecompletedRomans 7:7ἐπιθυμήσειςfuture active indicativeprospectiveRomans 13:9ἐπιθυμήσειςfuture active indicativeprospective1 Corinthians 10:6ἐπεθύμησανaorist active indicativecompletedGalatians 5:17ἐπιθυμεῖpresent active indicativeongoing1 Timothy 3:1ἐπιθυμεῖpresent active indicativeongoingHebrews 6:11ἐπιθυμοῦμενpresent active indicativeongoingJames 4:2ἐπιθυμεῖτεpresent active indicativeongoing1 Peter 1:12ἐπιθυμοῦσινpresent active indicativeongoingRevelation 9:6ἐπιθυμήσουσινfuture active indicativeprospective
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)
Word Origins
ἐπιθυμίαν / ἐπιθυμεῖ is built from this root: