What does ἐπιθυμία · κακός mean in the Bible?
ἐπιθυμία · κακός is a Greek phrase meaning "evil desire".
Greek · G1939, G2556
ἐπιθυμία κακή
A longing (especially for what is forbidden) · evil/harm: evil
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 →κακόςG2556evil/harm: evil
Pronunciationkakós
Moral badness or harmfulness; encompasses both wickedness in persons and destructive consequences of actions.
Open lexicon entry →What does ἐπιθυμία κακή (epithymia kakē) mean in the Bible?
ἐπιθυμία · κακός is a Greek phrase meaning "evil desire".
Full entry for ἐπιθυμία κακή (G1939, G2556) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for G1939, G2556?
G1939, G2556 is connected to 38 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Greek phrase. evil desire
Source Gloss
evil desire
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×
Word Origins
ἐπιθυμία κακή is built from this root: