What does θρηνέω (thrēnéō) mean in the Bible?
θρηνέω (thrēnéō): To lament with vocal expression; distinguished from silent weeping by its audible, mournful quality
Greek · G2354
θρηνέω
To bewail
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
θρηνέω G2354
Pronunciation thrēnéō
What does θρηνέω (thrēnéō) mean in the Bible?
θρηνέω (thrēnéō): To lament with vocal expression; distinguished from silent weeping by its audible, mournful quality
Full entry for θρηνέω (G2354) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2354?
The BSB source-word alignment has 4 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include we sang a dirge (2), wail (1), wailing (1).
Where does θρηνέω (thrēnéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 11:17. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (2), John (1), Matthew (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It we sang a dirge 2× Matthew 11:17, Luke 7:32
wail 1× John 16:20
wailing 1× Luke 23:27
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 11:17 Ἐθρηνήσαμεν to we sang a dirge Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural Luke 7:32 Ἐθρηνήσαμεν to we sang a dirge Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural Luke 23:27 ἐθρήνουν to wailing Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural John 16:20 θρηνήσετε to wail Verb - Future Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 11:17
Aligned rows 4
Books represented 3
Matthew 1 Luke 2 John 1
Source forms
Ἐθρηνήσαμεν 2x Ethrēnēsamen Matthew 11:17, Luke 7:32
ἐθρήνουν 1x ethrēnoun Luke 23:27
θρηνήσετε 1x thrēnēsete John 16:20
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 2x Matthew 11:17, Luke 7:32
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural 1x John 16:20
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Luke 23:27
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To lament with vocal expression; distinguished from silent weeping by its audible, mournful quality
Strong's G2354
Lexical occurrences 4 verses Greek text appearances 4 times Word forms 1 form 4 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to bewail
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
To lament with vocal expression; distinguished from silent weeping by its audible, mournful quality
(θρῆνος), [in LXX chiefly for יָלַל hi., also for קַיִן pit., etc. ;]
2Trans., to bewail: with accusative of person(s), Luk.23:27.
Synonymsκλαίω, κόπτομαι, λυπέομαι, πενθέω (see Tr., Syn., lxv).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
4 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 11:17 Verb First Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐθρηνήσαμεν eqrhnhsamen
I wail, lament
Read verse Luke 7:32 Verb First Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐθρηνήσαμεν eqrhnhsamen
I wail, lament
Read verse Luke 23:27 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
ἐθρήνουν eqrhnoun
I wail, lament
Read verse John 16:20 Verb Second Person Plural Future Active Indicative
θρηνήσετε qrhnhsete
I wail, lament
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 1 Aligned forms 4 Tenses Aorist, Imperfect, Future Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 4×
Aorist Active Matt 11:17 · Luke 7:32 2×
Imperfect Active Luke 23:27 1×
Future Active John 16:20 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 3 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 2 future 1
Voice
active 3
Mood
indicative 3
NT Occurrences
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)
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Witnesses
Luke 23:26–31 θρηνοῦσαι thrēnéō
Lamenting, mourning
Showing 1 selected witness from 4 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
θρηνέω is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain