What does κλαίω (klaíō) mean in the Bible?
Klaio means to weep, cry, or mourn aloud. Matthew uses it for Rachel's lament over slaughtered children and for Peter's bitter grief after denying Jesus.
Greek · G2799
κλαίω
To weep
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κλαίω G2799
Pronunciation klaíō
What does κλαίω (klaíō) mean in the Bible?
Klaio means to weep, cry, or mourn aloud. Matthew uses it for Rachel's lament over slaughtered children and for Peter's bitter grief after denying Jesus.
Reader summary
Full entry for κλαίω (G2799) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2799?
The BSB source-word alignment has 40 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include weep (10), weeping (7), [and] wept (3), will weep (3), are you weeping (2).
Where does κλαίω (klaíō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:18. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (11), John (8), Revelation (6), Mark (4).
What This Word Actually Means
Klaio means to weep, cry, or mourn aloud. Matthew uses it for Rachel's lament over slaughtered children and for Peter's bitter grief after denying Jesus. Mark places weeping around a child's apparent death and again with Peter's collapse after the rooster's cry. The verb names embodied sorrow without deciding whether the grief arises from bereavement, trauma, remorse, helplessness, or ritual mourning.
Scripture neither shames tears nor treats emotional intensity as automatic repentance. Jesus enters human grief, raises the dead, and restores the failed disciple, while Rachel's lament refuses to make violence tidy. Churches should give mourners safety, time, truthful presence, practical support, and access to professional care when needed rather than rushing tears toward explanation or public testimony.
How the Bible Uses It
Klaio names audible weeping in response to massacre, death, and personal failure. Its Gospel settings honor lament while placing grief within Jesus' life-giving authority and restoring mercy.
- Matt.2.18
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:18 cites Rachel weeping for her children after Herod's slaughter. The lament gives covenant voice to communal trauma and refuses premature consolation.
- Matt.26.75
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Matthew 26:75 says Peter went outside and wept bitterly after remembering Jesus' prediction and recognizing his threefold denial. Tears mark remorse but later restoration confirms its trajectory.
- Mark.5.38
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping and wailing loudly.
Mark 5:38 describes commotion, weeping, and loud wailing at Jairus's house after the child's reported death. Public mourning fills the scene Jesus enters.
- Mark.5.39
He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but asleep.”
Mark 5:39 records Jesus asking why they make a commotion and weep, declaring the child asleep. His statement anticipates His life-giving act rather than mocking bereavement.
- Mark.14.72
And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Mark 14:72 says Peter broke down and wept after the rooster crowed and Jesus' words returned to him.
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 weep 10× Luke 6:21, Luke 6:25, Luke 7:13, Luke 23:28
weeping 7× Mark 5:39, Mark 16:10, Luke 7:38, John 11:33
[and] wept 3× Matthew 26:75, Mark 14:72, Luke 22:62
will weep 3× John 16:20, Revelation 18:9, Revelation 18:11
are you weeping 2× John 20:13, John 20:15
[the people] weeping 1× Mark 5:38
{also} weeping 1× John 11:33
as they weep 1× Revelation 18:19
began to weep 1× Revelation 5:4
He wept 1× Luke 19:41
mourn 1× John 11:31
she wept 1× John 20:11
Stop weeping 1× Luke 8:52
they [did not] 1× 1 Corinthians 7:30
They will weep 1× Revelation 18:15
those who weep 1× Romans 12:15
was weeping 1× Luke 8:52
weeping [for] 1× Matthew 2:18
with tears 1× Philippians 3:18
you did not weep 1× Luke 7:32
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 2:18 κλαίουσα to weeping [for] Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular Matthew 26:75 ἔκλαυσεν to [and] wept Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Mark 5:38 κλαίοντας to [the people] weeping Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural Mark 5:39 κλαίετε to weeping Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural Mark 14:72 ἔκλαιεν to [and] wept Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Mark 16:10 κλαίουσιν to weeping Verb - Present Participle Active - Dative Masculine Plural Luke 6:21 κλαίοντες to weep Verb - Present Participle Active - Vocative Masculine Plural Luke 6:25 κλαύσετε to weep Verb - Future Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural Luke 7:13 κλαῖε to weep Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular Luke 7:32 ἐκλαύσατε to you did not weep Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 2:18
Aligned rows 40
Books represented 10
Matthew 2 Mark 4 Luke 11 John 8 Acts 2 Romans 2 1 Corinthians 2 Philippians 1 James 2 Revelation 6
Source forms
κλαίοντες 6x klaiontes Luke 6:21, Acts 21:13, 1 Corinthians 7:30, Revelation 18:15
κλαίετε 4x klaiete Mark 5:39, Luke 8:52, Luke 23:28
ἔκλαυσεν 3x eklausen Matthew 26:75, Luke 19:41, Luke 22:62
κλαίουσα 3x klaiousa Matthew 2:18, Luke 7:38, John 20:11
ἔκλαιεν 2x eklaien Mark 14:72, John 20:11
ἔκλαιον 2x eklaion Luke 8:52, Revelation 5:4
κλαῖε 2x klaie Luke 7:13, Revelation 5:5
κλαίεις 2x klaieis John 20:13, John 20:15
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 5x Acts 21:13, 1 Corinthians 7:30, Revelation 18:15, Revelation 18:19
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 3x Matthew 26:75, Luke 19:41, Luke 22:62
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural 3x Luke 8:52, Luke 23:28
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular 3x Matthew 2:18, Luke 7:38, John 20:11
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural 2x James 4:9, James 5:1
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural 2x Luke 6:25, John 16:20
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x Mark 14:72, John 20:11
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular 2x Luke 7:13, Revelation 5:5
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not shame tears, demand public disclosure, prescribe a timetable, or treat depression and trauma as failures to believe resurrection.
- Do not assume tears prove repentance; look for truthful confession, changed conduct, repair, and appropriate accountability.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not shame tears, demand public disclosure, prescribe a timetable, or treat depression and trauma as failures to believe resurrection.
- Do not assume tears prove repentance; look for truthful confession, changed conduct, repair, and appropriate accountability.
Evidence Summary
Messiah
Greek word. Loud, audible weeping expressing deep pain or sorrow, often for the dead; distinct from silent tears.
Strong's G2799
Lexical occurrences 40 verses Greek text appearances 40 times 16 shown below Word forms 5 forms 40 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 19:41–44 Source Gloss
to weep
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 40 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 2:18 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Feminine
κλαίουσα klaiousa
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Matthew 26:75 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἔκλαυσε eklausen
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Mark 5:38 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
κλαίοντας klaiontav
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Mark 5:39 Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Indicative
κλαίετε; klaiete
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Mark 14:72 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἔκλαιε. eklaien
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Mark 16:10 Verb Present Active Participle Dative Plural Masculine
κλαίουσι. klaiousin
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 6:21 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
κλαίοντες klaiontev
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 6:25 Verb Second Person Plural Future Active Indicative
κλαύσετε. klausete
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 7:13 Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Imperative
κλαῖε. klaie
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 7:32 Verb Second Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐκλαύσατε. eklausate
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 7:38 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Feminine
κλαίουσα, klaiousa
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 8:52 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
ἔκλαιον eklaion
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 8:52 Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Imperative
κλαίετε· klaiete
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 19:41 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἔκλαυσεν eklausen
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 22:62 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἔκλαυσε eklausen
I weep, weep for, mourn
Read verse Luke 23:28 Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Imperative
κλαίετε klaiete
I weep, weep for, mourn
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 5 Aligned forms 40 Tenses Present, Aorist, Imperfect, Future Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 16×
Present Active Luke 6:21 · Acts 21:13 · 1 Cor 7:30 · Rev 18:15 · Rev 18:19 · Matt 2:18 · Luke 7:38 · John 20:11 · Mark 5:38 · John 11:33 · Mark 16:10 · Acts 9:39 · Rom 12:15 · Phil 3:18 16×
Indicative states a fact or reality 15×
Aorist Active Matt 26:75 · Luke 19:41 · Luke 22:62 · Luke 7:32 4×
Imperfect Active Mark 14:72 · John 20:11 · Luke 8:52 · Rev 5:4 4×
Present Active John 20:13 · John 20:15 · Mark 5:39 · Rev 18:11 4×
Future Active Luke 6:25 · John 16:20 · Rev 18:9 3×
Imperative command or strong request 7×
Present Active Luke 8:52 · Luke 23:28 · Luke 7:13 · Rev 5:5 5×
Aorist Active Jas 4:9 · Jas 5:1 2×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active John 11:31 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Present Active Rom 12:15 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 35 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 23 aorist 7 imperfect 3 future 2
Voice
active 35
Mood
participle 15 indicative 11 imperative 7 subjunctive 1 infinitive 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 2:18 κλαίουσα present active participle participle Matthew 26:75 ἔκλαυσεν aorist active indicative completed Mark 14:72 ἔκλαιεν imperfect active indicative background Mark 16:10 κλαίουσιν present active participle participle Luke 6:21 κλαίοντες present active participle participle Luke 6:25 κλαύσετε future active indicative prospective Luke 7:13 κλαῖε present active imperative imperative Luke 7:32 ἐκλαύσατε aorist active indicative completed Luke 7:38 κλαίουσα present active participle participle Luke 8:52 κλαίετε present active imperative imperative Luke 19:41 ἔκλαυσεν aorist active indicative completed Luke 22:62 ἔκλαυσεν aorist active indicative completed Luke 23:28 κλαίετε present active imperative imperative Luke 23:28 κλαίετε present active imperative imperative John 11:31 κλαύσῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 11:33 κλαίουσαν present active participle participle John 11:33 κλαίοντας present active participle participle John 16:20 κλαύσετε future active indicative prospective John 20:11 κλαίουσα present active participle participle John 20:11 ἔκλαιεν imperfect active indicative background John 20:13 κλαίεις present active indicative ongoing John 20:15 κλαίεις present active indicative ongoing Acts 9:39 κλαίουσαι present active participle participle Acts 21:13 κλαίοντες present active participle participle Romans 12:15 κλαίειν present active infinitive infinitive Romans 12:15 κλαιόντων present active participle participle 1 Corinthians 7:30 κλαίοντες present active participle participle 1 Corinthians 7:30 κλαίοντες present active participle participle Philippians 3:18 κλαίων present active participle participle James 4:9 κλαύσατε aorist active imperative imperative James 5:1 κλαύσατε aorist active imperative imperative Revelation 5:4 ἔκλαιον imperfect active indicative background Revelation 5:5 κλαῖε present active imperative imperative Revelation 18:15 κλαίοντες present active participle participle Revelation 18:19 κλαίοντες present active participle participle
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 Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Additional Occurrences
Luke 19:28–44 ἔκλαυσεν klaíō
He wept
New Testament Witnesses
wept
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 40 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
κλαίω is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.
Why This Word Matters
Demonstrates Christ’s compassionate lament.
Canonical Themes
Messiah
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.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Klaio gives sorrow a voice and a body. Rachel's weeping stands inside the infancy narrative as testimony against political violence; Matthew does not hurry past the mothers to reach a lesson. At Jairus's house, mourning is real even though Jesus will overturn death's verdict. Peter's tears arise when Jesus' word exposes his denial, but crying alone is not the full story: the risen Lord later restores and recommissions him.
Churches should make room for grief that cannot yet explain itself, distinguish remorse from demonstrated repentance, and resist using resurrection hope to suppress lament. Faithful care listens, names wrongdoing where present, provides practical support, and lets Christ's victory over death become durable hope rather than pressure to perform recovery.
Anchor passage
Matt.2.18
Doctrinal connections
- Lament: Scripture preserves grief before God rather than excluding it from faithful speech.
- Providence and evil: Rachel's tears name real violence without attributing moral evil to God.
- Christology: Jesus enters mourning scenes with authority over death and compassion for people.
- Repentance: Peter's bitter tears belong to a return later evidenced through restored allegiance.
- Resurrection: death's apparent finality is challenged by Jesus' life-giving presence.
- Pastoral care: mourners need truthful presence, safety, justice, time, and practical support.
Klaio commonly means to weep or cry aloud and can describe private remorse or public mourning. Context distinguishes it from related terms emphasizing lamentation, tears, or wailing.
From Old to New Testament
Israel's laments, Jeremiah's tears, mourning rituals, and promises that God will wipe away tears establish grief as covenant speech oriented toward final restoration.
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