μεριμνάω
To be anxious about
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does μεριμνάω (merimnáō) mean in the Bible?
μεριμνάω (merimnáō) is a Greek word meaning "to be anxious about". μεριμνάω, -ῶ (μέριμνα), [in LXX: Psa. Identifies anxiety as divided allegiance inconsistent with trust in the Father. This term runs through the canonical themes of Faith.
Full entry for μεριμνάω (G3309) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Anxious worry versus caring concern; context determines whether the emotion is sinful or virtuous.
(μέριμνα), [in LXX: Psa.38:18 (דָּאַג), etc. ;]
Why This Word Matters
Identifies anxiety as divided allegiance inconsistent with trust in the Father.
Identifies worry as misplaced trust.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 5×
Indicative states a fact or reality 9×
Imperative command or strong request 3×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 2×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 18 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.
Additional Occurrences
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