What does πρόβατον · ποιμήν mean in the Bible?
πρόβατον · ποιμήν is a Greek phrase meaning "sheep without a shepherd".
Greek · G4263, G4166
πρόβατα μὴ ἔχοντα ποιμένα
Sheep · a shepherd (literally or figuratively)
Reading a lexicon entry
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
πρόβατονG4263sheep
Pronunciationpróbaton
In NT metaphor, denotes Christ's vulnerable followers dependent on their shepherd's protective care and guidance.
Open lexicon entry →ποιμήνG4166a shepherd (literally or figuratively)
Pronunciationpoimḗn
Shepherd metaphor emphasizes protective, personal care for a flock; applied to Christ and church leaders.
Open lexicon entry →What does πρόβατα μὴ ἔχοντα ποιμένα (probata mē echonta poimena) mean in the Bible?
πρόβατον · ποιμήν is a Greek phrase meaning "sheep without a shepherd".
Full entry for πρόβατα μὴ ἔχοντα ποιμένα (G4263, G4166) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for G4263, G4166?
G4263, G4166 is connected to 39 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Greek phrase. sheep without a shepherd
Source Gloss
sheep without a shepherd
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 6 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 patterns6Aligned forms39Case patternAccusative (16)Number patternPlural (35)
Nominative · Plural · NeuterMatt 9:36 · Matt 18:12 · Matt 26:31 · Mark 6:34 · Mark 14:27 · John 10:3 · John 10:4 · John 10:8 · John 10:12 · John 10:27 · Rom 8:36 · 1 Pet 2:2512×
Nominative · Singular · NeuterActs 8:321×
Genitive · Plural · NeuterMatt 7:15 · John 10:1 · John 10:2 · John 10:7 · John 10:11 · John 10:13 · John 10:15 · John 10:26 · Heb 13:209×
Genitive · Singular · NeuterMatt 12:121×
Accusative · Plural · NeuterMatt 10:6 · Matt 10:16 · Matt 15:24 · Matt 25:32 · Matt 25:33 · Luke 15:4 · John 2:14 · John 2:15 · John 10:3 · John 10:12 · John 10:16 · John 21:16 · John 21:17 · Rev 18:1314×
Accusative · Singular · NeuterMatt 12:11 · Luke 15:62×
Word Origins
πρόβατα μὴ ἔχοντα ποιμένα is built from this root: