What does στενάζω (stenázō) mean in the Bible?
Groaning or sighing expresses a response whose speaker and setting determine its character. Mark records Jesus sighing before the narrated healing of a deaf man who could hardly speak.
Greek · G4727
στενάζω
Groaning or sighing expresses a response whose speaker and setting determine its character. Mark records Jesus sighing before the narrated healing of a deaf man who could hardly speak.
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στενάζωG4727
Pronunciationstenázō
What does στενάζω (stenázō) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for στενάζω (G4727) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4727?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include we groan (2), [with] grief (1), complain (1), groan (1), He sighed deeply (1).
Where does στενάζω (stenázō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 7:34. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (2), Hebrews (1), James (1), Mark (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Groaning or sighing expresses a response whose speaker and setting determine its character. Mark records Jesus sighing before the narrated healing of a deaf man who could hardly speak. Romans describes people with the Spirit's firstfruits groaning inwardly while waiting for bodily redemption, so groaning does not prove absence of the Spirit. Second Corinthians retains longing to be clothed with life rather than a wish for nakedness, and Hebrews joins leaders' grief with their responsibility to give an account.
James also warns against complaining about one another within patient waiting. These six witnesses do not make every groan sinful or every complaint truthful. Read who responds and what the argument names. Hope can coexist with bodily burden, leaders remain accountable and a warning against mutual complaint must not become a command to silence truthful reports of harm or refuse appropriate care.
How the Bible Uses It
Jesus' sigh, inward waiting, two dwelling-and-clothing references, accountable leadership and warned mutual complaint account for all six Greek witnesses. Speaker, object and argument distinguish care, longing and correction.
- Mark.7.34
And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).
Jesus sighs while looking to heaven before the narrated opening of the man's hearing and speech, without the narrator assigning a hidden emotion or prescribing the gesture as a technique.
- Rom.8.23
Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Those with the Spirit's firstfruits groan inwardly while awaiting bodily redemption, retaining present burden beside hope rather than identifying groaning as absence of faith.
- Jas.5.9
Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
The warning concerns complaining about one another within patient waiting and the Judge's nearness, not every plea for help or truthful disclosure of injury.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itwe groan2×2 Corinthians 5:2, 2 Corinthians 5:4
[with] grief1×Hebrews 13:17
complain1×James 5:9
groan1×Romans 8:23
He sighed deeply1×Mark 7:34
Show sample aligned rows
Mark 7:34ἐστέναξενtoHe sighed deeplyVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularRomans 8:23στενάζομενtogroanVerb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural2 Corinthians 5:2στενάζομενtowe groanVerb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural2 Corinthians 5:4στενάζομενtowe groanVerb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person PluralHebrews 13:17στενάζοντεςto[with] griefVerb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine PluralJames 5:9στενάζετεtocomplainVerb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMark 7:34
Aligned rows6
Books represented5
Mark1Romans12 Corinthians2Hebrews1James1
Source forms
στενάζομεν3xstenazomenRomans 8:23, 2 Corinthians 5:2, 2 Corinthians 5:4
ἐστέναξεν1xestenaxenMark 7:34
στενάζετε1xstenazeteJames 5:9
στενάζοντες1xstenazontesHebrews 13:17
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural3xRomans 8:23, 2 Corinthians 5:2, 2 Corinthians 5:4
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xMark 7:34
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural1xJames 5:9
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural1xHebrews 13:17
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Offer appropriate care without promising a gesture reproduces every narrated healing.
- Respect truthful disclosure and safety while avoiding a private clinical or spiritual diagnosis.
Avoid claiming...
- Every groan is sinful or proves absence of the Spirit, and every leader's grief settles a complaint.
- The verb prescribes a healing technique, authorizes silence about harm or encourages self-harm.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Deep internal emotional pain or longing expressed through inarticulate sound, often inexpressible by words alone
Strong'sG4727
Lexical occurrences6 versesGreek text appearances6 timesWord forms3 forms6 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkMark 7:34Source Gloss
to groan
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Deep internal emotional pain or longing expressed through inarticulate sound, often inexpressible by words alone
to groan ("the word denotes feeling which is internal and unexpressed," Mayor, Ja., 162): Mrk.7:34, 2Co.5:2 5:4, Heb.13:17, Jas.5:9 (EV, murmur); ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, Rom.8:23 (cf. ἀνα-, συ(ν)-στενάζω).
Synonymssee: κλαίω
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 7:34Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐστέναξε,estenaxen
I groan
Read verseRomans 8:23Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative
στενάζομεν,stenazomen
I groan
Read verse2 Corinthians 5:2Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative
στενάζομεν,stenazomen
I groan
Read verse2 Corinthians 5:4Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative
στενάζομενstenazomen
I groan
Read verseHebrews 13:17Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
στενάζοντες·stenazontev
I groan
Read verseJames 5:9Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Imperative
στενάζετεstenazete
I groan
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 groups3Aligned forms6TensesPresent, AoristVoicesActive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality4×
Present ActiveRom 8:23 · 2 Cor 5:2 · 2 Cor 5:43×
Aorist ActiveMark 7:341×
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality1×
Present ActiveHeb 13:171×
Imperativecommand or strong request1×
Present ActiveJas 5:91×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 6 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present5aorist1
Voice
active6
Mood
indicative4participle1imperative1
NT Occurrences
Mark 7:34ἐστέναξενaorist active indicativecompletedRomans 8:23στενάζομενpresent active indicativeongoing2 Corinthians 5:2στενάζομενpresent active indicativeongoing2 Corinthians 5:4στενάζομενpresent active indicativeongoingHebrews 13:17στενάζοντεςpresent active participleparticipleJames 5:9στενάζετεpresent active imperativeimperative
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.
Biblical Witnesses
Jesus groans inwardly with deep compassion before healing the deaf man
Believers groan inwardly, waiting for adoption and redemption of the body
Paul groans earnestly, longing to be clothed with heavenly dwelling
Spiritual leaders groan over souls, carrying burden of pastoral responsibility
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
στενάζω 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.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Groaning can belong to care, longing or a response that the passage corrects. Mark names Jesus' sigh within an actual healing scene but does not require a teacher to invent the precise inward emotion or reproduce the gesture as a treatment. Romans expressly includes people who possess the Spirit's firstfruits among those groaning and waiting, so the sound cannot serve as proof of spiritual absence.
Second Corinthians' clothing language favors life over nakedness rather than encouragement to hasten death. Hebrews' leadership instruction retains obedience and submission alongside leaders' obligation to give an account; their grief is not immunity from scrutiny. James' warning about mutual complaint also stays within its actual object and patience argument.
Teach these distinctions honestly, allowing bodily need and hope together without silencing truthful harm reports, prescribing healing techniques or turning distress into a private faith diagnosis.
Anchor passage
Rom.8.23
Doctrinal connections
- Mark 7:32-36 places Jesus' sigh within the deaf man's narrated healing and subsequent instruction, retaining actual care without a universal treatment method.
- Romans 8:21-25 names the Spirit's firstfruits, inward groaning and waiting for bodily redemption, keeping hope and present burden together.
- Second Corinthians 5:1-3 speaks of groaning and longing for the heavenly dwelling, retaining the stated clothing image rather than a complete physical diagram.
- Second Corinthians 5:4-6 explicitly prefers clothing over nakedness and mortality swallowed by life, with the Spirit as pledge, without encouraging self-harm.
- Hebrews 13:15-19 directs obedience and submission while requiring leaders to give an account, retaining accountable care rather than unlimited human entitlement.
- James 5:7-11 warns against complaint about one another within patient waiting and remembered compassion, without forbidding every truthful plea for help.
The licensed Greek verb includes groaning or sighing, and context supplies the response's object and evaluation. Romans explicitly names inward groaning, while James renders the action as complaint about others. These uses should not be merged into a diagnosis of hidden motives or one ban on all voiced distress.
From Old to New Testament
Exodus 2:23-25 records Israel groaning under slavery and God hearing, remembering the covenant and taking notice. This separate Hebrew account names an actual burden and response. Read it beside Romans' hopeful groaning without treating the expressions as identical lexical forms or requiring oppressed people to keep harm undisclosed; hope, heard need and appropriate practical care can remain visible together.