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Greek · G770, G769 · unreviewed

ἀσθενέω / ἀσθένεια

To be feeble (in any sense) · feebleness (of mind or body); by implication, malady; morally, frailty

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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant

ἀσθενέω G770 to be feeble (in any sense)
Pronunciation asthenéō
Physical sickness and spiritual/moral weakness share the same verb, highlighting physical infirmity's spiritual significance.
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ἀσθένεια G769 feebleness (of mind or body); by implication, malady; morally, frailty
Pronunciation asthéneia
Physical infirmity, mental limitation, or spiritual frailty—weakness that invites divine compassion and grace.
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What does ἀσθενέω / ἀσθένεια (astheneō / astheneia) mean in the Bible?

ἀσθενέω · ἀσθένεια is a Greek word meaning "be sick, weakness, illness".

Full entry for ἀσθενέω / ἀσθένεια (G770, G769) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

be sick, weakness, illness
Grammatical Forms

How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.

Tenses
Present Imperfect Aorist Perfect
Voices
Active
Indicative states a fact or reality 15×
Present Active John 11:3 · John 11:6 · Rom 14:21 · 2 Cor 11:29 · 2 Cor 13:3 · Jas 5:14 · 2 Cor 13:4 8×
Imperfect Active John 4:46 · John 11:2 · Rom 8:3 3×
Aorist Active Phil 2:26 · Phil 2:27 · Matt 25:36 3×
Perfect Active 2 Cor 11:21 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 17×
Present Active Matt 10:8 · Mark 6:56 · Luke 4:40 · Acts 19:12 · John 5:7 · John 11:1 · Rom 14:2 · 1 Cor 8:11 · Matt 25:39 · Rom 14:1 · 2 Tim 4:20 · John 5:3 · John 6:2 · Acts 20:35 · 1 Cor 8:12 15×
Aorist Active Acts 9:37 · Rom 4:19 2×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 2×
Present Active 2 Cor 12:10 · 2 Cor 13:9 2×
34 total occurrences across all forms in the biblical text Morphology: MorphGNT SBLGNT — CC BY-SA 3.0
Discourse Aspect

How this verb appears across 34 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).

Aspect
completed 3 ongoing 8 resultant 1 background 3 subjunctive 2 participle 17
Tense
present 25 aorist 5 imperfect 3 perfect 1
Voice
active 34
Mood
participle 17 indicative 15 subjunctive 2
NT Occurrences
Matthew 10:8 ἀσθενοῦντας present active participle participle Matthew 25:36 ἠσθένησα aorist active indicative completed Matthew 25:39 ἀσθενοῦντα present active participle participle Mark 6:56 ἀσθενοῦντας present active participle participle Luke 4:40 ἀσθενοῦντας present active participle participle John 4:46 ἠσθένει imperfect active indicative background John 5:3 ἀσθενούντων present active participle participle John 5:7 ἀσθενῶν present active participle participle John 6:2 ἀσθενούντων present active participle participle John 11:1 ἀσθενῶν present active participle participle John 11:2 ἠσθένει imperfect active indicative background John 11:3 ἀσθενεῖ present active indicative ongoing John 11:6 ἀσθενεῖ present active indicative ongoing Acts 9:37 ἀσθενήσασαν aorist active participle participle Acts 19:12 ἀσθενοῦντας present active participle participle Acts 20:35 ἀσθενούντων present active participle participle Romans 4:19 ἀσθενήσας aorist active participle participle Romans 8:3 ἠσθένει imperfect active indicative background Romans 14:1 ἀσθενοῦντα present active participle participle Romans 14:2 ἀσθενῶν present active participle participle Romans 14:21 ἀσθενεῖ present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 8:11 ἀσθενῶν present active participle participle 1 Corinthians 8:12 ἀσθενοῦσαν present active participle participle 2 Corinthians 11:21 ἠσθενήκαμεν perfect active indicative resultant 2 Corinthians 11:29 ἀσθενεῖ present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 11:29 ἀσθενῶ present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 12:10 ἀσθενῶ present active subjunctive subjunctive 2 Corinthians 13:3 ἀσθενεῖ present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 13:4 ἀσθενοῦμεν present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 13:9 ἀσθενῶμεν present active subjunctive subjunctive Philippians 2:26 ἠσθένησεν aorist active indicative completed Philippians 2:27 ἠσθένησεν aorist active indicative completed 2 Timothy 4:20 ἀσθενοῦντα present active participle participle James 5:14 ἀσθενεῖ present active indicative ongoing

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)

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.

Acts 20 — Paul’s Farewell Charge to Shepherd the Church of God John 11 — The Resurrection and the Life, the Raising of Lazarus, and the Plot to Kill Jesus Matthew 25 — Readiness, Stewardship, and the Final Judgment of the Son of Man Matthew 8 — The Authority of Jesus over Uncleanness, Sickness, Discipleship, Storms, and Demons Romans 14 — Receiving One Another, Honoring the Lord, and Pursuing Peace in Matters of Conscience Romans 8 — No Condemnation, Life in the Spirit, and the Unbreakable Love of God in Christ

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

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

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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