What does ἀσθενέω (asthenéō) mean in the Bible?
Astheneō means to be weak, lack strength, or be sick. Jesus sends the Twelve to heal the sick as part of kingdom proclamation.
Greek · G770
ἀσθενέω
To be feeble (in any sense)
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ἀσθενέω G770
Pronunciation asthenéō
What does ἀσθενέω (asthenéō) mean in the Bible?
Astheneō means to be weak, lack strength, or be sick. Jesus sends the Twelve to heal the sick as part of kingdom proclamation.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀσθενέω (G770) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G770?
The BSB source-word alignment has 33 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include sick (8), weak (4), is weak (2), [Lazarus] was sick (1), are weak (1).
Where does ἀσθενέω (asthenéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 10:8. Its strongest book concentrations include John (8), 2 Corinthians (7), Romans (4), Acts (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Astheneō means to be weak, lack strength, or be sick. Jesus sends the Twelve to heal the sick as part of kingdom proclamation. Crowds follow Him because they see signs done for the sick. Abraham does not become weak in faith when considering his aged body and Sarah's barrenness. Paul can be content in weaknesses for Christ because Christ's power rests upon him.
James tells a sick believer to summon the elders for prayer and anointing in the Lord's name. The verb spans bodily illness, limited strength, and weakening in faith, but these senses must not be blended. Sickness is not automatically unbelief, and contentment in weakness does not forbid seeking care or healing.
How the Bible Uses It
Astheneō describes sickness and weakened capacity, while Romans uses it for faith that does not collapse before human impossibility. Jesus heals sufferers, Paul receives Christ's power amid limitation, and James places illness within prayerful elder care.
- Matt.10.8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
Matthew 10:8 commissions the Twelve to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. Their freely given ministry is delegated kingdom authority, not a commercial technique.
- John.6.2
A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick.
John 6:2 says a large crowd followed Jesus because they saw signs He performed on the sick. Their attraction to signs frames the feeding narrative and Jesus' later exposure of shallow motives.
- Rom.4.19
Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb.
Romans 4:19 says Abraham did not weaken in faith while considering his body as good as dead and Sarah's barren womb. Faith faces creaturely inability honestly while relying on God's promise.
- 2Cor.12.10
That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Second Corinthians 12:10 says Paul is content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ, for when he is weak, then he is strong. Christ's sufficient grace redefines apostolic power.
- Jas.5.14
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:14 asks whether anyone is sick and directs that person to call church elders to pray and anoint in the Lord's name. The community draws near without making the action a mechanical guarantee.
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 sick 8× Matthew 25:39, Mark 6:56, John 5:3, John 6:2
weak 4× Acts 20:35, 1 Corinthians 8:11, 1 Corinthians 8:12, 2 Corinthians 13:4
is weak 2× Romans 14:1, 2 Corinthians 11:29
[Lazarus] was sick 1× John 11:6
are weak 1× 2 Corinthians 13:9
he was ill 1× Philippians 2:26
He was sick 1× Philippians 2:27
I am not weak 1× 2 Corinthians 11:29
I am weak 1× 2 Corinthians 12:10
I was sick 1× Matthew 25:36
ill 1× Luke 4:40
invalid 1× John 5:7
is not weak 1× 2 Corinthians 13:3
is sick 1× John 11:3
it was weakened 1× Romans 8:3
lay sick 1× John 4:46
she became sick 1× Acts 9:37
the sick 1× Matthew 10:8
was sick 1× John 11:2
weakening 1× Romans 4:19
were too weak [for that] 1× 2 Corinthians 11:21
who is weak 1× Romans 14:2
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 10:8 ἀσθενοῦντας to the sick Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural Matthew 25:36 ἠσθένησα to I was sick Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular Matthew 25:39 ἀσθενοῦντα to sick Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Singular Mark 6:56 ἀσθενοῦντας to sick Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural Luke 4:40 ἀσθενοῦντας to ill Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural John 4:46 ἠσθένει to lay sick Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular John 5:3 ἀσθενούντων to sick Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Plural John 5:7 ἀσθενῶν to invalid Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular John 6:2 ἀσθενούντων to sick Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Plural John 11:1 ἀσθενῶν to sick Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 10:8
Aligned rows 33
Books represented 11
Matthew 3 Mark 1 Luke 1 John 8 Acts 3 Romans 4 1 Corinthians 2 2 Corinthians 7 Philippians 2 2 Timothy 1 James 1
Source forms
ἀσθενεῖ 5x asthenei John 11:3, John 11:6, 2 Corinthians 11:29, 2 Corinthians 13:3
ἀσθενοῦντας 4x asthenountas Matthew 10:8, Mark 6:56, Luke 4:40, Acts 19:12
ἀσθενῶν 4x asthenōn John 5:7, John 11:1, Romans 14:2, 1 Corinthians 8:11
ἀσθενοῦντα 3x asthenounta Matthew 25:39, Romans 14:1, 2 Timothy 4:20
ἀσθενούντων 3x asthenountōn John 5:3, John 6:2, Acts 20:35
ἠσθένει 3x ēsthenei John 4:46, John 11:2, Romans 8:3
ἀσθενῶ 2x asthenō 2 Corinthians 11:29, 2 Corinthians 12:10
ἠσθένησεν 2x ēsthenēsen Philippians 2:26, Philippians 2:27
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 5x John 11:3, John 11:6, 2 Corinthians 11:29, 2 Corinthians 13:3
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural 4x Matthew 10:8, Mark 6:56, Luke 4:40, Acts 19:12
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 4x John 5:7, John 11:1, Romans 14:2, 1 Corinthians 8:11
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 3x John 4:46, John 11:2, Romans 8:3
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Singular 3x Matthew 25:39, Romans 14:1, 2 Timothy 4:20
Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Plural 3x John 5:3, John 6:2, Acts 20:35
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x Philippians 2:26, Philippians 2:27
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 1x Matthew 25:36
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not tell sick people that their illness necessarily proves deficient faith or specific sin.
- Do not use contentment in weakness to discourage medical care, safety, prayer, or truthful lament.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not tell sick people that their illness necessarily proves deficient faith or specific sin.
- Do not use contentment in weakness to discourage medical care, safety, prayer, or truthful lament.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Physical sickness and spiritual/moral weakness share the same verb, highlighting physical infirmity's spiritual significance.
Strong's G770
Lexical occurrences 34 verses Greek text appearances 36 times 16 shown below Word forms 3 forms 34 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Romans 4:19 Source Gloss
to be feeble (in any sense)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 36 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 10:8 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενοῦντας asqenountav
I am weak, sick
Read verse Matthew 25:36 Verb First Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἠσθένησα, hsqenhsa
I am weak, sick
Read verse Mark 6:56 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενοῦντας, asqenountav
I am weak, sick
Read verse Luke 4:40 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενοῦντας asqenountav
I am weak, sick
Read verse Luke 7:10 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Singular Masculine
ἀσθενοῦντα asqenounta
I am weak, sick
Read verse Luke 9:2 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενοῦντας. asqenountav
I am weak, sick
Read verse John 4:46 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἠσθένει hsqenei
I am weak, sick
Read verse John 5:3 Verb Present Active Participle Genitive Plural Masculine
ἀσθενούντων, asqenountwn
I am weak, sick
Read verse John 5:7 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀσθενῶν, asqenwn
I am weak, sick
Read verse John 6:2 Verb Present Active Participle Genitive Plural Masculine
ἀσθενούντων. asqenountwn
I am weak, sick
Read verse John 11:1 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀσθενῶν asqenwn
I am weak, sick
Read verse John 11:2 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἠσθένει. hsqenei
I am weak, sick
Read verse John 11:3 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἀσθενεῖ. asqenei
I am weak, sick
Read verse John 11:6 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἀσθενεῖ, asqenei
I am weak, sick
Read verse Acts 9:37 Verb Aorist Active Participle Accusative Singular Feminine
ἀσθενήσασαν asqenhsasan
I am weak, sick
Read verse Acts 19:12 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενοῦντας asqenountav
I am weak, sick
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 3 Aligned forms 34 Tenses Present, Imperfect, Aorist, Perfect Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
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×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 34 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
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)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Abraham's faith not weakened despite bodily infirmity in old age
One whose faith is weak in conviction regarding dietary practices
Weak believer destroyed in conscience by stronger believer's freedom
Christ crucified in weakness yet lives by power of God
Bodily sickness or infirmity, requiring visitation and care
Showing 5 selected witnesses from 34 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀσθενέω 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
Astheneō gives the church honest language for bodies and capacities that fail. Jesus sees and heals sick people rather than treating them as moral exhibits. Crowds may misunderstand His signs, but the sufferers' needs remain real. Abraham's faith is not denial of bodily impossibility; he considers it and trusts the God who gives life. Paul learns that apostolic credibility does not require invulnerability, because Christ's power rests on a servant who cannot boast in himself.
James brings sickness into congregational care through elders' prayer. These passages support compassionate presence, appropriate care, intercession, and truthful hope. They do not promise every illness will end immediately, blame sufferers for lacking faith, or glorify preventable harm. Christian strength is dependence on Christ within real weakness.
Anchor passage
2Cor.12.10
Doctrinal connections
- Kingdom mission: Jesus delegates healing as a sign of compassionate kingdom authority.
- Christology: Christ's power rests upon the weak servant and His grace proves sufficient.
- Faith: Abraham trusts God's promise while fully recognizing bodily inability.
- Embodiment: illness and aging are real creaturely afflictions, not automatic signs of personal guilt.
- Church care: elders respond to sickness with presence, prayer, and action in the Lord's name.
- Power and ministry: apostolic strength is cruciform dependence rather than invulnerable performance.
Astheneō is the verb related to asthenēs and astheneia, meaning to be weak, lack strength, or be ill. The subject and setting determine whether the weakness is physical, circumstantial, or applied to faith.
From Old to New Testament
The Psalms pray from beds of sickness, Isaiah portrays the Servant bearing infirmity, and God's strength repeatedly meets the powerless. Final resurrection, not present invulnerability, completes bodily hope.
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