What does ἀσθενής (asthenḗs) mean in the Bible?
Asthenēs means weak, sick, lacking strength, or comparatively vulnerable. Jesus identifies Himself with sick people who were not visited, making care for embodied need a matter of allegiance to Him.
Greek · G772
ἀσθενής
Strengthless (in various applications, literal, figurative and moral)
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ἀσθενής G772
Pronunciation asthenḗs
What does ἀσθενής (asthenḗs) mean in the Bible?
Asthenēs means weak, sick, lacking strength, or comparatively vulnerable. Jesus identifies Himself with sick people who were not visited, making care for embodied need a matter of allegiance to Him.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀσθενής (G772) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G772?
The BSB source-word alignment has 26 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include weak (8), sick (4), [are] weak (2), [is] weak (2), [I was] sick (1).
Where does ἀσθενής (asthenḗs) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 25:43. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (11), Acts (3), Matthew (3), Luke (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Asthenēs means weak, sick, lacking strength, or comparatively vulnerable. Jesus identifies Himself with sick people who were not visited, making care for embodied need a matter of allegiance to Him. Acts describes a man healed from weakness. Paul accepts being regarded as weak in contrast to Corinthian boasting and says apparently weaker members of Christ's body are indispensable.
Peter calls wives the weaker vessel while commanding husbands to live with knowledge and honor them as co-heirs of grace. The adjective never makes weakness equivalent to lesser worth, faith, or usefulness. It may describe illness, limited status, vulnerability, or an ironic social judgment. Context must identify the comparison and the obligation placed on the stronger.
How the Bible Uses It
Asthenēs describes sickness, vulnerability, or perceived weakness. Christ identifies with neglected sufferers, healing addresses real need, Paul overturns status rankings, weaker body members are necessary, and husbands must honor wives as equal heirs rather than exploit comparative vulnerability.
- Matt.25.43
I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’
Matthew 25:43 says the Son of Man was sick and not visited, within His identification with the least of His brothers. Neglected bodily need becomes evidence in the judgment scene.
- Acts.4.9
If we are being examined today about a kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was healed,
Acts 4:9 refers to the good deed done to a weak or sick man and asks how he was healed. Peter redirects attention from apostolic power to the name of Jesus Christ.
- 1Cor.4.10
We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.
First Corinthians 4:10 says the apostles are weak while the Corinthians imagine themselves strong. Paul's irony exposes triumphal standards that despise suffering servants.
- 1Cor.12.22
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
First Corinthians 12:22 says body members that seem weaker are indispensable. The church must honor rather than discard people whose gifts, visibility, or social power appear limited.
- 1Pet.3.7
Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
First Peter 3:7 calls the wife a weaker vessel while commanding husbands to show knowledge and honor because wives are co-heirs of the grace of life. The comparison never authorizes domination.
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 weak 8× 1 Corinthians 8:7, 1 Corinthians 8:9, 1 Corinthians 9:22, Galatians 4:9
sick 4× Matthew 25:44, Luke 9:2, Luke 10:9, Acts 5:15
[are] weak 2× 1 Corinthians 4:10, 1 Corinthians 11:30
[is] weak 2× Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38
[I was] sick 1× Matthew 25:43
[is] unimpressive 1× 2 Corinthians 10:10
[the] sick 1× Acts 5:16
[who was] lame 1× Acts 4:9
a delicate 1× 1 Peter 3:7
a weak 1× 1 Corinthians 8:10
powerless 1× Romans 5:6
weak things 1× 1 Corinthians 1:27
weaker 1× 1 Corinthians 12:22
weakness 1× 1 Corinthians 1:25
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 25:43 ἀσθενὴς to [I was] sick Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular Matthew 25:44 ἀσθενῆ to sick Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular Matthew 26:41 ἀσθενής to [is] weak Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular Mark 14:38 ἀσθενής to [is] weak Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular Luke 9:2 ἀσθενεῖς to sick Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural Luke 10:9 ἀσθενεῖς to sick Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural Acts 4:9 ἀσθενοῦς to [who was] lame Adjective - Genitive Masculine Singular Acts 5:15 ἀσθενεῖς to sick Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural Acts 5:16 ἀσθενεῖς to [the] sick Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural Romans 5:6 ἀσθενῶν to powerless Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 25:43
Aligned rows 26
Books represented 11
Matthew 3 Mark 1 Luke 2 Acts 3 Romans 1 1 Corinthians 11 2 Corinthians 1 Galatians 1 1 Thessalonians 1 Hebrews 1 1 Peter 1
Source forms
ἀσθενεῖς 7x astheneis Luke 9:2, Luke 10:9, Acts 5:15, Acts 5:16
ἀσθενῆ 3x asthenē Matthew 25:44, 1 Corinthians 1:27, Galatians 4:9
ἀσθενής 3x asthenēs Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38, 1 Corinthians 9:22
ἀσθενὴς 3x asthenēs Matthew 25:43, 1 Corinthians 8:7, 2 Corinthians 10:10
ἀσθενὲς 2x asthenes 1 Corinthians 1:25, Hebrews 7:18
ἀσθενέσιν 2x asthenesin 1 Corinthians 8:9, 1 Corinthians 9:22
ἀσθενοῦς 2x asthenous Acts 4:9, 1 Corinthians 8:10
ἀσθενῶν 2x asthenōn Romans 5:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:14
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural 5x Luke 9:2, Luke 10:9, Acts 5:15, Acts 5:16
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular 4x Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38, 1 Corinthians 8:7, 2 Corinthians 10:10
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular 2x Matthew 25:43, Matthew 25:44
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural 2x 1 Corinthians 1:27, Galatians 4:9
Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural 2x 1 Corinthians 8:9, 1 Corinthians 9:22
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural 2x Romans 5:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:14
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Singular 2x Acts 4:9, 1 Corinthians 8:10
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural 2x 1 Corinthians 4:10, 1 Corinthians 11:30
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not use "weaker vessel" to justify control, silencing, abuse, or lesser spiritual dignity for women.
- Do not assume sickness, disability, or limited capacity proves weak faith or reduced usefulness.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not use "weaker vessel" to justify control, silencing, abuse, or lesser spiritual dignity for women.
- Do not assume sickness, disability, or limited capacity proves weak faith or reduced usefulness.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Weakness encompassing physical frailty, spiritual immaturity, and moral vulnerability requiring compassionate support.
Strong's G772
Lexical occurrences 26 verses Greek text appearances 25 times 16 shown below Word forms 10 forms 26 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Romans 14:1-12 Source Gloss
strengthless (in various applications, literal, figurative and moral)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 25 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 25:39 Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
ἀσθενῆ, asqenh
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse Matthew 25:43 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀσθενής, asqenhv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse Matthew 25:44 Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
ἀσθενῆ, asqenh
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse Matthew 26:41 Adjective Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀσθενής. asqenhv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse Mark 14:38 Adjective Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀσθενής. asqenhv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse Luke 10:9 Adjective Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενεῖς, asqeneiv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse Acts 4:9 Adjective Genitive Singular Masculine
ἀσθενοῦς, asqenouv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse Acts 5:15 Adjective Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενεῖς, asqeneiv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse Acts 5:16 Adjective Accusative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενεῖς asqeneiv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse Romans 5:6 Adjective Genitive Plural Masculine
ἀσθενῶν, asqenwn
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse 1 Corinthians 1:25 Adjective Nominative Singular Neuter
ἀσθενὲς asqenev
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse 1 Corinthians 1:27 Adjective Accusative Plural Neuter
ἀσθενῆ asqenh
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse 1 Corinthians 4:10 Adjective Nominative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενεῖς, asqeneiv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse 1 Corinthians 8:7 Adjective Nominative Singular Feminine
ἀσθενὴς asqenhv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse 1 Corinthians 8:10 Adjective Genitive Singular Masculine
ἀσθενοῦς asqenouv
weak, infirm, sick
Read verse 1 Corinthians 9:22 Adjective Dative Plural Masculine
ἀσθενέσιν asqenesin
weak, infirm, 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 this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 10 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 patterns 10 Aligned forms 26 Case pattern Nominative (10) Number pattern Plural (12)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Feminine Matt 26:41 · Mark 14:38 · 1 Cor 8:7 · 2 Cor 10:10 4×
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 25:43 · 1 Cor 9:22 2×
Nominative · Plural · Masculine 1 Cor 4:10 · 1 Cor 11:30 2×
Nominative · Singular · Neuter 1 Cor 1:25 1×
Nominative · Plural · Neuter 1 Cor 12:22 1×
Genitive · Singular · Masculine Acts 4:9 · 1 Cor 8:10 2×
Genitive · Plural · Masculine Rom 5:6 · 1 Thess 5:14 2×
Dative · Plural · Masculine 1 Cor 8:9 · 1 Cor 9:22 2×
Dative · Singular · Neuter 1 Pet 3:7 1×
Accusative · Plural · Masculine Luke 9:2 · Luke 10:9 · Acts 5:15 · Acts 5:16 · 1 Cor 9:22 5×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
Weak, lacking strength.
Showing 1 selected witness from 26 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἀσθενής is built from these roots:
Why This Word Matters
Refers to believers with tender consciences needing patient welcome. Romans 14:1-12
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
Asthenēs exposes how easily people confuse strength with worth. Jesus places Himself alongside the sick person left unvisited. Peter's healing testimony directs glory away from the apostles to Christ. Paul allows Corinthian culture to call him weak, then insists that body members seeming weaker are indispensable to God's design. First Peter places responsibility squarely on husbands: any comparative vulnerability requires knowledgeable honor, because wives share equally in the grace of life and mistreatment obstructs prayer.
Christian communities should therefore resist ranking people by health, visibility, productivity, gender, or social leverage. Weakness may require care, accommodation, protection, or patient presence, but it never cancels agency or co-heir dignity. God's power is displayed not by exploiting vulnerability but by honoring those the world overlooks.
Anchor passage
1Cor.12.22
Doctrinal connections
- Christology: the Son of Man identifies Himself with neglected sufferers and judges loveless disregard.
- Healing: apostolic mercy points to Jesus' name rather than human spiritual prestige.
- Cruciform ministry: apparent apostolic weakness exposes triumphal and status-driven leadership.
- Ecclesiology: members considered weaker are indispensable within Christ's body.
- Marriage: husbands must use knowledge and strength to honor wives as co-heirs, never dominate them.
- Prayer and holiness: relational mistreatment has direct consequences for communion with God.
Asthenēs is the adjective related to astheneō and astheneia, meaning weak, sick, powerless, or vulnerable. It may express physical condition, comparative strength, social perception, or rhetorical contrast.
From Old to New Testament
The Law protects vulnerable people, prophets condemn those who exploit the weak, and God repeatedly displays strength through unlikely servants. The Messiah identifies with sufferers and forms an honoring body.
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