What does ἐκκακέω (ekkakéō) mean in the Bible?
Ἐκκακέω means to lose heart, become discouraged, or grow weary. The governed local evidence counts about five Pauline uses.
Greek · G1573
ἐκκακέω
To lose heart
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ἐκκακέω G1573
Pronunciation ekkakéō
What does ἐκκακέω (ekkakéō) mean in the Bible?
Ἐκκακέω means to lose heart, become discouraged, or grow weary. The governed local evidence counts about five Pauline uses.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐκκακέω (G1573) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1573?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include we do not lose heart (2), grow weary (1), Let us not grow weary (1), lose heart (1), to be discouraged (1).
Where does ἐκκακέω (ekkakéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 18:1. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (2), 2 Thessalonians (1), Ephesians (1), Galatians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Ἐκκακέω means to lose heart, become discouraged, or grow weary. The governed local evidence counts about five Pauline uses. Second Corinthians 4:1 and 4:16 frame ministry endurance with God's mercy, truthful proclamation, resurrection hope, and the renewal of the inner person amid affliction. Ephesians 3:13 asks the church not to lose heart because of Paul's sufferings for them.
Second Thessalonians 3:13 calls believers not to grow weary in doing good while the surrounding verses address disorderly conduct and responsible work. Galatians 6:9 joins not growing weary in doing good to reaping in due season if believers do not give up. These exhortations offer reasons, hope, and communal practices; they do not shame grief, depression, exhaustion, trauma, or a wise decision to rest, seek care, leave danger, or end an unsustainable assignment.
How the Bible Uses It
The five governed Pauline uses address ministry under affliction, discouragement over another's suffering, and weariness in doing good. Each exhortation supplies a contextual reason for perseverance.
- 2Cor.4.1
Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart.
Paul traces endurance in ministry to mercy received from God rather than to personal invulnerability.
- 2Thess.3.13
But as for you, brothers, do not grow weary in well-doing.
The exhortation sustains good-doing without excusing disorder or demanding limitless work from faithful members.
- Eph.3.13
So I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Paul reframes his suffering within his service to the churches and asks them not to collapse into discouragement.
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 we do not lose heart 2× 2 Corinthians 4:1, 2 Corinthians 4:16
grow weary 1× 2 Thessalonians 3:13
Let us not grow weary 1× Galatians 6:9
lose heart 1× Luke 18:1
to be discouraged 1× Ephesians 3:13
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 18:1 ἐνκακεῖν to lose heart Verb - Present Infinitive Active 2 Corinthians 4:1 ἐγκακοῦμεν to we do not lose heart Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 2 Corinthians 4:16 ἐγκακοῦμεν to we do not lose heart Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural Galatians 6:9 ἐνκακῶμεν to Let us not grow weary Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Plural Ephesians 3:13 ἐνκακεῖν to to be discouraged Verb - Present Infinitive Active 2 Thessalonians 3:13 ἐγκακήσητε to grow weary Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 18:1
Aligned rows 6
Books represented 5
Luke 1 2 Corinthians 2 Galatians 1 Ephesians 1 2 Thessalonians 1
Source forms
ἐγκακοῦμεν 2x enkakoumen 2 Corinthians 4:1, 2 Corinthians 4:16
ἐνκακεῖν 2x enkakein Luke 18:1, Ephesians 3:13
ἐγκακήσητε 1x enkakēsēte 2 Thessalonians 3:13
ἐνκακῶμεν 1x enkakōmen Galatians 6:9
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 2x 2 Corinthians 4:1, 2 Corinthians 4:16
Verb - Present Infinitive Active 2x Luke 18:1, Ephesians 3:13
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural 1x 2 Thessalonians 3:13
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Plural 1x Galatians 6:9
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Let received mercy, resurrection hope, inner renewal, communal care, and promised harvest supply the reasons for endurance.
- Honor human limits and distinguish continuing in good from continuing every role, workload, or unsafe situation.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that rest, treatment, delegation, or leaving harm necessarily means someone has lost heart.
- Do not claim that discouragement proves a lack of faith or the absence of God's renewing work.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To become weary or despondent in faith, losing courage to persevere in spiritual commitment.
Source Gloss
to lose heart
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
To become weary or despondent in faith, losing courage to persevere in spiritual commitment.
ἐν-κακέω, -ῶ (LTr., ἐγκ-; Rec. ἐκκ-; cf. WH, Notes, 157 f.; κακός, cowardly), [in Sm.: Gen.27:46, Num.21:5, Pro.3:11, Isa.7:16 *;] to lose heart : Luk.18:1, 2Co.4:1,16, Gal.6:9, Eph.3:13, 2Th.3:13 (Cremer, 330).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 18:1 Verb Present Active Infinitive
ἐκκακεῖν, ekkakein
I am faint, am weary
Read verse 2 Corinthians 4:1 Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative
ἐκκακοῦμεν· ekkakoumen
I am faint, am weary
Read verse 2 Corinthians 4:16 Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative
ἐκκακοῦμεν· ekkakoumen
I am faint, am weary
Read verse Galatians 6:9 Verb First Person Plural Present Active Subjunctive
ἐκκακῶμεν· ekkakwmen
I am faint, am weary
Read verse Ephesians 3:13 Verb Present Active Infinitive
ἐκκακεῖν ekkakein
I am faint, am weary
Read verse 2 Thessalonians 3:13 Verb Second Person Plural Aorist Active Subjunctive
ἐκκακήσητε ekkakhshte
I am faint, am weary
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.
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 6 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 5 aorist 1
Voice
active 6
Mood
indicative 2 subjunctive 2 infinitive 2
NT Occurrences
Luke 18:1 ἐγκακεῖν present active infinitive infinitive 2 Corinthians 4:1 ἐγκακοῦμεν present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 4:16 ἐγκακοῦμεν present active indicative ongoing Galatians 6:9 ἐγκακῶμεν present active subjunctive subjunctive Ephesians 3:13 ἐγκακεῖν present active infinitive infinitive 2 Thessalonians 3:13 ἐγκακήσητε aorist active subjunctive subjunctive
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)
Sampled Scripture Occurrences
Representative Scripture witnesses for this entry: passage, original form, and sense in context.
Witnesses
Luke 18:1–8 ἐγκακεῖν ekkakéō
To lose heart
Word Origins
ἐκκακέω is built from these roots:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Paul never answers loss of heart with a bare demand to try harder. In Second Corinthians, ministry is received through mercy, truth is handled openly, resurrection power belongs to God, and the inner person is renewed while affliction remains real. Ephesians reframes Paul's suffering within service to the churches. Galatians attaches perseverance in good to God's promised harvest, and Second Thessalonians addresses good-doing within a community that must practice responsible work and disciplined care.
These reasons sustain courage without denying human limits. The verb must not become a tool for extracting endless labor or keeping someone in danger. Rest, lament, treatment, shared responsibility, and release from an abusive or unsustainable role can honor rather than contradict biblical perseverance. The call is not never to feel discouraged; it is not to surrender the good because visible hardship has become the only horizon.
Anchor passage
2Cor.4.1
Doctrinal connections
- Second Corinthians 4:1 grounds ministry endurance in mercy received from God.
- Second Corinthians 4:16 places inner renewal and resurrection hope beside visible affliction.
- Ephesians 3:13 interprets Paul's suffering within his service to the churches.
- Galatians 6:9 gives patient good-doing a promised harvest while the community shares burdens.
- Second Thessalonians 3:13 sustains good work within accountable communal order.
The governed STEP evidence counts about five Pauline uses across four letters. The forms include first-person plural statements, an exhortation, and an infinitive construction. Those grammatical differences identify speaker and construction, while mercy, suffering, renewal, good-doing, and promised harvest supply the meaning of each exhortation.
From Old to New Testament
The Psalms and prophets voice exhaustion, waiting, lament, and renewed hope without pretending that faithful people never feel overwhelmed. Those patterns illuminate Paul's exhortations when his specific grounds in mercy, resurrection, renewal, and promised harvest remain central.
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