What does ἐπιθυμέω · ἐπιθυμία mean in the Bible?
e. long for (rightfully or otherwise)".
Greek · G1937, G1939
ἐπιθυμήσεις / ἐπιθυμίαν
To long for · a longing (especially for what is forbidden)
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
ἐπιθυμέω G1937 to long for
Pronunciation epithyméō
Intense desire directed toward an object, often with moral disapproval in NT ethical contexts.
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ἐπιθυμία G1939 a longing (especially for what is forbidden)
Pronunciation epithymía
Intense craving, especially for what is forbidden or worldly; often contrasted with rational choice or obedience to God.
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What does ἐπιθυμήσεις / ἐπιθυμίαν (epithymēseis / epithymian) mean in the Bible?
ἐπιθυμέω · ἐπιθυμία is a Greek phrase meaning "to set the heart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully or otherwise)".
Full entry for ἐπιθυμήσεις / ἐπιθυμίαν (G1937, G1939) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for G1937, G1939?
G1937, G1939 is connected to 16 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Greek phrase. to set the heart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully or otherwise)
Source Gloss
to set the heart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully or otherwise)
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 16 Tenses Aorist, Future, Present, Imperfect Voices Active
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 14×
Present Active Gal 5:17 · 1 Tim 3:1 · Heb 6:11 · Jas 4:2 · 1 Pet 1:12 5×
Aorist Active Matt 13:17 · 1 Cor 10:6 · Luke 22:15 · Acts 20:33 4×
Future Active Rom 7:7 · Rom 13:9 · Luke 17:22 · Rev 9:6 4×
Imperfect Active Luke 15:16 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Aorist Active Matt 5:28 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 1×
Present Active Luke 16:21 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 16 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 6 aorist 5 future 4 imperfect 1
Voice
active 16
Mood
indicative 14 participle 1 infinitive 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 5:28 ἐπιθυμῆσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Matthew 13:17 ἐπεθύμησαν aorist active indicative completed Luke 15:16 ἐπεθύμει imperfect active indicative background Luke 16:21 ἐπιθυμῶν present active participle participle Luke 17:22 ἐπιθυμήσετε future active indicative prospective Luke 22:15 ἐπεθύμησα aorist active indicative completed Acts 20:33 ἐπεθύμησα aorist active indicative completed Romans 7:7 ἐπιθυμήσεις future active indicative prospective Romans 13:9 ἐπιθυμήσεις future active indicative prospective 1 Corinthians 10:6 ἐπεθύμησαν aorist active indicative completed Galatians 5:17 ἐπιθυμεῖ present active indicative ongoing 1 Timothy 3:1 ἐπιθυμεῖ present active indicative ongoing Hebrews 6:11 ἐπιθυμοῦμεν present active indicative ongoing James 4:2 ἐπιθυμεῖτε present active indicative ongoing 1 Peter 1:12 ἐπιθυμοῦσιν present active indicative ongoing Revelation 9:6 ἐπιθυμήσουσιν future active indicative prospective
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 Origins
ἐπιθυμήσεις / ἐπιθυμίαν is built from these roots:
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