What does ἐπιθυμία (epithymía) mean in the Bible?
G1939 names desire, longing, craving, or lust. The noun is not inherently sinful.
Greek · G1939
ἐπιθυμία
A longing (especially for what is forbidden)
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ἐπιθυμία G1939
Pronunciation epithymía
What does ἐπιθυμία (epithymía) mean in the Bible?
G1939 names desire, longing, craving, or lust. The noun is not inherently sinful.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐπιθυμία (G1939) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1939?
The BSB source-word alignment has 38 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include desires (13), passions (6), [the] desires (3), desire (3), evil desires (3).
Where does ἐπιθυμία (epithymía) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 4:19. Its strongest book concentrations include Romans (5), 1 Peter (4), 2 Peter (4), 1 John (3).
What This Word Actually Means
G1939 names desire, longing, craving, or lust. The noun is not inherently sinful. Jesus speaks of his earnest desire to eat the Passover with his disciples, Paul desires to depart and be with Christ, and Paul describes his eager desire to see the Thessalonians. Many other passages qualify desire as belonging to the flesh, deceit, impurity, greed, former ignorance, human passions, or the world.
The moral direction therefore comes from the desirer, object, source, and surrounding qualifiers. Teachers should not shame desire as such. Scripture confronts desires that entice toward sin while also recognizing holy longing, relational affection, and desire for communion with Christ.
How the Bible Uses It
The thirty-eight forms span positive, relational, neutral, and destructive desires. Luke 22:15, Philippians 1:23, and 1 Thessalonians 2:17 establish positive or relational uses. Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, the Pastorals, James, Peter, John, Jude, and Revelation frequently describe desire distorted by sin, greed, impurity, false teaching, or worldliness.
Mark 4:19 describes other desires choking the word, while Revelation 18:14 names desired luxuries that have vanished. The noun identifies desire; the passage evaluates it.
- Luke.22.15
I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering
Jesus' desire is personal and holy, proving that G1939 does not carry an automatically sinful meaning.
- Phil.1.23
I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed
Paul names a Christ-centered longing while also recognizing the pastoral need to remain for others.
- 1Thess.2.17
We made every effort to see your face because of our great desire
The noun describes affectionate longing for separated believers, not lust or self-serving appetite.
- Gal.5.16
Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh
The desire is negatively qualified by the flesh. Paul's command directs believers toward Spirit-governed walking rather than claiming that temptation becomes impossible.
- Jas.1.14
Each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed
James describes the movement from an individual's desire through enticement toward sin, while keeping temptation and completed sin distinguishable.
- 1Pet.2.11
Abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul
Peter addresses desires characterized as fleshly and hostile to faithful life, not every bodily need or emotion.
- 1John.2.16
The desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life
Two G1939 forms participate in John's account of a world-order not from the Father. The categories should not be forced into an exact three-part map of Genesis 3.
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 desires 13× John 8:44, Romans 1:24, Romans 6:12, Galatians 5:24
passions 6× 2 Timothy 2:22, 2 Timothy 3:6, Titus 2:12, 1 Peter 1:14
[the] desires 3× Romans 13:14, Galatians 5:16, 1 Peter 2:11
desire 3× Mark 4:19, 1 Thessalonians 2:17, Revelation 18:14
evil desires 3× James 1:14, 2 Peter 1:4, 2 Peter 3:3
[after] desire 1× James 1:15
coveting 1× Romans 7:7
cravings 1× Ephesians 2:3
I desire 1× Philippians 1:23
lust 1× 1 Peter 4:3
lustful 1× 1 Thessalonians 4:5
lusts 1× Jude 1:16
of covetous desire 1× Romans 7:8
of desires 1× Titus 3:3
vvv 1× Luke 22:15
Show sample aligned rows
Mark 4:19 ἐπιθυμίαι to desire Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural Luke 22:15 Ἐπιθυμίᾳ to vvv Noun - Dative Feminine Singular John 8:44 ἐπιθυμίας to desires Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural Romans 1:24 ἐπιθυμίαις to desires Noun - Dative Feminine Plural Romans 6:12 ἐπιθυμίαις to desires Noun - Dative Feminine Plural Romans 7:7 ἐπιθυμίαν to coveting Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Romans 7:8 ἐπιθυμίαν to of covetous desire Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Romans 13:14 ἐπιθυμίας to [the] desires Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural Galatians 5:16 ἐπιθυμίαν to [the] desires Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Galatians 5:24 ἐπιθυμίαις to desires Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Mark 4:19
Aligned rows 38
Books represented 18
Mark 1 Luke 1 John 1 Romans 5 Galatians 2 Ephesians 2 Philippians 1 Colossians 1 1 Thessalonians 2 1 Timothy 1 2 Timothy 3 Titus 2 James 2 1 Peter 4 2 Peter 4 1 John 3 Jude 2 Revelation 1
Source forms
ἐπιθυμίας 13x epithymias John 8:44, Romans 13:14, Ephesians 4:22, 1 Thessalonians 4:5
ἐπιθυμίαις 10x epithymiais Romans 1:24, Romans 6:12, Galatians 5:24, Ephesians 2:3
ἐπιθυμίαν 5x epithymian Romans 7:7, Romans 7:8, Galatians 5:16, Philippians 1:23
ἐπιθυμία 4x epithymia James 1:15, 1 John 2:16, 1 John 2:17
ἐπιθυμίᾳ 3x epithymia 1 Thessalonians 2:17, 2 Peter 1:4, 2 Peter 2:10
Ἐπιθυμίᾳ 1x Epithymia Luke 22:15
ἐπιθυμίαι 1x epithymiai Mark 4:19
ἐπιθυμιῶν 1x epithymiōn 1 Peter 2:11
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural 10x John 8:44, Romans 13:14, Ephesians 4:22, 1 Timothy 6:9
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural 10x Romans 1:24, Romans 6:12, Galatians 5:24, Ephesians 2:3
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 5x Romans 7:7, Romans 7:8, Galatians 5:16, Philippians 1:23
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 4x Luke 22:15, 1 Thessalonians 2:17, 2 Peter 1:4, 2 Peter 2:10
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular 4x James 1:15, 1 John 2:16, 1 John 2:17
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 3x 1 Thessalonians 4:5, James 1:14, Revelation 18:14
Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural 1x 1 Peter 2:11
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural 1x Mark 4:19
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Name and test desire honestly without shaming people for experiencing longing or temptation.
- Distinguish temptation, consent, action, habit, and harm rather than collapsing them into one moral event.
- Encourage pastoral, medical, or therapeutic support where compulsive desire, trauma, abuse, or disordered eating is involved.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every strong desire is lust or evidence of spiritual failure.
- Do not use fleshly-desire texts to excuse coercive control over another person's body, relationships, or care decisions.
- Do not claim that walking by the Spirit means a believer will never experience unwanted desire or temptation.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Intense craving, especially for what is forbidden or worldly; often contrasted with rational choice or obedience to God.
Strong's G1939
Lexical occurrences 38 verses Greek text appearances 38 times 16 shown below Word forms 8 forms 38 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link 1 John 2:15-17 Source Gloss
a longing (especially for what is forbidden)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 38 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Mark 4:19 Noun Nominative Plural Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαι epiqumiai
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Luke 22:15 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
Ἐπιθυμίᾳ epiqumia
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse John 8:44 Noun Accusative Plural Feminine
ἐπιθυμίας epiqumiav
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Romans 1:24 Noun Dative Plural Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαις epiqumiaiv
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Romans 6:12 Noun Dative Plural Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαις epiqumiaiv
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Romans 7:7 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαν epiqumian
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Romans 7:8 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαν· epiqumian
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Romans 13:14 Noun Accusative Plural Feminine
ἐπιθυμίας. epiqumiav
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Galatians 5:16 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαν epiqumian
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Galatians 5:24 Noun Dative Plural Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαις. epiqumiaiv
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Ephesians 2:3 Noun Dative Plural Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαις epiqumiaiv
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Ephesians 4:22 Noun Accusative Plural Feminine
ἐπιθυμίας epiqumiav
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Philippians 1:23 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαν epiqumian
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse Colossians 3:5 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
ἐπιθυμίαν epiqumian
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse 1 Thessalonians 2:17 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
ἐπιθυμίᾳ· epiqumia
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
Read verse 1 Thessalonians 4:5 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
ἐπιθυμίας, epiqumiav
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
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 8 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 8 Aligned forms 38 Case pattern Accusative (15) Number pattern Plural (22)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Feminine Jas 1:15 · 1 John 2:16 · 1 John 2:17 4×
Nominative · Plural · Feminine Mark 4:19 1×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine 1 Thess 4:5 · Jas 1:14 · Rev 18:14 3×
Genitive · Plural · Feminine 1 Pet 2:11 1×
Dative · Plural · Feminine Rom 1:24 · Rom 6:12 · Gal 5:24 · Eph 2:3 · 2 Tim 3:6 · Titus 3:3 · 1 Pet 1:14 · 1 Pet 4:2 · 1 Pet 4:3 · 2 Pet 2:18 10×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Luke 22:15 · 1 Thess 2:17 · 2 Pet 1:4 · 2 Pet 2:10 4×
Accusative · Plural · Feminine John 8:44 · Rom 13:14 · Eph 4:22 · 1 Tim 6:9 · 2 Tim 2:22 · 2 Tim 4:3 · Titus 2:12 · 2 Pet 3:3 · Jude 1:16 · Jude 1:18 10×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Rom 7:7 · Rom 7:8 · Gal 5:16 · Phil 1:23 · Col 3:5 5×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
Intense longing that can be morally disordered when detached from God’s will.
desire, craving
Additional Occurrences
1-john Desire epithymía
strong craving or longing
desire, craving, lust
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 38 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἐπιθυμία is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Identifies internal longing as the source of temptation rather than divine causation. 1 John 2:15-17
Describes inward impulses that shape allegiance and behavior when detached from God’s will. James 1:12–15
Worldliness operates through internal cravings, not merely external systems.
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
The noun helps pastors move beyond both indulgence and shame. Scripture recognizes earnest desire in Jesus, longing for Christ in Paul, and affectionate desire for fellow believers. It also exposes cravings that are fleshly, deceitful, greedy, impure, or shaped by the world. The difference is not intensity alone. The object, source, manner, and fruit of desire matter.
Galatians calls believers to walk by the Spirit rather than promising that faithful people cease to feel conflict. James traces how desire can lure and conceive sin, which invites honest attention before destructive action matures. First Peter describes some desires as waging war against the soul, while John contrasts worldly desire with doing God's will. Pastoral care should therefore help people name desires without humiliating them, distinguish need from exploitation, seek support for compulsive patterns, and cultivate loves ordered by the Spirit.
Embodied hunger, sexuality, grief, rest, affection, and hope must be handled with context, truth, safety, and grace.
Anchor passage
Luke.22.15
Doctrinal connections
- Phil.1.23 - Paul names a strong desire to depart and be with Christ.
- 1Thess.2.17 - relational desire expresses affection for separated believers.
- Gal.5.16 - flesh-qualified desire is resisted through walking by the Spirit.
- Jas.1.14-15 - desire, enticement, conception, and sin are described as related but distinguishable movements.
- 1Pet.2.11 - fleshly desires are portrayed as warring against the soul.
- 1John.2.16-17 - worldly desires pass away, while doing God's will endures.
G1939 is a noun whose evaluation depends heavily on genitives, adjectives, objects, and discourse context. It can name earnest desire without a negative qualifier or desire identified as fleshly, deceitful, evil, worldly, or impure. Etymological decomposition should not be used to claim that every occurrence is maximally intense.
From Old to New Testament
The command against coveting addresses desire for what belongs to another, while Psalms and prophets also portray holy longing for God, justice, and restored fellowship. Jesus and the apostles continue this differentiated account. Canonical synthesis should distinguish desired objects and moral direction rather than treating all strong longing as one category.
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