ἀσθεν-ής G0772
weak, feeble (general/moral/spiritual); sick, ill (physical ailment)
1. weak, feeble (general/moral/spiritual) — The primary sense of asthenes denoting weakness in a general, moral, or spiritual sense rather than physical illness. This covers the majority of NT uses (15+ occurrences). In Matt 26:41/Mark 14:38 it describes the weakness of the flesh ('the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak'). In Paul's letters it is especially prominent: the weak of the world chosen by God (1 Cor 1:27), weak in conscience (1 Cor 8:7-10), becoming weak to win the weak (1 Cor 9:22), weak members of the body (1 Cor 12:22), bodily presence is weak (2 Cor 10:10), weak elemental principles (Gal 4:9), support the weak (1 Thess 5:14), the weaker vessel (1 Pet 3:7, comparative form asthenestera). The comparative forms (63507 asthenestera, 63509 asthenestera) are morphological degree variants of this same meaning. Multilingual glosses uniformly give: Arabic da'if (weak), German schwach, French faible, Hebrew challash (weak), Hindi nirbal/kamzor, Korean yakhan, Spanish debil. The abstract neuter use in 1 Cor 1:25 and Heb 7:18 (to asthenes, 'weakness/the weak thing') is the same concept in substantivized form (Heb chulsha, Hindi durbalta). 19×
AR["أضعَفَ","الأضعَفِ","الضَّعيفَةِ","الضُّعَفاءَ","الضُّعَفاءِ","ضَعيفاً","ضَعيفٌ","ضَعيفٍ","ضَعِيفٌ","ضَعْفَ","ضَعْفِهَا","ضُعَفاءَ","ضُعَفاءُ"]·ben["দুর্বল","দুর্বল,","দুর্বলতর","দুর্বলদের","দুর্বলদের-কাছে,","দুর্বলদের।"]·DE["schwach"]·EN["is-weak","weak","weaker","weakness","with-weaker"]·FR["faible"]·heb["הַחַלָּשִׁים","חַלָּשִׁים","חַלָּשִׁים-יוֹתֵר","חַלָּשׁ","חַלָּשׁ-יוֹתֵר","חֻלְשָׁה"]·HI["कमज़ोर","कमज़ोरोन","दुर्बल","दुर्बलता,","निर्बल","निर्बलतर","निर्बलता","निर्बलों"]·ID["kelemahan","lebih-lemah","lemah","lemah.","yang-lebih-lemah","yang-lemah"]·IT["debole"]·jav["kasekten","langkung-ringkih","lemes","lemes,","lemes.","ringkih","ringkih,"]·KO["더-약한","더-연약한","약하고","약하다","약한","약한-것들-을","약한-자","약한-자들","약한-자들-에게","약한-자들을","약함-이","연약함과"]·PT["com-mais-fraco","fraca","fracas","fraco","fraco,","fracos","fracos,","fracos.","fraqueza","mais-fracos"]·RU["немощи","немощна","немощнейшему","немощное","немощные","немощным","немощных","слабая","слабейшие","слабого","слабое","слабым,","слабым.","слабых"]·ES["a-más-débil","debilidad","débil","débiles","más-débiles"]·SW["dhaifu","dhaifu,","dhaifu-zaidi","dhaifu.","ikiwa-dhaifu","ni-dhaifu","udhaifu","wadhaifu","wagonjwa","zikiwa-dhaifu"]·TR["Tanrı'nın","daha-zayıf","güçsüz","güçsüzler","güçsüzleri","o-","olan","sanılan-","seçti","zayıf"]·urd["کمزور","کمزور-تر","کمزورتر","کمزوروں","کمزوروں-کے-لیے","کمزوری"]
Matt 26:41, Mark 14:38, Rom 5:6, 1 Cor 1:25, 1 Cor 1:27, 1 Cor 4:10, 1 Cor 8:7, 1 Cor 8:9, 1 Cor 8:10, 1 Cor 9:22, 1 Cor 9:22, 1 Cor 9:22 (+7 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. sick, ill (physical ailment) — A specialized medical sense of asthenes meaning physically sick or ill, used in contexts of healing and care for the diseased. In Luke 9:2 and 10:9 Jesus sends disciples to heal the sick (tous astheneis). In Acts 5:15-16 the sick are brought out on beds for Peter's shadow to fall on them. In Matt 25:43-44 Jesus identifies with the sick ('I was sick and you visited me'). In Acts 4:9 it refers to a sick/lame man healed at the temple gate. The multilingual glosses clearly differentiate this from general weakness: Arabic marda/marid (sick, patient), Hebrew cholim/choleh (sick, ill -- from the root ch-l-h for sickness, distinct from challash for weakness), Hindi rogion/bimaron (sick persons, patients), Korean byeongdun (diseased), Spanish enfermos/enfermo (sick). Note especially the Hebrew shift from challash (weak) to choleh (sick) which confirms this as a genuinely distinct sense, not merely contextual variation. 7×
AR["المَرْضَى","ضَعِيفٍ","مَرِيضًا","مَرْضى","مَرْضَى"]·ben["অসুস্থ","অসুস্থদের","দুর্বল"]·DE["schwach"]·EN["sick"]·FR["faible"]·heb["חוֹלִים","חוֹלֶה"]·HI["अशुद्ध","किस-में","बिछौनों-पर","बीमार","बीमारों-को","रोगियों"]·ID["lemah,","sakit","sakit,","yang-sakit"]·IT["debole"]·jav["gerah","ringkih,","tiyang-gerah,","tiyang-sakit"]·KO["그리고","병든","병든-것-을","병든-자들을","아픈-자들-을"]·PT["doente","enfermo","enfermos"]·RU["больному,","больным","больных"]·ES["enfermo","enfermos"]·SW["mgonjwa","wagonjwa"]·TR["hasta","hastaları","hastaları›."]·urd["بیمار","بیماروں","کمزور"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀσθεν-ής, ές, without strength, weak, __1 in body, feeble, sickly, τοὺς ἀσθενέας τῆς στρατιῆςRefs 5th c.BC+; τοὺς ἀσθενεστάτους ἐς τὰς ταλαιπωρίας least able to bear hardship, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀσθενέστερος πόνον ἐνεγκεῖν too weak to.., Refs 4th c.BC+. adverb ἀσθενῶς, ἴσχεινRefs 5th c.BC+ __2 in mind, and the like, τὸ ἀ. τῆς γνώμης the weakness, Refs 5th c.BC+ __3 in power, weak, feeble, ἀ.…