ἐκκᾰκέω G1573
To lose heart, grow weary, become discouraged in the face of difficulty or prolonged effort.
Conveying the emotional and spiritual exhaustion that sets in under sustained pressure, this verb warns against flagging resolve. Jesus uses it to frame the parable of the persistent widow: pray and 'do not lose heart' (Luke 18:1). Paul then echoes the exhortation across his letters -- we do not lose heart in ministry (2 Cor 4:1, 16), in doing good (Gal 6:9), or under tribulation (Eph 3:13). The Spanish 'desmayar' (to faint) and French 'se decourager' both capture the visceral sense of inner collapse that this word resists.
Senses
1. lose heart, grow weary — To become discouraged, faint-hearted, or weary under prolonged difficulty. The word pictures an inner wilting of resolve rather than mere physical tiredness. Jesus introduces it in Luke 18:1 as the foil to persistent prayer, and Paul adopts it as a recurring refrain: despite affliction, aging bodies, and delayed harvest, believers must not lose heart (2 Cor 4:1, 4:16; Gal 6:9; Eph 3:13). The Spanish 'desmayar' (to faint/falter) and French 'se decourager' converge on the same emotional register. All six NT occurrences share this single sense of spiritual or moral discouragement. 6×
AR["تَفشَلوا", "تَمَلّوا", "نَفشَلُ", "نَكِلُّ", "يَيأَسوا"]·ben["আমরা-ক্লান্ত-হই;", "আমরা-হারিয়ে-যাই;", "আমরা-হারিয়ে-যাই।", "ক্লান্ত-হয়ো", "নিরুৎসাহিত-হতে", "হতাশ-হতে"]·DE["ἐγκακήσητε", "ἐγκακοῦμεν", "ἐνκακεῖν", "ἐνκακῶμεν"]·EN["grow-weary", "let-us-grow-weary", "to-lose-heart", "we-lose-heart"]·FR["se-décourager"]·heb["לְהִתְיָאֵשׁ", "נִלְאִים", "נִתְיָאֵשׁ;", "תִּתְיָאֲשׁוּ", "תֵּחַלְּשׁוּ"]·HI["थकना", "थको", "हअरोन", "हारते-हैं-हम", "हुम-थकेन;"]·ID["kami-tawar-hati", "kita-lelah", "menjadi-lelah", "menjadi-tawar-hati", "tawar-hati"]·IT["egkakēsēte", "enkakein", "enkakōmen", "scoraggiarsi"]·jav["kawon-ing-manah.", "kawon-ing-manah;", "kita-loyo;", "nglokro,", "sayah", "semplah"]·KO["낙담하지-말라", "낙심하자;", "낙심하지", "낙심하지-않는다", "낛심하지"]·PT["desanimamos", "desanimardes", "vos-canseis"]·RU["унываем", "унывайте", "унывать", "унывать-будем"]·ES["desfallezcamos", "desmayamos", "desmayar", "os-canséis"]·SW["choke", "katika", "moyo.", "moyo;", "tamaa"]·TR["bezdirmeyin", "usanmayalım", "yilmak", "yılmaları", "yılıyoruz"]·urd["تھکنا", "تھکو-نہ", "تھکیں", "ہمت-ہارتے-ہیں", "ہمت-ہارنے-کو"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐκκᾰκέω, to be faint-hearted, lose heart, grow weary, variant for{ἐγκ-}, NT