ὀλῐγό-πιστος G3640
Of little faith; having inadequate or wavering trust in God's power and provision
A distinctively Matthean compound adjective (oligos + pistis) that Jesus uses as a gentle but pointed rebuke to his own disciples. It appears in contexts of material anxiety ('Why do you worry about clothing?', Matt 6:30), physical fear ('Why are you afraid?', Matt 8:26), faltering courage (Peter sinking, Matt 14:31), and spiritual dullness (the leaven discussion, Matt 16:8). The word does not deny faith altogether but diagnoses its insufficiency. German 'Kleingläubiger' beautifully captures the compound: 'small-believer.'
Senses
1. of little faith — Having insufficient or wavering faith, used by Jesus as a rebuke to disciples whose trust in God's care or power proves inadequate under pressure. The compound structure (oligo- 'little' + pistos 'faithful') is mirrored in German 'Kleingläubiger' and Spanish 'de poca fe.' It appears exclusively in Matthew's Gospel (plus the Luke 12:28 parallel), always on Jesus' lips, covering worry about provision (Matt 6:30), fear in the storm (Matt 8:26), Peter's doubt on the water (Matt 14:31), and failure to grasp spiritual teaching (Matt 16:8). 6×
AR["قِلَّةِ-إِيمَانِكُمْ", "يا-قَليلي-الإيمانِ", "يَا-قَلِيلَ-الإِيمَانِ", "يَا-قَلِيلِي-الإِيمَانِ"]·ben["অল্প-বিশ্বাসীরা", "অল্প-বিশ্বাসের", "অল্পবিশ্বাসী", "অল্পবিশ্বাসীরা", "অল্পবিশ্বাসীরা?"]·DE["Kleingläubiger"]·EN["O-ones-of-little-faith", "O-you-of-little-faith", "little-faith", "of-little-faith", "you-of-little-faith"]·FR["homme-de-peu-de-foi"]·heb["קְטַן-אֱמוּנָה", "קְטַנֵּי-אֱמוּנָה", "קְטַנּוּת־אֱמוּנָה"]·HI["अलप-विश्वअस", "अलप-विश्वअसियो", "अलप-विश्वसि", "अल्पविश्वासियो"]·ID["Orang-yang-kurang-beriman", "hai-orang-yang-kurang-percaya", "iman-kecil", "orang-yang-kurang-beriman", "orang-yang-kurang-percaya"]·IT["di-poca-fede"]·jav["Saksedhik-pitados,", "he-tiyang-ingkang-kirang-pitados", "ingkang-sakedhik-iman", "saksedhik-pitados", "saksedhik-pitados,"]·KO["믿음-적은-자들?", "믿음-적은-자들아", "믿음이-적은-자들아", "믿음이-적은-자여", "적은-믿음"]·PT["Homem-de-pouca-fé", "homens-de-pouca-fé", "pouca-fé"]·RU["Маловерный", "маловерия", "маловерные"]·ES["Hombre-de-poca-fe", "de-poca-fe", "hombres-de-poca-fe", "poca-fe"]·SW["Mwenye-imani-ndogo", "imani-ndogo", "wenye-imani-ndogo", "wenye-imani-ndogo?"]·TR["Az-imanlı", "az-imanlılar", "az-imanınızın", "ey-az-imanlIlar", "ey-az-imanlılar"]·urd["اے-کم-ایمان-والو", "اے-کم-ایمانو", "کم-ایمان", "کم-ایمانو", "کم-ایمانی"]
Related Senses
G4102 1. faith, trust, belief (239×)G4100 1. believe / have faith in (233×)H0982 1. trust in, rely on (105×)H3988a 1. reject, refuse (56×)G4103 1. faithful, trustworthy, reliable (54×)H0530 1. faithfulness, fidelity, reliability (47×)H0539 1. believe, accept as true (42×)H3985 1. refuse, be unwilling (41×)H0539 2. faithful, trustworthy, sure (39×)H8582 1. lead astray, cause to err (22×)H2623 1. faithful ones / saints (community) (21×)G0571 1. unbelieving, unbeliever (20×)G3982 1. be persuaded or convinced (19×)H8582 2. go astray, err morally (19×)G4105 1. to deceive, lead astray (18×)G3982 2. trust or have confidence in (17×)H2186a 1. reject, spurn (Qal) (16×)H3988a 2. despise, scorn (14×)G3982 3. persuade or convince someone (13×)G4103 2. believing, a believer (13×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ὀλῐγό-πιστος, ον, of little faith, NT