πειν-άω G3983
To be hungry; to experience physical hunger or crave something deeply, used figuratively of spiritual longing.
A verb describing the bodily sensation of needing food, used across the Gospels for Jesus' own hunger after fasting forty days (Matt 4:2) and for the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath (Matt 12:1). Its most memorable deployment is figurative: 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness' (Matt 5:6), where physical craving becomes a metaphor for desperate spiritual longing. Spanish 'hambriento' and French 'avoir faim' both capture the raw visceral quality of the word, while German 'hungern' preserves the same dual literal-figurative range found in the Greek.
Senses
1. to be hungry — To experience hunger or lack of food, from literal deprivation — Jesus fasting in the wilderness (Matt 4:2), disciples plucking grain (Matt 12:1) — to figurative spiritual craving in the Beatitude (Matt 5:6). Multilingual glosses use the same root for both registers, confirming a single sense spanning physical and metaphorical hunger. 23×
AR["الْجِيَاعَ", "جاعَ", "جَائِعًا", "جَاعَ", "جُعْتُ", "سَتَجوعونَ", "لِلجياعِ", "لْجَائِعِينَ", "نَجوعُ", "يَجوعُ", "يَجُوعَ"]·ben["ক্ষুধার্ত", "ক্ষুধার্ত-ছিলাম", "ক্ষুধার্ত-ছিলেন", "ক্ষুধার্ত-হবে", "ক্ষুধার্ত-হয়েছিলেন,", "ক্ষুধার্ত-হলেন", "ক্ষুধার্তদের", "ক্ষুধার্তরা", "ক্ষুধিত", "ক্ষুধিত,", "ক্ষুধিত-হলেন", "ক্ষুধিত-হলেন।", "তিনি-ক্ষুধার্ত-হলেন"]·DE["hungern", "hungert"]·EN["I-was-hungry", "he-was-hungry", "hungering", "hungers", "hungry", "is-hungry", "was-hungry", "we-hunger", "will-hunger", "you-will-hunger"]·FR["avoir-faim"]·heb["יִרְעַב", "רְעֵבִים", "רָעֵב", "רָעַבְתִּי", "תִּרְעָבוּ"]·HI["भूखा", "भूखा-था", "भूखा-रहता-है", "भूखा-लगा", "भूखा-लगी", "भूखा-हुआ", "भूखा-हो", "भूखा-होगा;", "भूखे", "भूखे-हैं", "भूखों-को", "भूखोगे", "भोओखअ-थअ"]·ID["Aku-lapar", "Dia-lapar", "Ia-lapar", "ia-lapar", "kalian-akan-lapar", "kami-lapar", "lapar", "lapar,", "lapar.", "orang-orang-lapar", "yang-lapar"]·IT["aver-fame", "avere-fame"]·jav["Tiyang-luwe", "badhé-luwe;", "ingkang-luwe", "ingkang-ngelih", "kita-luwe", "luwe", "luwe,", "luwe.", "panjenengan-sedaya-badhe-luwe", "panjenenganipun-luwe"]·KO["굶주렸다", "굶주린-것-을", "굶주린-자들-을", "굶주릴-것이다", "배고파다", "배고파서", "배고팬다", "배고프고", "배고프다", "배고프면", "배고프셨다", "배고픈-사람들이여", "배고픈-자들", "주리셨다", "주리지-않을-것이다"]·PT["faminto", "famintos", "que-têm-fome", "tem-fome", "tem-fome,", "temos-fome", "teve-fome", "teve-fome,", "tive-fome"]·RU["алчем", "алчущего", "алчущие", "алчущих", "взалкал", "взалкал,", "взалкал.", "взалчет", "взалчете", "голодает", "голодает,", "ибо-Я-алкал", "проголодался"]·ES["a-hambrientos", "hambriento", "que-tienen-hambre", "tendrá-hambre", "tendréis-hambre", "tenemos-hambre", "tiene-hambre", "tuve-hambre", "tuvo-hambre"]·SW["akaona-njaa", "alikuwa-na-njaa,", "aliona-njaa", "aliona-njaa,", "alipoona-njaa", "aliwa-na-njaa", "ana-njaa", "ana-njaa,", "ataona-njaa", "mtaona-njaa", "na", "nilikuwa-na-njaa", "tunaona-njaa", "una-njaa", "wenye-njaa"]·TR["acıkacak", "acıkacaksınız.", "acıktı", "acıktı,", "aç", "aç-olanlara", "açları", "açlık-çekenler", "açsa", "açtım", "açız", "gerçekten-"]·urd["اب", "افسوس", "اور", "بھوکا", "بھوکا-تھا", "بھوکا-رہتا-ہے", "بھوکا-ہو", "بھوکا-ہوا", "بھوکا-ہوا۔", "بھوکا-ہے", "بھوکوں-کو", "بھوکے", "بھوکے-رہتے-ہیں", "وہ"]
Matt 4:2, Matt 5:6, Matt 12:1, Matt 12:3, Matt 21:18, Matt 25:35, Matt 25:37, Matt 25:42, Matt 25:44, Mark 2:25, Mark 11:12, Luke 1:53 (+11 more)
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
πειν-άω, forms in αε contraction into η not ᾱ (as in διψάω,Refs 2nd c.AD+, πεινῇς, -ῇ Refs 5th c.BC+; infinitive πεινῆν Refs 5th c.BC+; Epic dialect πεινήμεναι Refs 8th c.BC+: imperfect ἐπείνων Refs 5th c.BC+: future πεινήσω Refs 5th c.BC+; later πεινάσω [ᾱ] LXX+NT: aorist ἐπείνησα LXX+5th c.BC+: perfect πεπείνηκα Refs 5th c.BC+: later we find the contraction of αε into ᾱ, ἐπείνας, πεινᾷ, -ᾶν,…