noun · feminine
epithumias
Strong’sG1939
desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire, lust
stem epithumi-38 times in the New Testamentin 18 of 27 books8 of 10 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
Desire or longing in a neutral sense, for something wished for or looked forward to, without any negative connotation 1234. This includes longing for a person's company, for release, or desire in general, and can take an object ("desire for..." something) 13.
Inordinate or forbidden desire, lust — desire directed toward wrongful or forbidden things, including physical appetite and especially sexual desire 1234. In this sense the word is used of the cravings of the flesh, the eyes, or the world, of bodily lust, and of desires that a person is urged to resist, obey, or be led by 1.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
ἐπιθυμία, -ας, ἡ
(< έπιθυμέω), [in LXX chiefly for תַּאֲוָה, אָוָה; also for חָמוּד, etc.;]
SYN.: πάθος (q.v.), ὄρεξις
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1939 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah
a longing (especially for what is forbidden)
Fromfrom G1937;
King Jamesconcupiscence, desire, lust (after).
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Ionic dialect -ιη, ἡ, desire, yearning, ἐ. ἐκτελέσαι 5th c.BC: Herodotus Historicus 1.32; ἐπιθυμίᾳ by passion, opposed to προνοίᾳ, Refs: generally, appetite, Refs; αἱ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἐ. Refs; especially sexual desire, lust, Refs; αἱ πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας ἐ. Refs
2. with genitive, longing after a thing, desire of or for it, ὕδατος, τοῦ πιεῖν, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐν ἐ. τινὸς εἶναι Refs; εἰς ἐ. τινὸς ἀφικέσθαι θεάσασθαι Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐ. ἐμποιεῖν ἔς τινα an inclination towards.., Refs
II. ={ἐπιθύμημα}, object of desire, ἐπιθυμίας τυχεῖν Thalesap.Refs; ἀνδρὸς ἐ., of woman, Refs
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | epithumias4×ἐπιθυμία | epithumiais1×ἐπιθυμίαι |
| object accusative | epithumian5×ἐπιθυμίαν | epithumiain10×ἐπιθυμίας |
| direct address vocative | epithumiar | epithumiair |
| of, belonging to genitive | epithumiau3×ἐπιθυμίας | epithumiaiu1×ἐπιθυμιῶν |
| to, for dative | epithumia4×ἐπιθυμίᾳ | epithumiai10×ἐπιθυμίαις |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
epithumia is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
38 occurrences, every one of them listed
epithumias“lust”subjectnominative singular4×
James 1:15eita tas epithumias sullabarantas tiktatō hamartan, tas de hamartas …Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to …
1 John 2:16“lust”… pantem tem en to kosmo, tas epithumias tau sarkau kai tas epithumias toiu …For all that is in the world — the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and …
1 John 2:16“lust”… tas epithumias tau sarkau kai tas epithumias toiu ofthalmoiu kai tas alazoneias tou …… the world — the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life …
1 John 2:17“desire”kai tos kosmos paragotō kai tas epithumias autou, tos de poiarōntos tem thelēmem …The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God …
epithumian“desire”objectaccusative singular5×
Romans 7:7“covet”… mē dia nomou, tan tē gar epithumian ouk oidamelē ei mē tos nomos …… for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
Romans 7:8“covetousness”… tau entolau katergazeta en mi pantan epithumian, chōris gar nomou hamartas nekras.… opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
Galatians 5:16Legamō de, pneume peripatavōr kai epithumian sarkau ouk mē telaveia.… and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Philippians 1:23sunechomō de ek teiu duo, tan epithumian echarōntos eis tem analuara kai sun …… am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ …
Colossians 3:5“desire”… epi tau gēau, porneian, akatharsian, pathem, epithumian kakosan, kai tan pleonexian hotinas atō …… earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
epithumiau“longed”of, belonging togenitive singular3×
1 Thessalonians 4:5mē en pathe epithumiau kathaper kai teim ethneim teim mē …not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do …
James 1:14hekastos de peirazotō hupo tau idiau epithumiau exelkorōntos kai deleazorōntos;… tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
Revelation 18:14“longed”kai tas opōras su tau epithumiau tau psuchau aperchata apo su, kai …And they will say: “The fruit of your soul’s desire has departed from you; all your luxury and splendor have …
epithumia“lust”to, fordative singular4×
Luke 22:15“earnestly”kai legata pros autoin; Epithumia epithumama houtem tem pascha esthiara meta …And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before …
1 Thessalonians 2:17… tem prosōpem vu horara en polla epithumia.… in person, not in heart), our desire to see you face to face …
2 Peter 1:4“lust”… apofugarantois tau en to kosmo en epithumia fthorau.… you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by …
2 Peter 2:10“lust”malista de toin opisō sarkau en epithumia miasmou poreuorōntoin kai kuriotau katafronarōntoin. Tolmētois, …… reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they …
epithumiais“desires”subjectnominative plural1×
Mark 4:19“desires”… ploutou kai tais peri teim loipeim epithumiais eisporeuorōntais sumpnigalō ton logon, kai akarpos …… deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
epithumiain“desires”objectaccusative plural10×
John 8:44… patrou tou diabolou avō kai tain epithumiain tou patrou vu thelavō poiarō. ekeinos …… you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the …
Romans 13:14… tau sarkau pronoian mē poiovōr eis epithumiain.… and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
Ephesians 4:22… palaion anthrōpon ton ftherorōnton kata tain epithumiain tau apatau,… is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
1 Timothy 6:9… empiptalō eis peirasmon kai pagidan kai epithumiain pollain anoētain kai blaberain, hotinais buthizalō …… ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and …
2 Timothy 2:22tain de neōterikain epithumiain fugasōr, diōkasōr de dikaiosunan, pistian, agapan, …Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and …
2 Timothy 4:3… ouk anecheli, alla kata tain idiain epithumiain heautoi episōreuali didaskaloin knēthorōntois tan akoan,… themselves teachers to suit their own desires.
Titus 2:12… arnerantois tan asebeian kai tain kosmikain epithumiain sōfronōs kai dikaiōs kai eusebōs zōaneia …… us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and …
2 Peter 3:3“lusts”… en empaigmona empaiktois kata tain idiain epithumiain autoiu poreuorōntois… last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
Jude 1:16“desires”houtois alō gongustois, mempsimoirois, kata tain epithumiain autoiu poreuorōntois, kai tem stomem autoiu …These men are discontented grumblers, following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others …
Jude 1:18… chronou eli empaiktois kata tain heautoiu epithumiain poreuorōntois taiu asebeiaiu.… will follow after their own ungodly desires.”
epithumiaiu“desires”of, belonging togenitive plural1×
1 Peter 2:11… paroikoin kai parepidēmoin apechorō taiu sarkikaiu epithumiaiu, hotinais strateuolō kata tau psuchau;… and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against …
epithumiai“desires”to, fordative plural10×
Romans 1:24“lusts”… paradōata autoin tos theos en tai epithumiai taiu kardiaiu autoiu eis akatharsian teu …Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of …
Romans 6:12… vu sōme eis tem hupakouarō tai epithumiai auteu,… body so that you obey its desires.
Galatians 5:24… staurala sun tei pathēmei kai tai epithumiai.… the flesh with its passions and desires.
Ephesians 2:3“desires”… nis pantois anastrefina pote en tai epithumiai tau sarkau nu, poiarōntois teim thelēmeim …All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by …
2 Timothy 3:6“desires”… kai aichmalōtizarōntois gunaikarieim sōreuorēnteim hamartai, agorōnteim epithumiai poikilai,… into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,
Titus 3:3“passions”… kai nis anoētois, apeithois, planorōntois, douleuarōntois epithumiai kai hēdonai poikilai, en kakia kai …… one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures — living in malice and envy, being …
1 Peter 1:14“desires”… tai proterem en ta agnoia vu epithumiai,… conform to the passions of your former ignorance.
1 Peter 4:2“desires”eis tem mēketi anthrōpoiu epithumiai alla thelēme theou ton epiloipon en …Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God.
1 Peter 4:3“lusts”… teiu ethneiu katergazorē, poreuorēntoin en aselgeiai, epithumiai, oinoflugiai, kōmoi, potoi, kai athemitai eidōlolatriai.… desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
2 Peter 2:18“desires”huperonkeim gar mataiotau fthengorōntois deleazalō en epithumiai sarkau aselgeiai toin oligōs apofugarōntoin toin …With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are …