πεινᾷ
peináō
is hungry
To experience hunger, to be in a state of wanting food. In its primary sense, refers to physical hunger or lack of sustenance. By extension, may express strong desire or longing for something not possessed, especially in metaphorical or figurative speech, such as longing for justice (e.g., 'hungering and thirsting for righteousness'). The literal meaning dominates in both narrative and discourse contexts of Koine Greek, but figurative senses do appear.
Romans 12:20 · Word #3
Lexicon G3983
| Lemma | πεινάω |
| Transliteration | peináō |
| Strong's | G3983 |
| Definition | To experience hunger, to be in a state of wanting food. In its primary sense, refers to physical hunger or lack of sustenance. By extension, may express strong desire or longing for something not possessed, especially in metaphorical or figurative speech, such as longing for justice (e.g., 'hungering and thirsting for righteousness'). The literal meaning dominates in both narrative and discourse contexts of Koine Greek, but figurative senses do appear. |
Morphology V PRS ACT SUBJ 3P SG
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | PRS — Present — Ongoing or repeated action |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | SUBJ — Subjunctive — Expresses possibility or purpose |
| Person | 3P — 3rd person — The one spoken about ("he/she/it/they") |
| Number | SG — Singular — One |
Common Translation
| Phrase | is hungry |
| Literal | hungers |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | πεινάω |
| Strong's | G3983 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G3983-04
may be hungry
| Morphological Notes | Verb; present tense (ongoing aspect), active voice, subjunctive mood, 3rd person singular. |
| Rendering Rationale | The present active subjunctive, third person singular, expresses an ongoing state viewed as potential or contingent. "May be hungry" preserves the root sense of experiencing hunger while reflecting the subjunctive mood. |
View full lexicon entry for G3983 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
may hunger
| Same as P1 | Yes |
| Rationale | Standardized from "may be hungry". |