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κλαίω

klaíō

G2799 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To weep, to shed tears audibly, often in lament, grief, or distress; in broader contexts, to express emotional sorrow or mourning with outward signs, either silently or more commonly with oral lamentation. The primary lexical sense denotes the physical act of crying, especially with an audible component, but can also encompass ritual weeping in funerary or penitential settings.

Semantic Range

to weep audibly, to lament, to wail, to mourn, to shed tears with sound or expression, to bewail (a person, event, or fate), ritual or communal weeping, penitential sorrow

Root / Etymology

Of uncertain etymology; no clear derivation from related Greek roots, though it appears frequently in classical and Koine sources as a primary verb for weeping.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, κλαίω is the standard verb for weeping, used in literary, historical, and dramatic sources to denote audible crying or lamentation (e.g., Homer's epics, tragedy). It typically implies a public display of grief or mourning, in contrast to more private, internal forms of distress. In the Septuagint, κλαίω regularly appears when describing mourning for the dead, national disaster, repentance, or sorrow, often as a translation of Hebrew בָּכָה, which covers a similar semantic field. In the New Testament, κλαίω is used of individuals expressing grief at death (e.g., mourning for Lazarus), lament over Jerusalem, and repentance, sometimes in highly emotional or communal settings. English translations often render κλαίω as 'weeping' or 'lamenting,' which capture much but not all of its nuance: it specifically distinguishes audible, expressive weeping from more reserved or internalized displays (for which Greek might use terms like δακρύω [to shed tears] or ὀδύρομαι [to wail, lament aloud]). The distinction from δακρύω (G1145), whose core meaning is silent tears without necessarily audible lament, is noted in some contexts but the terms may overlap in practice.

Translation Consistency

primary "weep" 36 occurrences

klaíō primarily denotes shedding tears often audibly and in lamentation; the most common English renditions in the data are forms of “weep.” “Weep” cleanly covers audible crying, wailing, and ritual mourning while remaining natural and consistent across all forms.

Alternatives (4 occurrences):
"wept aloud" (4x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain affinity; to sob, i.e. wail aloud (whereas 1145 is rather to cry silently):--bewail, weep.

Root Family

κλαί- (klaíō) — to weep, to lament, to cry aloud

Root κλαί- to weep, to lament, to cry aloud

Word Forms

20 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2799-11 κλαίοντες klaiontes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL weeping those weeping aloud those weeping aloud 6
G2799-08 κλαίετε klaiete V PRS ACT IND 2P PL weep you are weeping weep 4
G2799-04 ἔκλαυσεν eklausen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG wept he wept aloud he wept aloud 3
G2799-13 κλαίουσα klaiousa V PRS ACT PTCP NOM F SG weeping she who is weeping weeping 3
G2799-01 ἔκλαιεν eklaien V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG he wept was weeping he was weeping 2
G2799-02 ἔκλαιον eklaion V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL I wept were wailing they were weeping 2
G2799-05 κλαῖε klaie V PRS ACT IMP 2P SG weep be weeping weep 2
G2799-07 κλαίεις klaieis V PRS ACT IND 2P SG are you weeping you are weeping are you weeping 2
G2799-10 κλαίοντας klaiontas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL weeping weeping men weeping 2
G2799-16 κλαίουσιν klaiousin V PRS ACT PTCP DAT M PL weep to the weeping ones to the weeping men 2

Occurrences in Scripture

40 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2799-13 Matthew 2:18 κλαίουσα klaiousa V PRS ACT PTCP NOM F SG weeping she who is weeping weeping
G2799-04 Matthew 26:75 ἔκλαυσεν eklausen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG wept he wept aloud he wept aloud
G2799-10 Mark 5:38 κλαίοντας klaiontas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL weeping weeping men weeping
G2799-08 Mark 5:39 κλαίετε klaiete V PRS ACT IND 2P PL are weeping you are weeping you (plural) are weeping
G2799-01 Mark 14:72 ἔκλαιεν eklaien V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG he wept was weeping he was weeping
G2799-16 Mark 16:10 κλαίουσιν klaiousin V PRS ACT PTCP DAT M PL weeping to the weeping ones to the weeping men
G2799-11 Luke 6:21 κλαίοντες klaiontes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL weeping those weeping aloud those weeping aloud
G2799-19 Luke 6:25 κλαύσετε klausete V FUT ACT IND 2P PL weep you will weep aloud you will weep aloud
G2799-05 Luke 7:13 κλαῖε klaie V PRS ACT IMP 2P SG weep be weeping weep
G2799-03 Luke 7:32 ἐκλαύσατε eklausate V AOR ACT IND 2P PL you wept you wept aloud you wept aloud
G2799-13 Luke 7:38 κλαίουσα klaiousa V PRS ACT PTCP NOM F SG weeping she who is weeping weeping
G2799-02 Luke 8:52 ἔκλαιον eklaion V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL were weeping were wailing they were weeping
G2799-08 Luke 8:52 κλαίετε klaiete V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL weep you are weeping weep
G2799-04 Luke 19:41 ἔκλαυσεν eklausen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG he wept he wept aloud he wept aloud
G2799-04 Luke 22:62 ἔκλαυσεν eklausen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG wept he wept aloud he wept aloud
G2799-08 Luke 23:28 κλαίετε klaiete V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL not weep you are weeping weep
G2799-08 Luke 23:28 κλαίετε klaiete-2 V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL weep you are weeping weep
G2799-18 John 11:31 κλαύσῃ klause V AOR ACT SUBJ 3P SG weep may weep aloud may weep aloud
G2799-15 John 11:33 κλαίουσαν klaiousan V PRS ACT PTCP ACC F SG weeping weeping aloud weeping aloud
G2799-10 John 11:33 κλαίοντας klaiontas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL weeping weeping men weeping
G2799-19 John 16:20 κλαύσετε klausete V FUT ACT IND 2P PL you will weep you will weep aloud you will weep aloud
G2799-13 John 20:11 κλαίουσα klaiousa V PRS ACT PTCP NOM F SG weeping she who is weeping weeping
G2799-01 John 20:11 ἔκλαιεν eklaien V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG she wept was weeping she was weeping
G2799-07 John 20:13 κλαίεις klaieis V PRS ACT IND 2P SG are you weeping you are weeping you are weeping
G2799-07 John 20:15 κλαίεις klaieis V PRS ACT IND 2P SG are you weeping you are weeping are you weeping
G2799-14 Acts 9:39 κλαίουσαι klaiousai V PRS ACT PTCP NOM F PL weeping weeping weeping
G2799-11 Acts 21:13 κλαίοντες klaiontes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL weeping those weeping aloud those weeping aloud
G2799-06 Romans 12:15 κλαίειν klaiein V PRS ACT INF to weep to be weeping aloud to weep aloud
G2799-12 Romans 12:15 κλαιόντων klaionton V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL those who weep of those weeping those weeping aloud
G2799-11 1 Corinthians 7:30 κλαίοντες klaiontes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL who weep those weeping aloud those weeping aloud
G2799-11 1 Corinthians 7:30 κλαίοντες klaiontes-2 V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL weeping those weeping aloud those weeping aloud
G2799-09 Philippians 3:18 κλαίων klaion V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG weeping weeping aloud weeping aloud
G2799-17 James 4:9 κλαύσατε klausate V AOR ACT IMP 2P PL weep Weep aloud! Weep aloud
G2799-17 James 5:1 κλαύσατε klausate V AOR ACT IMP 2P PL weep Weep aloud! Weep aloud
G2799-02 Revelation 5:4 ἔκλαιον eklaion V IMPF ACT IND 1P SG I wept were wailing was weeping
G2799-05 Revelation 5:5 κλαῖε klaie V PRS ACT IMP 2P SG weep be weeping weep
G2799-20 Revelation 18:9 κλαύσονται klausontai V FUT MID IND 3P PL will weep they will lament aloud they will weep
G2799-16 Revelation 18:11 κλαίουσιν klaiousin V PRS ACT IND 3P PL weep to the weeping ones weep
G2799-11 Revelation 18:15 κλαίοντες klaiontes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL weeping those weeping aloud those weeping aloud
G2799-11 Revelation 18:19 κλαίοντες klaiontes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL weeping those weeping aloud those weeping aloud
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