κραιπάλη
kraipálē
G2897 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A condition of nausea or physical distress resulting from excessive drinking, typically indicating a hangover or drunken headache. In extended use, it can denote the state of debauchery or general overindulgence in food and drink that leads to this consequence.
Semantic Range
drunken headache, hangover, physical distress from debauchery, state of intoxication, aftereffects of excessive drinking, moral and social excess
Root / Etymology
Etymology uncertain; possible relation to the verb κραιπαλάω ('to be intoxicated, to act riotously') or a borrowing from an unidentified non-Greek source. Not directly related to ἁρπάζω; Strong's suggestion of a root connection is unsupported by modern scholarship.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, κραιπάλη usually refers specifically to the physical aftereffects of drunkenness—a hangover or the feeling of severe discomfort following excessive drinking. In later Hellenistic and Koine Greek, including the New Testament (e.g., Luke 21:34), it expands in usage to include both the aftereffects (physical malaise) and the totality of debauched behavior or revelry itself. Not simply "surfeiting" in the sense of overeating, but strongly focused on alcohol and indulgent feasting. English versions sometimes overgeneralize as 'surfeiting' or 'carousing,' but the primary reference is the physical and moral consequences of drunken excess. In contemporary understanding, 'hangover' best matches the term's core sense, though it can imply both cause (debauchery) and effect (distress). Rare in general Koine usage but found in moralistic and admonitory contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably from the same as ἁρπάζω; properly, a headache (as a seizure of pain) from drunkenness, i.e. (by implication) a debauch (by analogy, a glut):--surfeiting.
Root Family
κραιπαλ- (kraipálē) — drunkenness, debauchery, hangover
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2897-01 |
κρεπάλῃ | krepale | N DAT F SG |
carousing | to drunken debauchery | with drunken debauchery | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2897-01 |
Luke 21:34 | κρεπάλῃ | krepale | N DAT F SG |
carousing | to drunken debauchery | with drunken debauchery |