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ποιμαίνω

poimaínō

G4165 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To act as a shepherd, to care for the needs of a flock; by extension, to guide, lead, or oversee a group of people, especially by providing protection, nurture, and direction. In extended metaphorical usage, to exercise oversight or leadership, particularly of a community or assembly.

Semantic Range

to act as a shepherd (care for flocks), to tend or feed (as a shepherd), to guide or oversee a group (metaphorical shepherding), to exercise leadership or supervision (especially with a sense of personal care), to rule with protective guidance

Root / Etymology

From ποιμήν (poimēn, 'shepherd'), formed by attaching the verb-forming suffix -αίνω (-ainō) to the root. The verb structure is causative–factitive, expressing the act of performing the role of a shepherd.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ποιμαίνω primarily means 'to tend flocks,' referring to literal shepherding of animals. This concrete sense remains primary, but as early as the Septuagint and into Koine Greek, the term is widely used metaphorically for leadership, supervision, and care of a group of people. In the Septuagint, ποιμαίνω is used for rulers or leaders (both secular and religious) who are described as shepherding the people of Israel. The metaphor is frequent in prophetic and wisdom literature, often contrasting good shepherds (leaders who care and protect) with bad shepherds (neglectful, abusive, or self-serving leaders). In the New Testament, ποιμαίνω is similarly used of those who exercise caring guidance or oversight, especially over assemblies of followers (see Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2; Rev 2:27; 7:17). English translation tradition often renders it as 'feed,' 'tend,' 'pastor,' or 'rule' depending on the context, but these often reflect only one nuance each and do not always capture the holistic notion of both authority and care. The verb signifies not mere instruction or command but an active, continuous responsibility for the well-being and direction of the group, with connotations of nurture, protection, and guidance. Distinct from verbs of autocratic rule, ποιμαίνω characterizes leadership with an emphasis on personal involvement and responsibility, richly layered in both the literal (agricultural) and figurative (community) domains. The root ποιμήν (shepherd) in the ancient world often connoted both authority and care, and this dual aspect is preserved in ποιμαίνω's usage.

Translation Consistency

primary "shepherd" 10 occurrences

‘Shepherd’ best captures both the literal sense (care for a flock) and the extended metaphorical sense (guide, oversee, nurture, protect a group). It is the most frequent rendering in the data, is natural English, and cleanly covers the semantic range of G4165 for consistent use across all forms.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"tends" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ποιμήν; to tend as a shepherd of (figuratively, superviser):--feed (cattle), rule.

Root Family

ποιμ- (poimaínō) — to shepherd, to feed, to tend (flocks), to care for

Root ποιμ- to shepherd, to feed, to tend (flocks), to care for
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G4166 ποιμήν shepherd

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4165-07 ποιμανεῖ poimanei V FUT ACT IND 3P SG will shepherd he will shepherd he will shepherd 4
G4165-03 ποιμαίνειν poimainein V PRS ACT INF rule to be shepherding to be shepherding 2
G4165-01 ποίμαινε poimaine V PRS ACT IMP 2P SG Shepherd Keep shepherding Keep shepherding 1
G4165-02 ποιμαίνει poimainei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG tends shepherds tends 1
G4165-04 ποιμαίνοντα poimainonta V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M SG tending shepherding one shepherding 1
G4165-05 ποιμαίνοντες poimainontes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL feeding shepherding ones shepherding themselves 1
G4165-06 ποιμάνατε poimanate V AOR ACT IMP 2P PL shepherd Shepherd Shepherd 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4165-07 Matthew 2:6 ποιμανεῖ poimanei V FUT ACT IND 3P SG will shepherd he will shepherd he will shepherd
G4165-04 Luke 17:7 ποιμαίνοντα poimainonta V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M SG tending shepherding one shepherding
G4165-01 John 21:16 ποίμαινε poimaine V PRS ACT IMP 2P SG Shepherd Keep shepherding Keep shepherding
G4165-03 Acts 20:28 ποιμαίνειν poimainein V PRS ACT INF to shepherd to be shepherding to be shepherding
G4165-02 1 Corinthians 9:7 ποιμαίνει poimainei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG tends shepherds tends
G4165-06 1 Peter 5:2 ποιμάνατε poimanate V AOR ACT IMP 2P PL shepherd Shepherd Shepherd
G4165-05 Jude 1:12 ποιμαίνοντες poimainontes V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M PL feeding shepherding ones shepherding themselves
G4165-07 Revelation 2:27 ποιμανεῖ poimanei V FUT ACT IND 3P SG he will rule he will shepherd he will shepherd
G4165-07 Revelation 7:17 ποιμανεῖ poimanei V FUT ACT IND 3P SG will shepherd he will shepherd he will shepherd
G4165-03 Revelation 12:5 ποιμαίνειν poimainein V PRS ACT INF rule to be shepherding to be shepherding
G4165-07 Revelation 19:15 ποιμανεῖ poimanei V FUT ACT IND 3P SG will rule he will shepherd he will shepherd
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