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ἀσθένεια

asthéneia

G769 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

State or condition of weakness, lack of strength or capacity; in physical contexts, bodily frailty or illness; in mental or moral domains, incapacity, inadequacy, or vulnerability. Primary lexical meaning is 'weakness'—with sense extended to physical illness ('sickness,' 'infirmity'), emotional limitation, or moral frailty, according to context.

Semantic Range

weakness, lack of strength or power, bodily frailty, sickness, disease, infirmity, incapacity, vulnerability, moral or spiritual weakness, limitation

Root / Etymology

From ἀσθενής ('weak', 'without strength'), itself from ἀ- (privative prefix 'not') + σθένος ('strength', 'force'). The ending -εια forms an abstract noun meaning 'state or condition of.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἀσθένεια primarily referred to general weakness or lack of power (physical, mental, or moral). By the Hellenistic and Koine periods, the sense frequently included bodily ailments, and in medical writers was a common term for physical debility or sickness. The Septuagint uses ἀσθένεια as a rendering of various Hebrew terms for weakness and illness. In the New Testament, it most often denotes physical illness or incapacity ('infirmity'), but also metaphorically represents human limitation, vulnerability, or moral failing (e.g., 'the weakness of the flesh'). Traditional English translations often use 'infirmity' or 'weakness,' but do not always capture the full range from general incapacity to specific disease. Distinguished from νόσος ('disease') and μαλακία ('softness,' 'effeminacy,' 'illness') which have narrower or different connotations. Usage can reflect social perceptions of health and capacity in Greco-Roman culture as well as scriptural anthropology and theology.

Translation Consistency

primary "weakness" 21 occurrences

Primary lexical sense is ‘weakness,’ and this word naturally covers the full semantic range (bodily frailty, sickness/infirmity, moral or spiritual lack of strength). It is the most frequent attested rendering, is natural-sounding in modern English, and can be inflected consistently for number/forms across all occurrences.

Alternatives (2 occurrences):
"infirmities" (2x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀσθενής; feebleness (of mind or body); by implication, malady; morally, frailty:--disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness.

Root Family

ἀσθένεια (astheneia) — weakness, frailty, incapacity, sickness, vulnerability

Root ἀσθεν- to be weak, to lack strength, to be incapable

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G769-04 ἀσθενείας astheneias N ACC F PL weakness weaknesses weaknesses 8
G769-01 ἀσθενείᾳ astheneia N DAT F SG weakness in weakness weakness 6
G769-03 ἀσθένειαν astheneian N ACC F SG weakness weakness weakness 4
G769-02 ἀσθενείαις astheneiais N DAT F PL weaknesses in weaknesses weaknesses 4
G769-05 ἀσθενειῶν astheneion N GEN F PL infirmities of weaknesses infirmities 2

Occurrences in Scripture

24 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G769-04 Matthew 8:17 ἀσθενείας astheneias N ACC F PL infirmities weaknesses weaknesses
G769-05 Luke 5:15 ἀσθενειῶν astheneion N GEN F PL infirmities of weaknesses infirmities
G769-05 Luke 8:2 ἀσθενειῶν astheneion N GEN F PL infirmities of weaknesses infirmities
G769-04 Luke 13:11 ἀσθενείας astheneias N GEN F SG of infirmity weaknesses weaknesses
G769-04 Luke 13:12 ἀσθενείας astheneias N GEN F SG infirmity weaknesses weaknesses
G769-01 John 5:5 ἀσθενείᾳ astheneia N DAT F SG infirmity in weakness weakness
G769-01 John 11:4 ἀσθένεια astheneia N NOM F SG sickness in weakness weakness
G769-04 Acts 28:9 ἀσθενείας astheneias N ACC F PL diseases weaknesses weaknesses
G769-03 Romans 6:19 ἀσθένειαν astheneian N ACC F SG weakness weakness weakness
G769-01 Romans 8:26 ἀσθενείᾳ astheneia N DAT F SG weakness in weakness weakness
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