"patience; patient enduring of evil, fortitude, Col. 1:11; Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:20; slowness of avenging injuries, long-suffering, forbearance, clemency, Rom. 2:4; 9:22; 2 Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:2; 2 Tim. 4:2; Jas. 5:10; patient expectation, 2 Tim. 3:10; Heb. 6:12..."
Definition and meaning
patience; patient enduring of evil, fortitude, Col. 1:11; Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:20; slowness of avenging injuries, long-suffering, forbearance, clemency, Rom. 2:4; 9:22; 2 Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:2; 2 Tim. 4:2; Jas. 5:10; patient expectation, 2 Tim. 3:10; Heb. 6:12; 2 Pet. 3:15*
In the original Greek the word is written: μακροθυμία
Historical context
Paul wrote Romans from Corinth, one of the most important commercial cities in the empire. Rome had a Jewish population of around 50,000. The letter addresses real tensions between Jewish believers with centuries of Torah tradition and Gentile believers with no such background. Emperor Nero was on the throne. Within ten years he would execute both Paul and Peter.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of makrothumia (G3115) across the King James Bible.
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
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Common questions
Strong's G3115 (makrothumia) is a Greek word that means: patience; patient enduring of evil, fortitude, Col. 1:11; Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:20; slowness of avenging injuries, long-suffering, forbearance, clemency, Rom. 2:4; 9:22; 2 Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:... It appears 14 times in the King James Bible.
The word makrothumia (G3115) appears 14 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3115 is makrothumia, a Greek word defined as: patience; patient enduring of evil, fortitude, Col. 1:11; Col. 3:12; 1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:20; slowness of avenging injuries, long-suffering, forbeara. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
makrothumia is a Greek word found in the New Testament.