"to hunger, be hungry, Mt. 4:2; Mk. 11:12; to be exposed to hunger, be famished, 1 Cor. 4:11; Phil. 4:12; met. to hunger after, desire earnestly, long for, Mt. 5:6"
Definition and meaning
to hunger, be hungry, Mt. 4:2; Mk. 11:12; to be exposed to hunger, be famished, 1 Cor. 4:11; Phil. 4:12; met. to hunger after, desire earnestly, long for, Mt. 5:6
In the original Greek the word is written: πεινάω
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
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 peinao (G3983) across the King James Bible.
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
Refiner gives you the full lexicon entry, AI-powered verse insight, historical commentary, cross-references, and voice study — all in one place.
Free to start · Disciple $4.99/mo · Shepherd $9.99/mo
Common questions
Strong's G3983 (peinao) is a Greek word that means: to hunger, be hungry, Mt. 4:2; Mk. 11:12; to be exposed to hunger, be famished, 1 Cor. 4:11; Phil. 4:12; met. to hunger after, desire earnestly, long for, Mt. 5:6 It appears 23 times in the King James Bible.
The word peinao (G3983) appears 23 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3983 is peinao, a Greek word defined as: to hunger, be hungry, Mt. 4:2; Mk. 11:12; to be exposed to hunger, be famished, 1 Cor. 4:11; Phil. 4:12; met. to hunger after, desire earnestly, long . James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
peinao is a Greek word found in the New Testament.