2237. hédoné

Lexicon

hédoné: Pleasure, desire, lust

Original Word: ἡδονή
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: hédoné
Pronunciation: hay-do-NAY
Phonetic Spelling: (hay-don-ay')
Definition: Pleasure, desire, lust
Meaning: pleasure, a pleasure, especially sensuous pleasure; a strong desire, passion.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

lust, pleasure.

From handano (to please); sensual delight; by implication, desire -- lust, pleasure.

HELPS Word-studies

2237 hēdonḗ (from hēdos, "pleasrable to the senses") – properly, sensual pleasure; what is enjoyable to the natural (physical) senses.

2237 /hēdonḗ ("satisfaction of physical appetite") has a strong negative connotation, generally referring to pleasure that is made an end in itself. That is, the satiation of bodily desires (lusts) at the expense of other things.

[2237 /hēdonḗ is the root of the English terms, "hedonism," "hedonistic."]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from hédomai (to enjoy oneself)
Definition
pleasure
NASB Translation
pleasure (1), pleasures (4).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 2237: ἡδονή

ἡδονή, ἡδονῆς, ἡ (ἥδομαι) (Simonides 117, Herodotus down), pleasure: 2 Peter 2:13; plural, Luke 8:14 (αἱ ἡδοναι τοῦ βίου); Titus 3:3; James 4:3; by metonymy, desires for pleasure (Grotius, cupiditates rerum voluptariarum), James 4:1.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb ἥδομαι (hēdomai), meaning "to enjoy oneself" or "to take pleasure."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for ἡδονή, similar concepts can be found in Hebrew words related to desire and pleasure, such as חֵפֶץ (chephets, Strong's 2656) meaning "delight" or "pleasure," and תַּאֲוָה (ta'avah, Strong's 8378) meaning "desire" or "lust." These terms similarly convey the idea of desires that can lead one away from spiritual focus.

Usage: In the New Testament, ἡδονή is used to describe desires that are often in opposition to spiritual pursuits. It appears in contexts that warn against the dangers of succumbing to worldly pleasures.

Context: The Greek word ἡδονή appears in several New Testament passages, highlighting the tension between earthly desires and spiritual devotion. It is often associated with the pursuit of pleasure that distracts from or contradicts a life dedicated to God.

• James 4:1-3 (BSB): "What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you? You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask. And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures (ἡδονή)."
• Here, ἡδονή is depicted as a source of conflict and unfulfilled desires, emphasizing the futility and destructiveness of seeking pleasure for its own sake.

• Luke 8:14 (BSB): "The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures (ἡδονή) of life, and their fruit does not mature."
• In this parable, ἡδονή represents the distractions of worldly life that prevent spiritual growth and maturity.

• Titus 3:3 (BSB): "For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures (ἡδονή), living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another."
• This passage reflects on a past life dominated by sinful pleasures, contrasting it with the transformation brought by faith.

The New Testament usage of ἡδονή often serves as a caution against allowing physical or material desires to overshadow spiritual priorities. It underscores the Christian call to live a life that seeks fulfillment in God rather than transient worldly pleasures.

Forms and Transliterations

ηδοναις ηδοναίς ἡδοναῖς ηδονή ηδονην ηδονήν ἡδονὴν ηδονής ηδονων ηδονών ἡδονῶν ήδυναν ήδυνάν ηδυνθείη ηδύνθη ηδύνθης ηδύνθησαν ηδύνουσι edonais ēdonais edonen ēdonēn edonon ēdonōn hedonais hedonaîs hēdonais hēdonaîs hedonen hedonḕn hēdonēn hēdonḕn hedonon hedonôn hēdonōn hēdonō̂n

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 8:14 N-GFP
GRK: πλούτου καὶ ἡδονῶν τοῦ βίου
NAS: and riches and pleasures of [this] life,
KJV: and pleasures of [this] life,
INT: riches and pleasures of life

Titus 3:3 N-DFP
GRK: ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ ἡδοναῖς ποικίλαις ἐν
NAS: lusts and pleasures, spending our life
KJV: lusts and pleasures, living in
INT: lusts and pleasures various in

James 4:1 N-GFP
GRK: ἐκ τῶν ἡδονῶν ὑμῶν τῶν
NAS: you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war
KJV: [even] of your lusts that war in
INT: from the pleasures of you which

James 4:3 N-DFP
GRK: ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε
NAS: that you may spend [it] on your pleasures.
KJV: [it] upon your lusts.
INT: in the pleasures of you you might spend [it]

2 Peter 2:13 N-AFS
GRK: μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἡδονὴν ἡγούμενοι τὴν
NAS: They count it a pleasure to revel
KJV: [as] they that count it pleasure to riot
INT: [the] reward of unrighteousness pleasure esteeming

Strong's Greek 2237
5 Occurrences

ἡδοναῖς — 2 Occ.
ἡδονὴν — 1 Occ.
ἡδονῶν — 2 Occ.