4166. poimén

Lexicon

poimén: Shepherd

Original Word: ποιμήν
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: poimén
Pronunciation: poy-MANE
Phonetic Spelling: (poy-mane')
Definition: Shepherd
Meaning: a shepherd; hence met: of the feeder, protector, and ruler of a flock of men.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

shepherd, pastor.

Of uncertain affinity; a shepherd (literally or figuratively) -- shepherd, pastor.

HELPS Word-studies

4166 poimḗn – properly, a shepherd ("pastor" in Latin); (figuratively) someone who the Lord raises up to care for the total well-being of His flock (the people of the Lord).

[4166 (poimḗn) is closely associated with 1066 /Gedeṓn ("to feed the flock"), see Jn 21:15-17.]

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NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
a shepherd
NASB Translation
pastors (1), shepherd (13), shepherds (4).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4166: ποιμήν

ποιμήν, ποιμένος, ὁ (akin to the noun ποίᾳ, which see: (or from the root meaning 'to protect'; cf. Curtius, § 372; Fick 1:132)), from Homer down; the Sept. for רֹעֶה, a herdsman, especially a shepherd;

a. properly: Matthew 9:36; Matthew 25:32; Matthew 26:31; Mark 6:34; Mark 14:27; Luke 2:8, 15, 18, 20; John 10:2, 12; in the parable, he to whose care and control others have committed themselves, and whose precepts they follow, John 10:11, 14.

b. metaphorically, the presiding officer, manager, director, of any assembly: so of Christ the Head of the church, John 10:16; 1 Peter 2:25; Hebrews 13:20 (of the Jewish Messiah, Ezekiel 34:23); of the overseers of the Christian assemblies (A. V. pastors), Ephesians 4:11; cf. Ritschl, Entstehung der altkathol. Kirche, edition 2, p. 350f; (Hatch, Barnpron Lects. for 1880, p. 123f). (Of kings and princes we find ποιμένες λαῶν in Homer and Hesiod.)

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb ποιμαίνω (poimainō), meaning "to shepherd" or "to tend."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • H7462 רָעָה (ra'ah): A Hebrew verb meaning "to pasture, tend, graze, feed," often used to describe the act of shepherding.
• H7469 רֹעֶה (ro'eh): A Hebrew noun meaning "shepherd," used to denote one who tends and cares for a flock.

Usage: The term ποιμήν is used in the New Testament to describe both literal shepherds who care for sheep and metaphorically to describe leaders, particularly spiritual leaders such as pastors or Christ Himself as the "Good Shepherd."

Context: • The term ποιμήν appears in several key passages in the New Testament, illustrating both its literal and metaphorical uses. In the Gospel of Luke, ποιμήν is used to describe the shepherds who were tending their flocks at night when the angel announced the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:8). This highlights the traditional role of shepherds in the ancient Near East as caretakers and protectors of sheep.
• In a metaphorical sense, ποιμήν is used to describe Jesus Christ as the "Good Shepherd" in John 10:11, where He declares, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." This passage emphasizes the sacrificial and protective nature of Christ's leadership and care for His followers.
• The term is also applied to church leaders in Ephesians 4:11, where Paul writes, "And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers." Here, ποιμήν is translated as "pastors," indicating those who are entrusted with the spiritual guidance and care of the Christian community.
• The role of a ποιμήν, whether literal or metaphorical, involves guidance, protection, provision, and nurturing. This is further illustrated in 1 Peter 5:2, where church elders are exhorted to "Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them—not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness."
• The imagery of a shepherd is deeply rooted in the cultural and religious context of the Bible, drawing on Old Testament references such as Psalm 23, where the Lord is depicted as a shepherd who provides and cares for His people.

Forms and Transliterations

ποιμενα ποιμένα ποιμενας ποιμένας ποιμενες ποιμένες ποιμένι ποιμένος ποιμενων ποιμένων ποιμέσι ποιμην ποιμήν ποιμὴν poimen poimēn poimḗn poimḕn poimena poiména poimenas poiménas poimenes poiménes poimenon poimenōn poiménon poiménōn

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 9:36 N-AMS
GRK: μὴ ἔχοντα ποιμένα
NAS: sheep without a shepherd.
KJV: having no shepherd.
INT: not having a shepherd

Matthew 25:32 N-NMS
GRK: ὥσπερ ὁ ποιμὴν ἀφορίζει τὰ
NAS: them from one another, as the shepherd separates
KJV: as a shepherd divideth
INT: as the shepherd separates the

Matthew 26:31 N-AMS
GRK: Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται
NAS: I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP
KJV: I will smite the shepherd, and
INT: I will strike the shepherd and will be scattered

Mark 6:34 N-AMS
GRK: μὴ ἔχοντα ποιμένα καὶ ἤρξατο
NAS: without a shepherd; and He began
KJV: not having a shepherd: and he began
INT: not having a shepherd And he began

Mark 14:27 N-AMS
GRK: Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα καὶ τὰ
NAS: I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP
KJV: I will smite the shepherd, and
INT: I will strike the shepherd and the

Luke 2:8 N-NMP
GRK: Καὶ ποιμένες ἦσαν ἐν
NAS: region there were [some] shepherds staying out in the fields
KJV: country shepherds abiding in the field,
INT: And shepherds were in

Luke 2:15 N-NMP
GRK: ἄγγελοι οἱ ποιμένες ἐλάλουν πρὸς
NAS: from them into heaven, the shepherds [began] saying
INT: angels the shepherds said to

Luke 2:18 N-GMP
GRK: ὑπὸ τῶν ποιμένων πρὸς αὐτούς
NAS: at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
KJV: them by the shepherds.
INT: by the shepherds to them

Luke 2:20 N-NMP
GRK: ὑπέστρεψαν οἱ ποιμένες δοξάζοντες καὶ
NAS: The shepherds went back, glorifying
KJV: And the shepherds returned, glorifying
INT: returned the shepherds glorifying and

John 10:2 N-NMS
GRK: τῆς θύρας ποιμήν ἐστιν τῶν
NAS: by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.
KJV: the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
INT: the door shepherd is of the

John 10:11 N-NMS
GRK: εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός
NAS: the good shepherd; the good
KJV: the good shepherd: the good
INT: am the shepherd good

John 10:11 N-NMS
GRK: καλός ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς
NAS: the good shepherd lays down
KJV: shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his
INT: good The shepherd good

John 10:12 N-NMS
GRK: οὐκ ὢν ποιμήν οὗ οὐκ
NAS: He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who
KJV: and not the shepherd, whose own
INT: not who is [the] shepherd whose not

John 10:14 N-NMS
GRK: εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός
NAS: the good shepherd, and I know
KJV: am the good shepherd, and know
INT: am the shepherd good

John 10:16 N-NMS
GRK: ποίμνη εἷς ποιμήν
NAS: flock [with] one shepherd.
KJV: fold, [and] one shepherd.
INT: flock one shepherd

Ephesians 4:11 N-AMP
GRK: τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους
NAS: and some [as] pastors and teachers,
KJV: and some, pastors and
INT: some moreover shepherds and teachers

Hebrews 13:20 N-AMS
GRK: νεκρῶν τὸν ποιμένα τῶν προβάτων
NAS: the great Shepherd of the sheep
KJV: that great shepherd of the sheep,
INT: [the] dead the Shepherd of the sheep

1 Peter 2:25 N-AMS
GRK: ἐπὶ τὸν ποιμένα καὶ ἐπίσκοπον
NAS: you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian
KJV: returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop
INT: to the shepherd and overseer

Strong's Greek 4166
18 Occurrences

ποιμὴν — 7 Occ.
ποιμένα — 6 Occ.
ποιμένας — 1 Occ.
ποιμένες — 3 Occ.
ποιμένων — 1 Occ.