5340. pheidomenós
Lexical Summary
pheidomenós: Sparing, refraining, withholding

Original Word: φειδόμενος
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: pheidomenós
Pronunciation: fay-dom-en-OS
Phonetic Spelling: (fi-dom-en'-oce)
KJV: sparingly
NASB: sparingly
Word Origin: [adverb from participle of G5339 (φείδομαι - spare)]

1. sparingly, i.e. stingily

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
sparingly.

Adverb from participle of pheidomai; abstemiously, i.e. Stingily -- sparingly.

see GREEK pheidomai

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
adverb from a part. of pheidomai
Definition
sparingly
NASB Translation
sparingly (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5340: φειδομένως

φειδομένως (from the participle φειδόμενος), adverb, sparingly: 2 Corinthians 9:6 (mildly, Plutarch, Alex. 25).

Topical Lexicon
Essential Sense

Strong’s 5340 portrays an action done “sparingly,” with measured restraint that withholds what might otherwise be given. The term in 2 Corinthians 9:6 functions adverbially to qualify both the sowing and the reaping of material and spiritual seed.

Old Testament Foundations

Though the specific Greek word is absent from the Septuagint, its concept permeates the Hebrew Scriptures. Proverbs 11:24 observes, “One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.” Malachi 3:10 urges Israel not to “withhold” tithes, promising overflowing blessing for liberal obedience. These texts provide the covenant backdrop for Paul’s teaching, anchoring it in the long-standing biblical principle that God rewards generous stewardship and censures stingy withholding.

New Testament Usage

Paul alone employs the adverb, and only in one sentence, yet he repeats it for rhetorical force:

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)

The double use creates a literary balance that drives home the inescapable law of proportional return. It also echoes the chiastic pattern common in wisdom literature, linking action and consequence in mirror image.

Exegetical Insights

1. Context: The Corinthian collection for the Jerusalem saints (2 Corinthians 8–9) frames the statement. Paul motivates voluntary, joyful giving rather than coerced duty.
2. Contrast: “Sparingly” stands opposite “generously” (Greek 2129, εὐλογία), literally “with blessing.” The antithesis highlights attitude, not merely amount.
3. Divine Economy: Reaping “sparingly” is not punishment but predictable outcome. Grudging generosity limits both earthly impact and heavenly reward (cf. Luke 6:38).
4. Eschatological Horizon: While immediate material reciprocity is possible, the ultimate harvest is eschatological, tied to the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Theological Significance

• Stewardship: Everything belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). Believers act as managers, not owners; withholding from God misaligns one’s role.
• Faith and Trust: Giving generously displays confidence in God’s provision (Philippians 4:19). Giving sparingly often signals fear or self-reliance.
• Covenant Reciprocity: Scripture consistently links obedience and blessing. The agricultural metaphor underlines that sowing comes first; return follows in due season (Galatians 6:7–9).
• Christological Pattern: Jesus “though He was rich…became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Believers mirror His self-giving by refusing to sow sparingly.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Financial Giving: Local churches encourage proportionate, cheerful contributions, teaching that a miserly spirit hinders gospel advance and personal growth.
2. Time and Service: Sowing includes hospitality, mentoring, and teaching. Restrained investment yields limited discipleship fruit.
3. Mission Strategy: Church history shows revival and expansion where resources were released liberally—e.g., the nineteenth-century missionary movement versus times of inward focus.
4. Generational Legacy: Parents who sow spiritual truths abundantly into children typically reap multigenerational faithfulness (Deuteronomy 6:6–9).

Historical and Patristic Witness

• Chrysostom, Homilies on 2 Corinthians, highlights the inevitability of divine recompense: “Whatsoever ye sow, that ye shall also reap, not only in kind but in measure.”
• Augustine links the verse to almsgiving, warning that giving “with cold heart” nullifies the deed’s benefit.
• The Reformation emphasized the passage against indulgence abuses, redirecting believers to sincere, heartfelt charity rather than transactional religion.

Conclusion

Strong’s 5340 summarizes a caution: reluctant sowing limits divine blessing. Paul’s doubled adverb amplifies a timeless principle rooted in Scripture’s unified witness—generosity begets generosity, in this age and the age to come.

Forms and Transliterations
φειδομενως φειδομένως φερνή φέρνην φερνιεί pheidomenos pheidomenōs pheidoménos pheidoménōs
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Corinthians 9:6 Adv
GRK: ὁ σπείρων φειδομένως φειδομένως καὶ
NAS: [I say], he who sows sparingly will also
KJV: [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap
INT: he that sows sparingly sparingly also

2 Corinthians 9:6 Adv
GRK: σπείρων φειδομένως φειδομένως καὶ θερίσει
NAS: reap sparingly, and he who sows
KJV: also sparingly; and
INT: sows sparingly sparingly also will reap

Strong's Greek 5340
2 Occurrences


φειδομένως — 2 Occ.

5339
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