772. asthenés

Lexical Summary

asthenés: Weak, feeble, infirm

Original Word: ἀσθενής
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: asthenés
Pronunciation: as-then-ACE
Phonetic Spelling: (as-then-ace')
KJV: more feeble, impotent, sick, without strength, weak(-er, -ness, thing)
NASB: weak, sick, weakness, helpless, unimpressive, weak things, weaker
Word Origin: [from G1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and the base of G4599 (σθενόω - strengthen)]

1. strengthless, without strength
2. weak
{in various applications, literal, figurative and moral}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

feeble, impotent, sick, weak

From a (as a negative particle) and the base of sthenoo; strengthless (in various applications, literal, figurative and moral) -- more feeble, impotent, sick, without strength, weak(-er, -ness, thing).

see GREEK a

see GREEK sthenoo

HELPS Word-studies

772 asthenḗs (an adjective, derived from 1 /A "without" and sthenos, "vigor, strength") – properly, without vigor, living in a state of weakness (depletion). 722 (arotrióō) refers to a lack of necessary resources ("insufficient") – literally, "without adequate strength" and hence "frail, feeble (sickly)."

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and sthenés (strong)
Definition
without strength, weak
NASB Translation
helpless (1), sick (6), unimpressive (1), weak (12), weak things (1), weaker (1), weakness (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 772: ἀσθενής

ἀσθενής, ἀσθενές (τό σθένος strength), weak, infirm, feeble; (from Pindar down);

a. universally: Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; 1 Peter 3:7; τό ἀσθενές τοῦ Θεοῦ, the act of God in which weakness seems to appear, viz. that the suffering of the cross should be borne by the Messiah, 1 Corinthians 1:25.

b. specifically: contextually, unable to achieve anything great, 1 Corinthians 4:10; destitute of power among men, 1 Corinthians 1:27 (Lachmann brackets); weaker and inferior, μέλος, 1 Corinthians 12:22; sluggish in doing right, Romans 5:6; lacking in manliness and dignity, 2 Corinthians 10:10; used of the religious systems anterior to Christ, as having no power to promote piety and salvation, Galatians 4:9; Hebrews 7:18; lacking in decision about things lawful and unlawful (see ἀσθενέω), 1 Corinthians 8:7, 9 L T Tr WH, ; ; 1 Thessalonians 5:14.

c. of the body, feeble, sick: Matthew 25:39 R G L marginal reading, 43f; Luke 9:2 L Tr brackets; ; Acts 4:9; Acts 5:15; 1 Corinthians 11:30.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Greek 772 gathers a family of forms built on the root idea of “weakness,” whether physical, moral, social, or spiritual. The term shades from literal bodily infirmity to figurative inability, so that every appearance accents human dependence on divine grace.

Physical Frailty and Bodily Illness

In Luke 9:2 and Luke 10:9 Jesus commissions His disciples “to heal the sick” (astheneis), revealing the Kingdom’s invasion into the realm of human weakness. Acts 5:15-16 records crowds laying “the sick” in the streets so that Peter’s shadow might fall on them—an early-church echo of Christ’s compassion. When Peter later stands before the Sanhedrin he speaks of a man once “weak” (Acts 4:9), now whole in Jesus’ name. The word therefore marks occasions where divine power meets bodily limitation, underscoring the gospel’s holistic reach.

Human Limitations in Temptation and Prayer

Jesus warns His sleepy disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38). Here weakness describes the susceptibility of fallen humanity, driving believers to watchfulness and prayer. This same theme surfaces in Romans 5:6: “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly,” highlighting the helpless state from which salvation rescues us.

The Weak Things God Chooses

Paul triumphantly declares, “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27; cf. 1:25). What appears powerless by human standards becomes the theater for God’s glory. Paul embraces this paradox personally—“We are weak, but you are strong” (1 Corinthians 4:10)—and faces critics who complain, “His bodily presence is weak” (2 Corinthians 10:10). The apostle’s boasting in weakness aligns with the cross, where apparent defeat brings redemptive victory.

Weakness and the Mosaic Law

Hebrews 7:18 calls the former commandment “weak and useless” in effecting perfection, preparing the reader for Christ’s superior priesthood. Galatians 4:9 likewise warns against returning to “weak and worthless principles,” contrasting legalistic bondage with Spirit-empowered sonship.

The Weaker Brother and Conscience

In Corinth the term guides ethical sensitivity. Some believers possess a “weak conscience” (1 Corinthians 8:7, 8:10), easily wounded by another’s liberty in matters of food offered to idols. Paul’s solution is love-motivated restraint: “Be careful that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9). His missionary strategy echoes the same pastoral heart: “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak” (1 Corinthians 9:22; repeated with the dative asthenesin). 1 Thessalonians 5:14 extends the principle to the whole church: “Encourage the weak.”

Ecclesiological Significance

In the body metaphor, “the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Corinthians 12:22). Far from marginalizing those of limited gifting, health, or social standing, the Spirit assigns them essential value, fostering mutual honor and interdependence.

Domestic and Social Relationships

Husbands are to treat their wives “with understanding as with a weaker vessel” (1 Peter 3:7). The text is not demeaning but protective, calling for considerate leadership that honors shared inheritance in grace.

Eschatological Separation of the Compassionate and the Neglectful

Matthew 25:43-44 places the “sick” among the needy whom the righteous serve and the wicked ignore. The final judgment will weigh practical mercy toward the weak as service rendered to Christ Himself.

Historical and Ministry Reflections

Early Christian writers seized upon the theology of weakness. Ignatius boasted of physical chains as a badge of apostolic imitation, mirroring Paul’s paradox. Throughout history, hospital movements, leper colonies, and modern medical missions have flowed from the conviction that caring for the weak is gospel duty.

Practical Applications for Today

• Pastoral care must integrate prayer and medical means, reflecting Luke’s dual emphases.
• Church life should guard the conscience of tender believers while nurturing maturity.
• Leadership models strength through sacrificial service, not domination.
• Social ministries that defend the vulnerable echo God’s preferential choice of the weak.

Theological Summary

Strong’s 772 traces a redemptive arc: humanity’s weakness exposed, Christ entering that weakness, God electing the weak, and the Spirit empowering the church to honor and uplift the weak. Thus the word encapsulates the gospel’s reversal of worldly values and its call to compassionate mission.

Forms and Transliterations

ασθενεις ασθενείς ἀσθενεῖς ασθενες ασθενές ἀσθενὲς ασθενεσιν ασθενέσιν ἀσθενέσιν ασθενεστερα ασθενέστερα ἀσθενέστερα ασθενεστερω ασθενεστέρω ἀσθενεστέρῳ ασθενη ασθενή ἀσθενῆ ασθενης ασθενής ἀσθενής ἀσθενὴς ασθενους ασθενούς ἀσθενοῦς ασθενων ασθενών ἀσθενῶν asthene asthenê asthenē asthenē̂ astheneis astheneîs asthenes asthenès asthenēs asthenḗs asthenḕs asthenesin asthenésin asthenestera asthenéstera asthenestero asthenesterō asthenestéroi asthenestérōi asthenon asthenôn asthenōn asthenō̂n asthenous asthenoûs

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 25:43 Adj-NMS
GRK: περιεβάλετέ με ἀσθενὴς καὶ ἐν
NAS: and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison,
KJV: me not: sick, and in
INT: you did clothe me sick and in

Matthew 25:44 Adj-AMS
GRK: γυμνὸν ἢ ἀσθενῆ ἢ ἐν
NAS: naked, or sick, or in prison,
KJV: naked, or sick, or in
INT: naked or sick or in

Matthew 26:41 Adj-NFS
GRK: δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής
NAS: is willing, but the flesh is weak.
KJV: but the flesh [is] weak.
INT: but [the] flesh weak

Mark 14:38 Adj-NFS
GRK: δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής
NAS: is willing, but the flesh is weak.
KJV: but the flesh [is] weak.
INT: but [the] flesh weak

Luke 9:2 Adj-AMP
GRK: ἰᾶσθαι τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς
INT: to heal the sick

Luke 10:9 Adj-AMP
GRK: ἐν αὐτῇ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ λέγετε
NAS: those in it who are sick, and say
KJV: heal the sick that are therein,
INT: in it [the] sick and say

Acts 4:9 Adj-GMS
GRK: εὐεργεσίᾳ ἀνθρώπου ἀσθενοῦς ἐν τίνι
NAS: for a benefit done to a sick man,
KJV: the good deed done to the impotent man,
INT: a good work [to the] man crippled by what

Acts 5:15 Adj-AMP
GRK: ἐκφέρειν τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς καὶ τιθέναι
NAS: carried the sick out into the streets
KJV: that they brought forth the sick into
INT: to bring out the sick and to put [them]

Acts 5:16 Adj-AMP
GRK: Ἰερουσαλήμ φέροντες ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ὀχλουμένους
NAS: bringing people who were sick or
KJV: bringing sick folks, and
INT: Jerusalem bringing sick ones also those troubled

Romans 5:6 Adj-GMP
GRK: ὄντων ἡμῶν ἀσθενῶν ἔτι κατὰ
NAS: For while we were still helpless, at the right time
KJV: were yet without strength, in due time
INT: being of us without strength still according to

1 Corinthians 1:25 Adj-NNS
GRK: καὶ τὸ ἀσθενὲς τοῦ θεοῦ
NAS: than men, and the weakness of God
KJV: men; and the weakness of God is
INT: and the weakness of God

1 Corinthians 1:27 Adj-ANP
GRK: καὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ τοῦ κόσμου
NAS: has chosen the weak things of the world
KJV: hath chosen the weak things of the world
INT: and the weak things of the world

1 Corinthians 4:10 Adj-NMP
GRK: Χριστῷ ἡμεῖς ἀσθενεῖς ὑμεῖς δὲ
NAS: in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong;
KJV: Christ; we [are] weak, but ye
INT: Christ we weak you however

1 Corinthians 8:7 Adj-NFS
GRK: συνείδησις αὐτῶν ἀσθενὴς οὖσα μολύνεται
NAS: being weak is defiled.
KJV: conscience being weak is defiled.
INT: conscience of them weak being is defiled

1 Corinthians 8:9 Adj-DMP
GRK: γένηται τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν
NAS: become a stumbling block to the weak.
INT: become to those being weak

1 Corinthians 8:10 Adj-GMS
GRK: συνείδησις αὐτοῦ ἀσθενοῦς ὄντος οἰκοδομηθήσεται
NAS: will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened
KJV: which is weak be emboldened
INT: conscience of him weak being will be built up

1 Corinthians 9:22 Adj-DMP
GRK: ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν ἀσθενής ἵνα
NAS: To the weak I became weak,
KJV: To the weak became I as
INT: I became to the weak weak that

1 Corinthians 9:22 Adj-NMS
GRK: τοῖς ἀσθενέσιν ἀσθενής ἵνα τοὺς
NAS: I became weak, that I might win
KJV: became I as weak, that I might gain
INT: to the weak weak that the

1 Corinthians 9:22 Adj-AMP
GRK: ἵνα τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς κερδήσω τοῖς
NAS: that I might win the weak; I have become
KJV: I might gain the weak: I am made
INT: that the weak I might gain these things

1 Corinthians 11:30 Adj-NMP
GRK: ὑμῖν πολλοὶ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἄρρωστοι
NAS: among you are weak and sick,
KJV: cause many [are] weak and sickly
INT: you many [are] weak and sick

1 Corinthians 12:22 Adj-NNP-C
GRK: τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενέστερα ὑπάρχειν ἀναγκαῖά
NAS: which seem to be weaker are necessary;
KJV: to be more feeble, are
INT: of the body weaker to be necessary

2 Corinthians 10:10 Adj-NFS
GRK: τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενὴς καὶ ὁ
NAS: presence is unimpressive and his speech
KJV: presence [is] weak, and
INT: of the body weak and the

Galatians 4:9 Adj-ANP
GRK: ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ πτωχὰ
NAS: again to the weak and worthless
KJV: again to the weak and beggarly
INT: to the weak and beggarly

1 Thessalonians 5:14 Adj-GMP
GRK: ἀντέχεσθε τῶν ἀσθενῶν μακροθυμεῖτε πρὸς
NAS: help the weak, be patient
KJV: support the weak, be patient
INT: help the weak be patient toward

Hebrews 7:18 Adj-ANS
GRK: τὸ αὐτῆς ἀσθενὲς καὶ ἀνωφελές
NAS: because of its weakness and uselessness
KJV: for the weakness and
INT: the of it weakness and unprofitableness

Strong's Greek 772
26 Occurrences

ἀσθενῆ — 3 Occ.
ἀσθενὴς — 6 Occ.
ἀσθενεῖς — 7 Occ.
ἀσθενὲς — 2 Occ.
ἀσθενέσιν — 2 Occ.
ἀσθενέστερα — 1 Occ.
ἀσθενεστέρῳ — 1 Occ.
ἀσθενῶν — 2 Occ.
ἀσθενοῦς — 2 Occ.