Word Study for G1937 (ἐπιθυμέω)

epithyméō /ep-ee-thoo-meh'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom ἐπί and θυμός

Meaningto set the heart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully or otherwise)

KJV usagecovet, desire, would fain, lust (after).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of epithyméō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word epithyméō, represented by G1937, is defined as to set the heart upon or long for something, whether rightfully or otherwise. It appears 18 times across 16 unique verses, carrying a dual meaning that can signify either a righteous desire or a sinful lust. This versatility makes it a key term for understanding motivation and intent in scripture.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The use of G1937 varies significantly depending on the context. It is found in the law's prohibition, "Thou shalt not covet" (Romans 7:7; Romans 13:9). Jesus uses it to describe a sinful longing, stating that looking on a woman to lust after her is a sin of the heart Matthew 5:28. This negative sense is also seen in the spiritual conflict where "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit" Galatians 5:17. However, the word also describes righteous longings. The prophets and righteous men desired to see what the disciples saw Matthew 13:17, and angels desire to look into the matters of the gospel 1 Peter 1:12.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related Greek words help define the scope of desire:

G1939 epithymía: This is the noun form, meaning a longing, especially for what is forbidden. It is used to describe the "lust of the flesh" Galatians 5:16 and "worldly lusts" Titus 2:12 that believers are taught to deny.
G3713 orégomai: Meaning to stretch oneself or reach out after. It appears alongside G1937 when describing a man who desires the office of a bishop 1 Timothy 3:1, indicating an active aspiration.
G2206 zēlóō: This word means to have a warmth of feeling, and can be translated as to desire to have or covet earnestly. It is used in tandem with G1937 to describe a destructive cycle where people lust and then kill and desire to have what they cannot obtain James 4:2.
G2212 zētéō: Meaning to seek. In a time of judgment, men will seek death and desire to die, but will not be able to Revelation 9:6.
G2309 thélō: This word for "to wish" or "be inclined to" appears in contrast to sinful desire, where believers cannot do the things they would because the flesh lusts against the Spirit Galatians 5:17.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G1937 is demonstrated in several key areas:

The Duality of Desire: The word itself is neutral and its moral quality is defined by its object. Christ expresses a righteous longing when He says, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you" Luke 22:15. In contrast, the Israelites wrongly lusted after evil things in the wilderness 1 Corinthians 10:6.
Desire as the Root of Sin: Scripture often traces sinful actions back to a wrongly-directed heart. James connects the act of lusting directly to killing and warring James 4:2. Paul describes his own understanding of sin through the law's command not to covet Romans 7:7.
The Heart's Orientation: The use of G1937 emphasizes that righteousness is not merely about external actions. It is a matter of the heart's inner longings, whether they are set on godly things, like showing diligence in hope Hebrews 6:11, or on forbidden things, like another man's possessions Acts 20:33.

Summary

In summary, G1937 is a pivotal word for understanding the biblical concept of desire. It is not a simple term for longing, but one that captures the profound moral and spiritual orientation of the heart. Whether translated as covet, lust, or desire, it reveals that the direction of one's longing is central to the Christian walk, distinguishing between the spiritual battle against the flesh and the righteous pursuit of God.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 16 occurrences, inflected in 12 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Active Indicative 1st Singular 2×
Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Plural 2×
Future Active Indicative 2nd Singular 2×
Present Active Indicative 3rd Singular 2×
Aorist Active Infinitive 1×
Future Active Indicative 2nd Plural 1×
Future Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Present Active Indicative 1st Plural 1×
Present Active Indicative 2nd Plural 1×
Present Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Future: Action yet to take place.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 16 verses across 11 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Luke (4 verses); never once in the other 16.

Matthew

Luke

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

Galatians

1 Timothy

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

Revelation

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.