Word Study for G3076 (λυπέω) | Strong's Concordance

lypéō /loo-peh'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom λύπη

Meaningto distress; reflexively or passively, to be sad

KJV usagecause grief, grieve, be in heaviness, (be) sorrow(-ful), be (make) sorry.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of lypéō — 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 lypéō, represented by G3076, describes the act of causing distress or the state of being sad. Appearing 30 times across 21 unique verses, its meaning ranges from being "in heaviness" or "sorrowful" to being "grieved" or made "sorry". It is derived from the noun G3077 and captures a deep sense of emotional or spiritual pain.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the scriptures, G3076 is used to express profound human emotion in response to divine events and teachings. The disciples were "exceeding sorry" upon hearing Jesus' prediction of his death Matthew 17:23, and again when confronted with the possibility of betrayal Matthew 26:22. The rich young man went away "sorrowful" because he could not part with his great possessions Matthew 19:22, and Peter "was grieved" when Jesus questioned his love a third time John 21:17. The term also carries a direct spiritual instruction, as believers are warned not to "grieve" the Holy Spirit of God Ephesians 4:30.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide a fuller context for the concept of sorrow:

G3077 lýpē (sadness): This is the noun form from which G3076 is derived, representing the state of grief or sorrow itself. Jesus promises his disciples that their sorrow G3077 will be turned into joy John 16:20.
G3341 metánoia (repentance): This is critically linked to godly sorrow. Paul rejoiced not that the Corinthians were made sorry G3076, but that they "sorrowed to repentance" G3341 2 Corinthians 7:9.
G5463 chaírō (to be "cheer"ful): This word often stands in direct contrast to G3076, highlighting the tension in a believer's life. Paul describes his state as being "sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing" G5463 2 Corinthians 6:10.
G2347 thlîpsis (pressure): This describes the affliction or tribulation that can be a source of sorrow. Paul wrote to the Corinthians out of much affliction G2347 and anguish, not to make them grieved G3076, but to show his love 2 Corinthians 2:4.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G3076 is particularly evident in its various contexts.

A Distinction in Sorrow: A crucial theological point is the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Paul explains that godly sorrow G3077 "worketh repentance to salvation," while the sorrow of the world leads to death 2 Corinthians 7:10.
The Product of Godly Sorrow: This type of sorrow is not an end in itself but produces positive spiritual fruit. It works "carefulness" G4710, "fear" G5401, and "zeal" in the believer, demonstrating a true change of heart 2 Corinthians 7:11.
Sorrow and Christian Hope: Sorrow is a reality for believers. Peter acknowledges that believers may be in "heaviness" G3076 through trials, but this is temporary 1 Peter 1:6. Paul urges believers not to sorrow G3076 as those who have no "hope" G1680 1 Thessalonians 4:13.
Relational Grief: The command not to grieve G3076 the Holy Spirit implies a personal relationship that can be negatively affected by sin, highlighting the Spirit's sensitivity and personal involvement in a believer's life Ephesians 4:30.

Summary

In summary, G3076 is a significant term that captures a spectrum of human sadness and spiritual distress. It moves beyond a simple emotion to become a key element in Christian theology, distinguishing between a worldly sorrow that is destructive and a godly sorrow that produces repentance and life. From the disciples' grief to a believer's proper response to trials, lypéō illustrates the pain of the human condition, the cost of discipleship, and the constructive role sorrow can play on the path to salvation.

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 26 occurrences, inflected in 18 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

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

+ 6 rarer forms

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.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
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 21 verses across 8 of the 27 books. Most frequent in 2 Corinthians (7 verses); never once in the other 19.

Matthew

Mark

John

Romans

2 Corinthians

Ephesians

1 Thessalonians

1 Peter

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.