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:[fromG1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and the base ofG4599 (σθενόω - strengthen)]
1. strengthless, without strength
2. weak
{in various applications, literal, figurative and moral}
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
feeble, impotent, sick, weak
Froma (as a negative particle) and the base ofsthenoo; strengthless (in various applications, literal, figurative and moral) -- more feeble, impotent, sick, without strength, weak(-er, -ness, thing).
see GREEKa
see GREEKsthenoo
HELPS Word-studies
772asthenḗs (an adjective, derived from1/A "without" andsthenos, "vigor, strength") – properly, without vigor, living in a state ofweakness (depletion).722 (arotrióō) refers to alack of necessary resources("insufficient") – literally, "without adequate strength" and hence "frail,feeble (sickly)."
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
alpha (as a neg. prefix) and sthenés (strong)
Definitionwithout strength, weak
NASB Translationhelpless (1), sick (6), unimpressive (1), weak (12), weak things (1), weaker (1), weakness (2).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 772: ἀσθενήςἀσθενής,
ἀσθενές (
τόσθένος strength),
weak, infirm, feeble; (from
Pindar down);
a. universally:Matthew 26:41;Mark 14:38;1 Peter 3:7;τόἀσθενέςτοῦΘεοῦ, 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 (seeἀσθενέω),1 Corinthians 8:7, 9LTTrWH,;;1 Thessalonians 5:14.c. of the body,feeble, sick:Matthew 25:39RGL marginal reading, 43f;Luke 9:2LTr brackets;;Acts 4:9;Acts 5:15;1 Corinthians 11:30.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewStrong’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
InLuke 9:2 andLuke 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 inRomans 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 asthenoûsLinks
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