Greek word · G1972
ἐπιπόθησις
epipothēsis
longing
Longing, earnest yearning, homesick desire for someone absent. The prefix epi- intensifies or directs the verb potheō, 'to long for'.
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of 2 Corinthians 7:7
- Range of meaning
Longing, earnest yearning, homesick desire for someone absent. The prefix epi- intensifies or directs the verb potheō, 'to long for'.
- Against the English
KJV 'earnest desire', YLT 'longing desire', BSB/WEB 'longing'. 'Earnest desire' is accurate but sounds abstract and could be any wish. The word is relational: missing a person.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Very rare. In the New Testament it occurs only here and in 7:11, and it is essentially absent from the LXX. The related verb epipotheō is common in Paul for longing to see people (Rom 1:11; Phil 1:8; 1 Thess 3:6, where Timothy reports that the Thessalonians 'long to see us', a close parallel; 2 Cor 9:14).
Similar words
Where it appears
2 Corinthians · 2
-
2 Corinthians 7:7 ἐπιπόθησιν, earnest desire,
and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more.
Here: An intense yearning, here almost certainly a longing to see Paul again and to have the relationship restored after the painful break.
-
2 Corinthians 7:11 ἐπιπόθησιν, longing,
Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
Here: Their longing for Paul and restored relationship with him — v. 7 has Titus reporting 'your longing' for Paul.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.