Greek word · G2282

θάλπω

thalpō

to care for

To heat or warm. Then, figuratively, to cherish, comfort or foster: keeping someone warm and fed, the way a mother bird broods.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

θάλπω

[in LXX for סָכַן, etc. ;]

to heat, warm; metaphorically,

(a) to inflame (Trag.);

(b) to foster, cherish: Ephesians 5:29, 1 Thessalonians 2:7.†

(AS)

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 1 Thessalonians 2:7

Range of meaning

To heat or warm. Then, figuratively, to cherish, comfort or foster: keeping someone warm and fed, the way a mother bird broods.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, YLT 'cherish'; BSB 'caring for'; NASB 'tenderly cares'. 'Cherish' in modern English mostly means to value someone emotionally. The Greek is warmer and more physical.

How it drifted

'Cherish' has moved toward an inner feeling ('I cherish the memory'). Its older sense of active fostering and comforting has faded.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 22:6 (Septuagint): a mother bird 'sitting on' (thalpousa) her young or eggs; Job 39:14: the ostrich leaves her eggs to be warmed by the earth. In the NT only here and Eph 5:29, where a man 'nourishes and cherishes' his own body.

Where it appears

Ephesians · 1

  1. Ephesians 5:29 θάλπει he cherishes

    Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.

1 Thessalonians · 1

  1. 1 Thessalonians 2:7 θάλπῃ shall cherish

    On the contrary, we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children.

    Here: Literally 'to keep warm', as a bird warms its eggs or chicks. The care meant is physical and close: holding, warming, feeding. It is more than a feeling of fondness.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.