Greek word · G2328

θερμαίνω

thermainō

to warm

To warm, heat. In the middle voice (doing it for oneself), "to warm oneself," for example at a fire. In the passive, "to be warmed," often by clothing or bedding.

Appears 6 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

θερμαίνω

(θερμός), [in LXX chiefly for חָמַם ;]

to warm, heat; mid., to warm oneself: Mark 14:54, 67, John 18:18, 25 James 2:16.†

(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 James 2:16

Range of meaning

To warm, heat. In the middle voice (doing it for oneself), "to warm oneself," for example at a fire. In the passive, "to be warmed," often by clothing or bedding.

Against the English

"Be warmed" (KJV, ESV, NASB) keeps the passive reading. "Stay warm" / "keep warm" (BSB, NIV) reads it as middle or idiomatic, close to "take care of yourself." Either way the warmth is wished for, not given.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 14:54, 67 and John 18:18: Peter "warming himself" (middle) at the fire. Septuagint Job 31:20: the poor were warmed by the fleece of Job's sheep, part of Job's protest that he never ignored the ill-clothed. Septuagint Haggai 1:6: "you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm." 1 Kings 1:1: the aged David "could not get warm."

From the study of John 18:25

Range of meaning

To warm. In the middle voice, as here, "to warm oneself."

Against the English

Translated accurately everywhere. The point is what the repeated phrase does in the story, not the word itself.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 14:54, 67 also places Peter warming himself at the fire. In John the fire is called an anthrakia, a "charcoal fire" (18:18). The only other New Testament use of that word is John 21:9, the charcoal fire by the lake where the risen Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?"

From the study of Mark 14:67

Range of meaning

'To warm, heat.' In the middle voice used here, 'to warm oneself.'

Against the English

All versions render it 'warming himself', which is correct. What a reader can miss is that the word repeats 14:54 on purpose.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 14:54 and 14:67. John 18:18, 25, where John notes 'it was cold' and the fire was a charcoal fire. James 2:16 ('be warmed and filled').

Where it appears

Mark · 2

  1. Mark 14:54 θερμαινόμενος warming himself

    Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the officers and warmed himself by the fire.

    Here: The verb's form means 'warming himself'. Nights in Jerusalem in early spring are cold at that altitude (John 18:18: 'it was cold'). Mark repeats the detail in 14:67, where it is the thing that gets Peter noticed.

  2. Mark 14:67 θερμαινόμενον, warming himself,

    and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.”

    Here: The present tense with the reflexive form means he is warming himself at that very moment. It repeats 14:54, where Peter sat 'with the attendants, warming himself at the light' of the fire. That firelight is what lets her see his face.

John · 3

  1. John 18:18 ἐθερμαίνοντο· θερμαινόμενος.¶ they were warming themselves;, warming himself.

    Because it was cold, the servants and officers were standing around a charcoal fire they had made to keep warm. And Peter was also standing with them, warming himself.

  2. John 18:25 θερμαινόμενος. warming himself.

    Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”

    Here: The middle voice means "warming himself." Peter is at the charcoal fire of v. 18 with the high priest's slaves and the temple guards, physically among the opposing side.

James · 1

  1. James 2:16 θερμαίνεσθε do be warmed

    If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?

    Here: "Be warmed" or "warm yourselves." One Greek form covers both. It is a present-tense command. This answers the people being "naked" (poorly clothed) in verse 15: the speaker wishes them warmth instead of handing them a cloak.

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