Greek word · G2577

κάμνω

kamnō

be weary/sick

Kamnō means to grow weary, be worn out, and sometimes to be sick (James 5:15). Kopiaō means to labour hard, toil, and also to become tired from toil (John 4:6, Jesus 'wearied' from the journey).

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 22, 2026

What it means

κάμνω

[in LXX: Job 10:1 (קוּט ni.) Job 17:2, Wisdom of Solomon 4:16 15:9, 4Ma.3:8 4Mac 7:13 * ;]

1. to work; hence, from the effect of continued work,

2. to be weary: Hebrews 12:3

3. to be sick: James 5:15.†

(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 Revelation 2:3

Range of meaning: Kamnō means to grow weary, be worn out, and sometimes to be sick (James 5:15). Kopiaō means to labour hard, toil, and also to become tired from toil (John 4:6, Jesus 'wearied' from the journey).
Against the English: 'Have not grown weary' (WEB, BSB) is accurate. KJV 'hast laboured, and hast not fainted' follows a text that has both verbs. 'Fainted' in older English meant 'lost heart, gave up', not passing out.
How it drifted: KJV 'fainted' now suggests losing consciousness. In 1611 it meant to flag, lose heart, give up.
Used elsewhere in the period: Kamnō: Heb 12:3 'so that you do not grow weary and lose heart'. Kopiaō: Matt 11:28 'all who labour'. In Isaiah 40:31 LXX, the people who wait on the LORD 'will run and not grow weary (kopiasousin)', which closely matches the thought here.

From the study of Hebrews 12:3

Range of meaning: To work until worn out; to be weary or exhausted; by extension to be ill (James 5:15, 'the sick'). In Greek writing it is used of tired runners, soldiers and laborers.
Against the English: 'Grow weary' is accurate. 'Be wearied' (KJV) is fine. The word suggests depletion: reserves being used up, not just feeling tired.
Used elsewhere in the period: Commentators (e.g., Lane, Attridge) note that this verb and ekluō both appear in Greek athletic contexts. Aristotle (Rhetoric 3.9) describes runners who give out and collapse as they near the turning post.

From the study of James 5:15

Range of meaning: To toil until exhausted, grow weary, be worn out. From there, to be ill: 'the ones labouring' was a standard way of saying 'the sick' or 'patients'. In classical Greek and in Wisdom of Solomon, the past participle can even mean 'the dead', those whose labour is over.
Against the English: Most versions have 'the sick', YLT 'the distressed one'. The English is accurate; it just loses the Greek picture of someone worn down and exhausted.
Used elsewhere in the period: Hebrews 12:3 uses it for growing weary in spirit. LSJ notes 'hoi kamnontes' = the sick (common in medical writers) and 'hoi kamontes' = the dead. Wisdom 4:16 uses the participle of a righteous man who has died.

Where it appears

Hebrews · 1

Hebrews 12:3 κάμητε you may grow weary

Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Here: To be worn down, exhausted, used up. Greek writers used it of tired runners and soldiers and also of sickness (compare James 5:15). Here it pictures running out of strength in the race of 12:1.

James · 1

James 5:15 κάμνοντα ailing

And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

Here: 'The one who is worn down', the ordinary Greek way of saying 'the patient'. The present tense pictures someone in an ongoing state of illness. It stands in for the 'sick' person (asthenei) of verse 14.

Revelation · 1

Revelation 2:3 κέκμηκας. have grown weary.

Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.

Here: Perfect tense: 'you have not reached a state of exhaustion' and are still not in it. Kamnō means wearing out under effort, and sometimes sickness. The critical text has kopiaō here instead, with nearly the same meaning and a pun on the 'labor' (kopos) of v.2.

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