κλαίω

Matthew 2:18 κλαίουσα weeping [for]

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Here: A present participle, which shows ongoing action: she is caught in the middle of weeping. With a direct object, as here, κλαίω means to 'bewail' someone, to mourn them as dead.

Matthew 26:75 ἔκλαυσεν he wept

Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Here: Aorist: 'he wept', possibly 'he burst into tears'. In that culture κλαίω means loud weeping you could hear, not quiet tears.

Mark 5:38 κλαίοντας weeping

When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping and wailing loudly.

Here: "People weeping". In the ancient world this meant crying out loud, not quiet tears. The present form shows it still going on as Jesus arrives.

Mark 5:39 κλαίετε; weep?

He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but asleep.”

Here: 'Are you weeping?' Not quiet tears. Klaiō is audible crying and lamenting, the kind expected at a death.

Mark 14:72 ἔκλαιεν.¶ he was weeping.

And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Luke 6:21 κλαίοντες weeping

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Here: Audible weeping, the crying out of mourning and distress, not quiet private tears. A present participle: people whose life right now is lament.

Luke 6:25 κλαύσετε.¶ will weep.

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Here: Future: "you will weep". Crying out loud. It is the same verb as "you who weep now" in 6:21, so the weepers and the laughers trade places exactly.

Luke 7:13 κλαῖε. do weep.

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.”

Here: A present-tense command. She is already weeping out loud in the funeral procession, and the sense is 'stop weeping'. The reason is about to be shown, not explained.

Luke 7:32 ἐκλαύσατε. you did weep.

They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

Luke 7:38 κλαίουσα weeping

As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with the perfume.

Here: Present participle, so the weeping goes on through everything else she does. Klaiō is audible crying and lamenting, not a quiet tear. The verse does not say why she weeps. The surrounding passage has to answer that (see debates).

Luke 8:52 ἔκλαιον κλαίετε· They were weeping, do weep;

Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.”

Luke 19:41 ἔκλαυσεν He wept

As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it

Here: 'He wept.' Klaiō is audible crying, the word for mourning over the dead and for public lament. Here it is a single, definite outburst of grief, voiced openly in front of the crowd.

Luke 22:62 ἔκλαυσεν he wept

And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Luke 23:28 κλαίετε κλαίετε do weep

But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

Here: A present-tense command. Since the women are already weeping, "do not" plus this form naturally means "stop weeping" or "do not go on weeping." Κλαίω means loud crying you can hear, including the formal grief of a funeral.

John 11:31 κλαύσῃ she may weep

When the Jews who were in the house consoling Mary saw how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

Here: Audible crying out in grief, the public lament of a mourner at the grave. It is not quiet tears.

John 11:33 κλαίουσαν κλαίοντας, weeping, weeping,

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

Here: A present participle: she is crying aloud, on and on. Klaiō usually means audible mourning and lament, not quiet tears.

John 16:20 κλαύσετε you will weep

Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

Here: Weeping out loud, the open crying of mourners. John uses the same verb for the mourners at Lazarus' tomb (11:31–33) and for Mary weeping outside Jesus' empty tomb (20:11–15).

John 20:11 κλαίουσα. ἔκλαιεν, weeping., she was weeping,

But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb,

John 20:13 κλαίεις; weep you?

“Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.”

Here: 'Are you weeping', present tense of an ongoing action. Κλαίω is audible weeping, the loud crying of mourning, not quiet tears. She has been weeping since v. 11 and still is.

John 20:15 κλαίεις; do you weep?

“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”

Here: Present tense: she is still weeping. The word means audible crying, the kind of mourning heard at funerals, not silent tears. It repeats 20:11 and 20:13.

Acts 9:39 κλαίουσαι weeping

So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

Here: Loud, audible weeping, the normal sound of mourning. The present participle pictures it still going on as they stood around Peter.

Acts 21:13 κλαίοντες weeping

Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Here: Loud, audible crying of the kind heard at a funeral, not quiet tears. The present participle shows it still going on as Paul speaks.

Romans 12:15 κλαίειν κλαιόντων. to weep, weeping.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

Here: Another infinitive used as a command. κλαίω is audible weeping, the crying and wailing of mourners, not only quiet tears. It is the word used for grieving the dead.

1 Corinthians 7:30 κλαίοντες κλαίοντες, weeping, weeping,

those who weep, as if they did not; those who are joyful, as if they were not; those who make a purchase, as if they had nothing;

Philippians 3:18 κλαίων weeping

For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Here: 'Weeping' or 'crying'. The word usually means audible weeping and lament, not just moist eyes. The participle form means the weeping goes along with the speaking: he says it while crying.

James 4:9 κλαύσατε· do weep;

Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

Here: Weep out loud. This is crying people can hear, not a quiet private tear. It finishes a three-part call to repent that echoes the prophets.

James 5:1 κλαύσατε do weep

Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.

Here: A plural command: 'Weep!' Klaiō is loud crying you can hear, not quiet tears. The aorist form (a one-off, decisive action) suggests 'burst into tears'. It echoes 4:9, where the same verb calls people to grieve in repentance; here it is grief at ruin that is coming.

Revelation 5:4 ἔκλαιον I was weeping

And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.

Here: Audible weeping, the word used for lament over the dead. The imperfect tense pictures it as ongoing: John was weeping and kept weeping until an elder stopped him (v. 5). It can also mean 'began to weep'.

Revelation 5:5 κλαῖε. do weep.

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Here: A present-tense command forbidding something already happening. John was weeping loudly (5:4), so the sense is "stop weeping." Klaiō is audible crying and lament, not quiet tears.

Revelation 18:9 κλαύσουσιν they will weep

Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.

Here: Future tense: John sees the scene ahead of time. The word means audible weeping, not quiet tears. The same verb is used of the merchants (18:11) and the seafarers (18:15, 19).

Revelation 18:11 κλαίουσιν weep

And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo—

Here: Weeping out loud, the audible crying of grief. The present tense puts the scene in front of the hearer as if it were happening now.

Revelation 18:15 κλαίοντες weeping

The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn,

Here: This form describes ongoing action. They keep weeping aloud while they stand and watch. In the ancient world this kind of weeping was audible and public.

Revelation 18:19 κλαίοντες weeping

Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”

Here: Weeping out loud, the kind of wailing heard at a funeral.