Greek word · G5340
φειδομένως
pheidomenōs
sparingly
An adverb from pheidomai, 'to spare, hold back, refrain, be thrifty'. In the NT the verb often means 'to spare' someone, for example 'he did not spare his own Son' (Rom 8:32) and 'I refrained from coming to Corinth to spare you' (2 Cor 1:23). The adverb means 'in a holding-back, stinting way'.
Appears 2 times in 1 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 9:6
- Range of meaning
An adverb from pheidomai, 'to spare, hold back, refrain, be thrifty'. In the NT the verb often means 'to spare' someone, for example 'he did not spare his own Son' (Rom 8:32) and 'I refrained from coming to Corinth to spare you' (2 Cor 1:23). The adverb means 'in a holding-back, stinting way'.
- Against the English
'Sparingly' is accurate. NLT turns it into a picture ('plants only a few seeds'), which keeps the point about quantity but loses the attitude of holding back.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The adverb is rare. In the Greek Bible it appears only here, twice. Plutarch uses it of living frugally (Alexander 25). The verb is common in the LXX and the NT.
Similar words
Where it appears
2 Corinthians · 2
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2 Corinthians 9:6 φειδομένως φειδομένως sparingly
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Here: 'In a holding-back way.' It describes a sower who keeps a grip on the seed because he is afraid to lose it. The word comes from the verb 'to spare, hold back'.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.