μαραίνω (marainō)
marainō
to fade
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb marainō describes a process of wasting away or fading, originally applied to fire dying out and later extended to vegetation withering under heat. In classical usage it meant to quench a flame, but by the time of the New Testament it commonly described plants losing their vitality and drying up.
Its sole biblical occurrence in James 1:11 illustrates this botanical sense perfectly. The text compares the rich man’s fleeting prosperity to a flower that blooms briefly before the sun scorches it, causing it to fade and its beauty to vanish. This image relies on the word’s association with rapid decay caused by external pressure.
Translators typically render marainō as "fade" or "wither," capturing the passive nature of the decline. The term emphasizes that the loss of vitality is not sudden destruction but a gradual fading, mirroring how temporary earthly success disappears just as quickly as it appears.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word marainō captures a quiet but certain reality: things that rely on external conditions for their vitality eventually lose their luster. In James 1:11, this verb describes how a flower fades when the sun beats down upon it. It is not a violent destruction, but a gradual fading as the source of life withdraws or changes. This image reminds us that earthly success, like summer grass, is temporary and dependent on circumstances beyond our control.
When your own efforts seem to wither under pressure, this word offers a gentle perspective. It does not condemn you for failing; it simply points out the nature of fleeting things. By recognising that worldly prosperity fades, we are invited to place our hope in what remains steady. The fading of external blessings can help us look toward the enduring kindness of God, which does not wither under heat or time.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- will fade away.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- μαρανθήσεται.1×
Key Verses
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James 1:11
For the sun arises with the scorching wind and withers the grass; and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So the rich man will also fade away in his pursuits.
This verse uses marainō to describe the rich man's fate, comparing his fading prosperity to a flower that loses its beauty after the sun scorches it.