στενάζω (stenazō)
stenazō
to groan
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb stenazō describes a deep, internal groan that often remains unspoken. It captures a feeling too heavy for simple words, manifesting as a sigh or a moan of grief, desire, or even anger. In the New Testament, this word appears six times, carrying significant weight in passages about human struggle and divine interaction.
Its usage ranges from physical relief to spiritual longing. For instance, Jesus uses it when healing a deaf man in Mark 7:34, sighing deeply before commanding him to hear. In Romans 8:23, Paul describes believers groaning inwardly as they await the redemption of their bodies. Similarly, in 2 Corinthians 5:2-4, Christians groan under the burden of mortality, longing to be clothed with heavenly life rather than remain exposed.
Unlike loud lamentations, stenazō suggests a suppressed intensity. It is the sound of the soul pressing against its limits. This internal nature distinguishes it from outward cries for help, pointing instead to a profound, often silent, engagement with suffering or hope. Translators typically render it as "groan" or "sigh," preserving the sense of deep, resonant emotion that defines the term.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When words fail us, our spirits often speak in sighs. The Greek word stenazō captures this quiet, internal groan—a sound too deep for simple speech. It is the breath of a heart carrying weight that feels too heavy to bear alone. In Mark 7:34, Jesus used this very action before healing a deaf man, showing that God meets us in our silence as surely as in our shouts.
This word reminds us that we are not expected to have everything figured out. Paul describes believers groaning inwardly in Romans 8:23, longing for the fullness of redemption. It is a holy ache, a sign that we are still waiting for God’s final work in us. Rather than hiding this struggle, we can bring it to Him.
Even our leaders are not called to serve with forced joy or hidden frustration. Hebrews 13:17 notes that shepherds should lead with gladness, not groaning. This word invites you to acknowledge your weariness without shame. It is a shared human experience, one that points us toward the hope of being fully restored and clothed in eternal life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- we groan,1×
- we groan1×
- groaning;1×
- groan1×
- do grumble1×
- He sighed deeply1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- στενάζομεν2×
- ἐστέναξεν1×
- στενάζοντες·1×
- στενάζομεν,1×
- στενάζετε,1×
Key Verses
-
Mark 7:34
Looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”
Jesus uses this action to bridge the gap between human limitation and divine power before healing.
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Romans 8:23
Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body.
Paul identifies this internal groaning as the Spirit-led longing for bodily redemption among believers.
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II Corinthians 5:4
For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened, not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
The text contrasts the burden of mortal life with the desire to be fully clothed by eternal life.