Quick Definition
ἀσθένεια, ας, ἡ n.f. want of strength, weakness, illness
Strong's Definition
from 772; feebleness (of mind or body); by implication, malady; morally, frailty
KJV Usage: disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ας | ἀ- + σθενόω
74.23 · Able, Capable
incapacity, weakness, limitation a state of incapacity to do or experience something A literal rendering of this expression in 2CO 12:9 may not be meaningful, and in fact can be quite misleading. δύναμις is best interpreted as ‘God’s power’ and ἀσθένεια as the weakness which Paul experienced. Therefore, one may be able to translate as ‘my power is greatest when you are weak’ (see Today’s English Version).
ROM 6:19 · ROM 8:26 · 1CO 15:43 · 2CO 11:30 · 2CO 12:5 · 2CO 12:9 · 2CO 12:9 · 2CO 12:10 · 2CO 13:4 · GAL 4:13 · HEB 4:15 · HEB 5:2 · HEB 7:28
23.143 · Physiological Processes and States · Sickness, Disease, Weakness
illness, disability, weakness the state of being ill and thus incapacitated in some manner It may be extremely difficult in some languages to speak of ‘taking illness’ or ‘carrying away diseases.’ A strictly literal rendering of such an expression might suggest immediately that Jesus was a type of medicine man who healed others by taking upon himself precisely the same kinds of diseases (a widespread shamanistic practice). It may therefore be necessary in some languages to translate MAT 8:17 as ‘he caused us to no longer have illness and disease.’ In this way, one may avoid a specific type of shamanistic practice which would be inappropriate in this context.
MAT 8:17 · LUK 5:15 · LUK 8:2 · LUK 13:11 · LUK 13:12 · JHN 5:5 · JHN 11:4 · ACT 28:9 · 1TI 5:23 · HEB 11:34
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἀσθένεια, -as, 7, (ἀσθενής), [fr. Hdt. down], want of strength, weakness, infirmity; a. of Body; a. its native weakness and frailty: 1 Co. xv.43; 2 Co. xiii.4. B. feebleness of health; sickness: Jn. v.5; xi. 4; Lk. xiii. 11,12; Gal. iv. 13 (ἀσθένεια τῆς σαρκός) ; Heb. xi. 34; in plur.: Mt. viii. 17; Lk. v.15; viii. 2; Acts xxviii. 9; 1 Tim. v. 23. b. of Soul; want of the strength and capacity requisite a. to understand a thing: Ro. vi. 19 (where ἀσθ. σαρκός denotes the weakness of human nature). B. to do things great and glorious, as want of human wisdom, of skill in speaking, in the management of men: 1 Co. ii. 3. y. to restrain corrupt desires ; proclivity to sin: Heb. v. 2; vii. 28; plur. the various kinds of this proclivity, Heb. iv. 15. δ. to bear trials and troubles: Ro. viii. 26 (where read τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ for Ree. ταῖς ἀσθενείαις) ; 2 Co. xi. 30; xii. 9; plur. the mental [?] states in which this weakness manifests itself: 2 Co. xii. 5, 9 sq.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἀσθένεια astheneia 24x
want of strength, weakness, feebleness, 1 Cor. 15:43; bodily infirmity, state of ill health, sickness, Mt. 8:17; Lk. 5:15; met. infirmity, frailty, imperfection, intellectual and moral, Rom. 6:19; 1 Cor. 2:3; Heb. 5:2; 7:28; suffering, affliction, distress, calamity, Rom. 8:26
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἀσθένεια, -ας, ἡ
(< ἀσθενής), [in LXX for כּשׁל, etc.;]
weakness, frailty, sickness: Lk 13:11, 12, Jo 11:4, Ac 28:9, Ro 6:19 8:26, II Co 11:30 13:4, Ga 4:13 (MM, s.v.), He 5:2 7:28 11:34; ἐν ἀ., Jo 5:5, I Co 2:3 15:43, II Co 12:9; pl., Mt 8:17, Lk 5:15 8:2, II Co 12:5 12:9, 10, I Ti 5:23, He 4:15.†
SYN.: μαλακία, νόσος (v. DB, iii, 323a).
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἀσθένεια. P Ryl If. 153% (Α.Ὁ. 138-61) I have directed Eudaemon γράψαι ὑπὲρ ἐμο[ῦ] τῆς ὑπογραφῆς τὸ σῶμα διὰ τὴν περὶ ἐμὲ ἀσθένιαν. BGU I. 2293 (ii/iii of consulting the local oracle in times of difficulty or sickness — μὲν σοθήσωμαι ( = εἰ μὲν σωθήσομαι) ταύτης, ἧς (Ὁ for τῆς, or an extreme case of attraction) ἐν ἐμοὶ ἀσθενίας, τοῦτόν μοι ἐξένικον (-- τοῦτό μοι ἐξένεγκον). P Lond 9714 (ili/iv A.D.) (ΞΞῚΠΙ. p. 128) ἀδύνατος γάρ ἐστιν ἡ γυνὴ διὰ ἀσθένιαν τῆς φύσείως. P Flor I. 51° (A.D. 138-61) σ]ωματικῆς ἀσθ[ενεί]ας, in an incomplete context. The prepositional phrase of Gal 415 may be further illustrated by P Oxy IV. 7261 (A.D. 135) οὐ δυνάμενος δι᾽ ἀ[σ]θένειαν πλεῦσαι. Add BGU IV. 1109" (8.6. 5) τῆς Καλλιτύχης ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ διατεθείσης, and OG/S 2441 (iii/B.c.) τὴν περὶ τὸ σῶμα [γε]γενημένην ἀσθένειαν διὰ τὰς συνεχεῖς κακο[π]αθίας, where the editor notes that there is no tautology, as κακοπαθία is to be understood in its later sense of laborious and troublesome work.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἀσθένεια (astheneia) — weakness: weak. ἀσθέν-εια, ἡ, want of strength, weakness, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially feebleness, sickliness, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. disease, sickness, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; δι᾽ ἀσθένειαν[NT]
3. ἀ. βίου poverty, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. in moral sense, feebleness, weakness, τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως[Refs 5th c.BC+] to be weak, feeble, sickly, ἀ. μέλη to be weak in limb, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀ. ἀσθένειαν [NT+5th c.BC+]; ἠσθένησε he fell sick, [Refs 4th c.BC+]sick man, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἠσθενηκότα[Refs 2nd c.BC+]
2. to be needy, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἠσθενηκότες, of those unable to pay taxes, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
3. with infinitive, to be too weak to do a thing, not to be able.., [Refs 1st c.AD+]
4. decline, ἠσθένησεν ἡ ἡμέρα εἰς τὴν ἑσπέραν[LXX]
ἀσθένεια (astheneia) — weakness: ill. ἀσθέν-εια, ἡ, want of strength, weakness, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially feebleness, sickliness, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. disease, sickness, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; δι᾽ ἀσθένειαν[NT]
3. ἀ. βίου poverty, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. in moral sense, feebleness, weakness, τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως[Refs 5th c.BC+] to be weak, feeble, sickly, ἀ. μέλη to be weak in limb, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀ. ἀσθένειαν [NT+5th c.BC+]; ἠσθένησε he fell sick, [Refs 4th c.BC+]sick man, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἠσθενηκότα[Refs 2nd c.BC+]
2. to be needy, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἠσθενηκότες, of those unable to pay taxes, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
3. with infinitive, to be too weak to do a thing, not to be able.., [Refs 1st c.AD+]
4. decline, ἠσθένησεν ἡ ἡμέρα εἰς τὴν ἑσπέραν[LXX]