Original Word: ξηραίνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: xérainó
Pronunciation: ksay-rah'-ee-no
Phonetic Spelling: (xay-rah'-ee-no)
Definition: I dry up, parch, am ripened, wither, waste away.
Meaning: To dry up, to wither, to become dry or parched.

Word Origin: Derived from ξηρός (xēros), meaning "dry" or "withered."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • Strong's Hebrew 3001: יָבֵשׁ (yāvēsh) • to be dry, to wither.
• Strong's Hebrew 2717: חָרֵב (ḥārēb) • to dry up, to be desolate.
• Strong's Hebrew 3220: יָבֵשׁ (yāvēsh) • to dry up, to wither, often used in the context of plants or water sources drying up.

These Hebrew terms share similar meanings with ξηραίνω, emphasizing the physical and metaphorical aspects of drying and withering found throughout the biblical narrative.

Usage: The verb ξηραίνω is used in the New Testament to describe the process of drying up or withering, often in a literal sense, such as plants or bodies of water, but also metaphorically to describe spiritual or moral desiccation.

Context: The Greek verb ξηραίνω appears in several contexts within the New Testament, illustrating both physical and metaphorical drying or withering. It is used to describe the withering of the fig tree in Matthew 21:19, where Jesus curses the tree, and it immediately withers: "Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. 'May you never bear fruit again!' He said. And immediately the tree withered." This act serves as a symbolic judgment against unfruitfulness and hypocrisy.

In Mark 3:1-5, ξηραίνω is used in the context of healing, where Jesus restores a man's withered hand, demonstrating His authority over physical ailments and His compassion for human suffering. The passage reads: "Then Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, 'Stand up among us.' And He said to them, 'Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?' But they remained silent. Jesus looked around at them in anger and, deeply grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' So he stretched it out, and it was restored."

The term is also used metaphorically in James 1:11, where the transient nature of wealth and human life is compared to the withering of grass: "For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits."

The use of ξηραίνω in these passages underscores themes of judgment, restoration, and the fleeting nature of earthly life, inviting readers to reflect on spiritual vitality and the consequences of spiritual barrenness.

Word Origin
from xéros
Definition
to dry up, waste away
NASB Translation
dried (2), dries (1), ripe (1), stiffens (1), wither (1), withered (4), withered away (3), withers (2).

STRONGS NT 3583: ξηραίνω

ξηραίνω: 1 aorist ἐξηρανα (James 1:11); passive, present ξηραίνομαι; perfect 3 person singular ἐξήρανται (Mark 11:21), participle ἐξηραμμενος; 1 aorist ἐξηράνθην; cf. Buttmann, 41 (36); (from ξηρός, which see); from Homer down; the Sept. chiefly for יִבֵּשׁ and הובִישׁ; to make dry, dry up, wither: active, τόν χόρτον, James 1:11; passive to become dry, to be dry, be withered (cf. Buttmann, 52 (45)) (the Sept. for יָבֵשׁ): of plants, Matthew 13:6; Matthew 21:19; Mark 4:6; Mark 11:20; Luke 8:6; John 15:6; (1 Peter 1:24); of the ripening of crops, Revelation 14:15; of fluids: ἡ πηγή, Mark 5:29; τό ὕδωρ, Revelation 16:12 (Genesis 8:7; Isaiah 19:5); of members of the body, to waste away, pine away: Mark 9:18; ἐξηραμμενη χείρ, a withered hand, Mark 3:1, and R G in 3.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

dry up, wither away.

From xeros; to desiccate; by implication, to shrivel, to mature -- dry up, pine away, be ripe, wither (away).

see GREEK xeros

Forms and Transliterations

εξηραμμενην εξηραμμένην ἐξηραμμένην εξήρανας εξήρανε εξηρανεν ἐξήρανεν εξηρανθη εξηράνθη εξήρανθη ἐξηράνθη εξηράνθην εξηράνθησαν εξήρανθησαν εξηράνθσαν εξηρανται εξήρανται ἐξήρανται ξηραινεται ξηραίνεται ξηραινόμενος ξηραίνων ξηρανεί ξηρανθείη ξηρανθήναι ξηρανθήσεται ξηρανθήσονται ξηρανώ ξηρασία ξηρασίας exerammenen exeramménen exērammenēn exēramménēn exeranen exēranen exḗranen exerantai exērantai exḗrantai exeranthe exeránthe exēranthē exēránthē xerainetai xeraínetai xērainetai xēraínetai

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