G4165 — ποιμαίνω (poimaino)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4165
Original: ποιμαίνω
Transliteration: poimaino
Pronunciation: poy-mah'-ee-no
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: ποιμήν (poimen, G4166) — shepherd
Occurrences: 11 in NT (11 unique verses, 8 books)
First Occurrence: Mat 2:6 — "for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G4166 (poimen); to tend as a shepherd of (figuratively, supervise): — feed, rule.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 44: Animal Husbandry, Fishing — literal shepherding
Domain 37.004: Rule, Govern — figurative: ruling/governing with pastoral authority
Domain 36.001: Guide, Lead — figurative: leading/guiding as a shepherd leads flock
Other words in Domain 44: ἀρχιποίμην (archipoimen, G750), βόσκω (bosko, G1006), ποιμήν (poimen, G4166)
Other words in Domain 37.004: βασιλεύω (basileuo, G936), ἄρχω (archo, G756), ἄρχων (archon, G758)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[036] Guide, Discipline, Follow
[037] Control, Rule
[044] Animal Husbandry, Fishing

Verb Tense/Voice Distribution¶

Tense-Form	Count	Typical Usage
Present Active	6	ongoing pastoral care: infinitive (Acts 20:28, Rev 12:5), participle (Luk 17:7, Jude 1:12), indicative (1Cor 9:7), imperative (Jhn 21:16)
Future Active	4	prophetic/eschatological rule (Mat 2:6, Rev 2:27, 7:17, 19:15)
Aorist Active	1	imperative command to elders (1Pet 5:2)

All 11 occurrences are active voice. No passive or middle forms occur in the NT.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
feed	4	36.4%
rule	4	36.4%
feeding / feeding cattle	2	18.2%
feedeth	1	9.1%

The KJV splits almost evenly between "feed" (pastoral care) and "rule" (authoritative governance), reflecting the word's dual semantic range.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	4	1.0
1 Peter	1	1.0
1 Corinthians	1	0.2
Matthew	1	0.1
Luke	1	0.1
John	1	0.1
Acts	1	0.1
Jude	1	—

Heaviest concentration in Revelation (4 of 11 uses). Outside Revelation, the word appears in pastoral/ecclesiological contexts (John 21, Acts 20, 1 Peter 5). The lone Synoptic occurrence (Mat 2:6) is an OT quotation (Mic 5:2/2Sam 5:2).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Eschatological/Messianic Rule with Authority¶

The future-tense uses in Revelation, always paired with "rod of iron" (rhabdos siderous), depicting sovereign dominion over nations. - Mat 2:6 — "out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule (poimanei) my people Israel" - Rev 2:27 — "he shall rule (poimanei) them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers" - Rev 12:5 — "a man child, who was to rule (poimainein) all nations with a rod of iron" - Rev 19:15 — "he shall rule (poimanei) them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God"

2. Pastoral Care of the Church¶

Imperative/infinitive commands to church leaders — tend, protect, nourish the congregation. - Jhn 21:16 — "Feed (poimaine) my sheep" — Jesus's post-resurrection charge to Peter - Acts 20:28 — "to feed (poimainein) the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" - 1Pet 5:2 — "Feed (poimanate) the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof"

3. The Lamb as Eschatological Shepherd¶

A reversal: the Lamb who was slain now shepherds the redeemed. - Rev 7:17 — "the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed (poimanei) them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters"

4. Literal Shepherding / Self-Serving Feeding¶

The word used of actual livestock care, or pejoratively of selfish leaders. - Luk 17:7 — "having a servant plowing or feeding cattle (poimainonta)" - 1Cor 9:7 — "who feedeth (poimainei) a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?" - Jude 1:12 — "feeding (poimainontes) themselves without fear: clouds they are without water"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	5x (45%)	"flock of God," "church of God," "wrath of God" — divine ownership of those being shepherded
ῥάβδος (rhabdos)	G4464	3x (27%)	"rod of iron" — instrument of ruling authority (Rev 2:27, 12:5, 19:15)
σιδήρεος (sidereos)	G4603	3x (27%)	always with rhabdos: "rod of iron" formula
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	3x (27%)	"all nations," "all the flock" — universal scope of shepherding
ἔθνος (ethnos)	G1484	2x (18%)	"rule the nations" — Messianic dominion over Gentile peoples
θρόνος (thronos)	G2362	2x (18%)	throne as seat of shepherding authority (Rev 7:17, 12:5)
ποίμνιον (poimnion)	G4168	2x (18%)	"flock" — the object of pastoral shepherding (Acts 20:28, 1Pet 5:2)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4166 ποιμήν (poimen) — shepherd, pastor (noun; 18x in NT)
G4167 ποίμνη (poimne) — flock (5x)
G4168 ποίμνιον (poimnion) — little flock, flock (5x)
G750 ἀρχιποίμην (archipoimen) — chief shepherd (1x, 1Pet 5:4)

Synonyms¶

G1006 βόσκω (boskō) — closest lexical overlap returned by search_relationships.py

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4165.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
βόσκω (bosko)	G1006	"feed" (2x)	bosko = feed/pasture animals (literal nourishment); poimaino = tend/shepherd (comprehensive care including leading, protecting, ruling)
רָעָה (ra'ah)	H7462	"feed" (15x)	Hebrew equivalent — ra'ah covers the full OT shepherd semantic range; poimaino is its primary Greek translation
מָשַׁל (mashal)	H4910	"shall rule" (5x)	mashal = exercise dominion/authority generally; poimaino = rule with shepherd's protective care specifically

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 37.004 — Rule, Govern)¶

Word	Strong's	Total Verses	Primary KJV	Key Difference
βασιλεύω (basileuo)	G936	8	reign, reigned	Royal/kingly rule; poimaino = shepherd's rule with care
βασιλεύς (basileus)	G935	84	king, King	Title of sovereign authority; poimaino = the activity of tending
ἄρχων (archon)	G758	24	rulers, prince	Political/civic ruler; poimaino = pastoral governance
βασιλεία (basileia)	G932	149	kingdom	Realm/domain of rule; poimaino = exercise of authority over subjects

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
רָעָה (ra'ah)	H7462	34	25.43
צֹאן (tso'n)	H6629	16	14.77
עֵדֶר ('eder)	H5739	3	8.05
נָהַג (nahag)	H5090	3	7.98
שֵׁבֶט (shebet)	H7626	3	4.43

H7462 ra'ah is the dominant Hebrew source (34 co-occurrences, PMI 25.43). Poimaino is the standard LXX rendering of ra'ah in shepherd contexts (e.g., Ps 23:1 LXX, Ezek 34, Mic 5:4). The secondary associations (tso'n = flock, 'eder = herd, shebet = rod/tribe) reflect the pastoral imagery cluster.