G4166 — ποιμήν (poimēn)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4166
Original: ποιμήν
Transliteration: poimēn
Pronunciation: poy-mane
Part of Speech: Masculine noun (n-m)
Root: Of uncertain affinity
Occurrences: 18 tokens in 17 unique verses across 7 books
First Occurrence: Matt 9:36 — "they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Of uncertain affinity; a shepherd (literally or figuratively).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 44: Animal Husbandry, Fishing — literal shepherd tending flock
Domain 53.009: Roles and Functions — figurative: spiritual leader/pastor

Domain 44 neighbors: ἀρχιποίμην (G750, chief shepherd), βόσκω (G1006, feed/tend), ποιμαίνω (G4165, shepherd/rule) Domain 53.009 neighbors: ἀπόστολος (G652, apostle), ἐπίσκοπος (G1985, bishop/overseer), διάκονος (G1249, minister/deacon), πρεσβύτερος (G4245, elder)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[044] Animal Husbandry, Fishing
[053] Religious Activities

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
shepherd	8	47.1%
shepherds	4	23.5%
the shepherd	2	11.8%
Shepherd	1	5.9%
a shepherd	1	5.9%
pastors	1	5.9%

All 17 uses translate to "shepherd" or "pastors." The single "pastors" rendering (Eph 4:11) is the only instance where the KJV does not use "shepherd."

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
John	5	0.57
Luke	4	0.35
Matthew	3	0.28
Mark	2	0.30
Hebrews	1	0.33
1 Peter	1	0.95
Ephesians	1	0.65

Concentrated in the Gospels (14 of 18 tokens, 82%). John 10 alone accounts for 5 occurrences — the Good Shepherd discourse. Entirely absent from the Pastoral Epistles, James, and Revelation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Christ as the Good / Great Shepherd¶

John 10:11 — "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
John 10:14 — "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
John 10:16 — "there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
Heb 13:20 — "our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant"

2. Shepherd and Bishop of Souls¶

1 Pet 2:25 — "ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."

3. Legitimate vs. Illegitimate Shepherd¶

John 10:2 — "he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."
John 10:12 — "he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd... seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep"

4. Sheep without a Shepherd (Compassion for the Leaderless)¶

Matt 9:36 — "he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd."
Mark 6:34 — "he was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd"

5. Striking the Shepherd (Judgment and Scattering)¶

Matt 26:31 — "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad." (quoting Zech 13:7)
Mark 14:27 — "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."

6. Shepherd as Judge/Separator¶

Matt 25:32 — "he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats"

7. Literal Shepherds (Nativity)¶

Luke 2:8 — "there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night."
Luke 2:15 — "the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem"
Luke 2:18 — "all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds."
Luke 2:20 — "the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God"

8. Church Leadership Gift¶

Eph 4:11 — "he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	5x	"all nations," "all ye," "all things" — totality language around shepherd imagery
Ἰησοῦς (Iesous)	G2424	4x	Jesus as speaker or subject in shepherd contexts
ὁράω (horao)	G3708	4x	seeing the crowds as shepherdless, seeing the shepherd's work
ποίμνη (poimne)	G4167	3x	"flock" — the shepherd's flock as unit
νύξ (nyx)	G3571	3x	nativity shepherds keeping watch "by night"
ἀκούω (akouo)	G191	3x	hearing the shepherd's voice, hearing the shepherds' report
καλός (kalos)	G2570	2x	"good shepherd" — adjective qualifying the shepherd
διασκορπίζω (diaskorpizo)	G1287	2x	scattering the sheep when the shepherd is struck
κύριος (kyrios)	G2962	2x	the Lord in shepherd context
θεός (theos)	G2316	2x	God of peace as source of the great shepherd

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4165 ποιμαίνω (poimaino) — verb: to shepherd, tend, rule (11x NT)
G4167 ποίμνη (poimne) — flock (5x NT)
G4168 ποίμνιον (poimnion) — little flock, flock (5x NT)
G750 ἀρχιποίμην (archipoimen) — chief shepherd (1x: 1 Pet 5:4)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4166.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4166.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
רָעָה (ra'ah)	H7462	"shepherd" (12x OT)	Hebrew verb: to tend/pasture; poimēn is the noun form — the person, not the activity
רֹעִי (ro'iy)	H7473	"shepherd" (1x OT)	Hebrew adjective/noun from same root as H7462; direct Hebrew equivalent of poimēn

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 53.009 — Roles and Functions)¶

Word	Strong's	Total Verses	Key Difference
ἀπόστολος (apostolos)	G652	70	sent one with commission; poimēn emphasizes ongoing care
ἀρχιερεύς (archiereus)	G749	102	high priest — cultic/sacrificial role; poimēn is relational/protective
ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos)	G1985	6	overseer/bishop — administrative oversight; poimēn pairs with episkopos in 1 Pet 2:25
διάκονος (diakonos)	G1249	15	servant/minister — service focus; poimēn implies authority + care
γραμματεύς (grammateus)	G1122	63	scribe — Torah expertise; poimēn implies guiding and feeding, not teaching law

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
רָעָה (ra'ah)	H7462	52	28.42
צֹאן (tso'n)	H6629	22	15.88
עֵדֶר ('eder)	H5739	8	14.53
רֹעִי (ro'iy)	H7473	4	12.02
פּוּץ (puts)	H6327	7	10.93

The primary Hebrew source is H7462 רָעָה (ra'ah), which is the root verb meaning "to tend a flock, pasture." The LXX consistently renders ra'ah participle forms (ro'eh = "one who shepherds") as poimēn. H6629 צֹאן (tso'n, "flock/sheep") and H5739 עֵדֶר ('eder, "flock/herd") co-occur because shepherd passages naturally mention the flock.