WG: Shepherd
Overview
The shepherd concept in the NT encompasses the person (poimēn), the activity (poimainō, boskō), the object of care (poimnē, poimnion), the supreme title (archipoimen), and the related oversight role (episkopos). Together these words map the full scope of pastoral care — from literal animal husbandry to Christ's self-designation as the Good Shepherd to the church leadership gift.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| G4166 |
ποιμήν |
poimēn |
noun (m) |
17 |
The person — shepherd/pastor |
G4166 |
| G4165 |
ποιμαίνω |
poimainō |
verb |
11 |
The activity — to shepherd, tend, rule |
G4165 |
| G4167 |
ποίμνη |
poimnē |
noun (f) |
4 |
The collective — flock as a unit |
TODO(need G4167 study) |
| G4168 |
ποίμνιον |
poimnion |
noun (n) |
5 |
The flock (diminutive) — "little flock" |
TODO(need G4168 study) |
| G750 |
ἀρχιποίμην |
archipoimen |
noun (m) |
1 |
The supreme title — chief shepherd |
TODO(need G750 study) |
| G1985 |
ἐπίσκοπος |
episkopos |
noun (m) |
7 |
The parallel role — overseer/bishop |
TODO(need G1985 study) |
| G1006 |
βόσκω |
boskō |
verb |
9 |
The feeding activity — to feed/graze |
TODO(need G1006 study) |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- poimēn (G4166), poimainō (G4165), poimnē (G4167), poimnion (G4168), archipoimen (G750) — all from root ποιμ- (poim-). The noun, verb, two flock-nouns, and compound title form a tight word family.
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| poimēn (G4166) |
poimnē (G4167) |
3 |
Shepherd with his flock — "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock" (Matt 26:31) |
| poimainō (G4165) |
poimnion (G4168) |
2 |
Command to shepherd the flock — "Feed the flock of God" (1 Pet 5:2); "feed the church of God" (Acts 20:28) |
| poimēn (G4166) |
episkopos (G1985) |
1 |
Paired titles — "returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" (1 Pet 2:25) |
| poimainō (G4165) |
episkopos (G1985) |
1 |
Shepherding as oversight — "the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church" (Acts 20:28) |
| poimnion (G4168) |
episkopos (G1985) |
1 |
Flock entrusted to overseers — Acts 20:28 |
| poimainō (G4165) |
poimnē (G4167) |
1 |
Who feeds a flock? — "who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?" (1 Cor 9:7) |
Shared Hebrew Sources (LXX Bridges)
| Hebrew Word |
Strong's |
Greek Members Linked |
Notes |
| רָעָה (ra'ah) |
H7462 |
poimēn (52x), poimainō (34x), boskō (21x), poimnion (13x) |
Core Hebrew shepherd verb — the LXX distributes it across the Greek noun, verb, and feeding verb |
| צֹאן (tso'n) |
H6629 |
poimnion (37x), poimēn (22x), poimainō (16x), boskō (8x) |
Hebrew "flock" — bridges to all pastoral terms |
| עֵדֶר ('eder) |
H5739 |
poimnion (26x), poimēn (8x) |
Hebrew "drove/flock" — maps primarily to diminutive poimnion |
| פָּקַד (paqad) |
H6485 |
episkopos (5x), poimēn (6x) |
Hebrew "visit/oversee" — connects overseer language to shepherd imagery |
Roles in the Concept
- Person: poimēn (ποιμήν) — the shepherd himself, whether literal, christological, or ministerial
- Activity: poimainō (ποιμαίνω) — the act of shepherding; extends to ruling (Rev 2:27, 12:5, 19:15)
- Feeding: boskō (βόσκω) — specifically the feeding/grazing function; Jesus to Peter: "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17)
- Flock: poimnē (ποίμνη) — the flock as a collective unit
- Little flock: poimnion (ποίμνιον) — diminutive, used for the church community (Luke 12:32; Acts 20:28-29; 1 Pet 5:2-3)
- Supreme shepherd: archipoimen (ἀρχιποίμην) — Christ as chief shepherd over all under-shepherds (1 Pet 5:4)
- Parallel office: episkopos (ἐπίσκοπος) — overseer/bishop; paired with poimēn in 1 Pet 2:25 and with poimainō in Acts 20:28, showing the offices overlap
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Acts 20:28 — [poimainō + poimnion + episkopos] "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God"
- 1 Pet 2:25 — [poimēn + episkopos] "returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls"
- Matt 26:31 — [poimēn + poimnē] "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad"
- 1 Pet 5:2-4 — [poimainō + poimnion (v.2) … archipoimen (v.4)] "Feed the flock of God… when the chief Shepherd shall appear"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py
Last updated: 2026-04-13