klaiō · weep

What it means

klaiō (κλαίω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “weep”.

Cry.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To shed tears with sobbing, above all in grief or for the dead.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• weep ×18
• weeping ×18
• wept ×4

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×2
• Mark×4
• Luke×11
• John×8
• Acts×2
• Romans×2
• 1 Corinthians×2
• Philippians×1
• James×2
• Revelation×6

• Matthew 2:18

  “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning: Rachel weeping for her children; and she would not be comforted, because they are no more.”

• Matthew 26:75

  And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

• Mark 5:38

  And they come to the house of the synagogue leader, and he sees a commotion, and people weeping and wailing loudly.

• Mark 5:39

  And going in, he says to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child has not died, but is sleeping.”

• Mark 14:72

  And at once a second time a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word, how Jesus had said to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And breaking down, he was weeping.

• Mark 16:10

  She went and reported it to those who had been with him, as they were mourning and weeping.

• Luke 6:21

  Happy are those who are hungry now, because you will be satisfied. Happy are those who weep now, because you will laugh.

• Luke 6:25

  Woe to you who are full now, because you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, because you will mourn and weep.

• Luke 7:13

  And when the Lord saw her, he was moved with compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

• Luke 7:32

  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another, who say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a lament, and you did not weep.’

• Luke 7:38

  and standing behind at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she was wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume.

• Luke 8:52

  And all were weeping and beating their breasts for her. But he said, “Do not weep; for she has not died, but is sleeping.”

• Luke 19:41

  And as he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it,

• Luke 22:62

  And he went outside and wept bitterly.

• Luke 23:28

  But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children,

• John 11:31

  So the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

• John 11:33

  So when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled himself,

• John 16:20

  Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

• John 20:11

  But Mary was standing outside at the tomb, weeping. So as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb;

• John 20:13

  And they say to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She says to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him.”

• John 20:15

  Jesus says to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She, thinking that he was the gardener, says to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away.”

• Acts 9:39

  So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him up to the upper room, and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

• Acts 21:13

  Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

• Romans 12:15

  Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

• 1 Corinthians 7:30

  and those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess,

• Philippians 3:18

  For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now I tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of the Messiah,

• James 4:9

  Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom.

• James 5:1

  Come now, you rich, weep, wailing aloud over your miseries that are coming upon you.

• Revelation 5:4

  And I was weeping much, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look at it.

• Revelation 5:5

  And one of the elders says to me, “Do not weep; look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so as to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

• Revelation 18:9

  And the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning,

• Revelation 18:11

  And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer,

• Revelation 18:15

  The merchants of these things, who grew rich from her, will stand far off for fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,

• Revelation 18:19

  And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying, “Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships on the sea grew rich from her wealth! For in one hour she has been laid waste.”

And 6 more times.