merimnaō · be anxious, care for

What it means

merimnaō (μεριμνάω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “be anxious, care for”.

Be anxious, worry, be troubled; also care for, be concerned about someone or something.

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 be anxious about something, with a divided heart.
2. To give careful attention to the good of something or someone.

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

How it is translated

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

• worry ×9
• concerned about ×4
• worrying ×2
• Be anxious ×1
• may care ×1
• will care for ×1
• you are worried ×1

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Matthew×7
• Luke×5
• 1 Corinthians×5
• Philippians×2

• Matthew 6:25

  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

• Matthew 6:27

  And which of you, by worrying, can add a single cubit to his span of life?

• Matthew 6:28

  And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they do not labor nor spin;

• Matthew 6:31

  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

• Matthew 6:34

  So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

• Matthew 10:19

  But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

• Luke 10:41

  But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things;

• Luke 12:11

  And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry how or what you will say in your defense or what you will say;

• Luke 12:22

  And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will wear.

• Luke 12:25

  And which of you by worrying can add a cubit to the length of his life?

• Luke 12:26

  If then you cannot even do the least thing, why do you worry about the rest?

• 1 Corinthians 7:32

  I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;

• 1 Corinthians 7:33

  but the married man is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,

• 1 Corinthians 7:34

  and he is divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin are concerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit; but the married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

• 1 Corinthians 12:25

  so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may care equally for one another.

• Philippians 2:20

  For I have no one like-minded who genuinely will care for the things concerning you.

• Philippians 4:6

  Be anxious about nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

And 2 more times.