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Strong's Concordance
Greek Word Study

Strong's G4165 ποιμαίνω (poimaino)

Poimaino means “rule” — full meaning, definition, and every linked Bible usage across the indexed canon.

Same number, other testament: Strong's H4165 — mutsaq (“casting”) in the Hebrew Bible.

Strong's Number G4165
Language Greek
Linked Usages 62
Books 23

Strong's G4165 Quick Answer

Strong's G4165 ποιμαίνω (poimaino) is a Greek Strong's word-study entry. poimaino (poy-mai'-no) v. 1. to tend as a shepherd of 2. (figuratively) supervisor It has 62 linked Bible usages across 23 books. Visible English usage signals include rule, feed, feeding, and feedeth. Indexed coverage on this page includes New Testament, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha.

Meaning
poimaino (poy-mai'-no) v. 1. to tend as a shepherd of 2. (figuratively) supervisor
Usage
62 linked usages
Books
23 indexed books
Corpus
New Testament, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha
Usage Words
rule, feed, feeding, and feedeth

Meaning and Definition

poimaino (poy-mai'-no) v. 1. to tend as a shepherd of 2. (figuratively) supervisor [from G4166] KJV: feed (cattle), rule Root(s): G4166

Original Word
ποιμαίνω
Transliteration
poimaino
Derivation
Root: ποιμήν R1: 4166
Morphology
verb

Across Lexicons

How independent scholarly lexicons define Strong's G4165. Each definition is shown with its source so you can compare and cite the original reference works.

Extended Strong's Greek Lexicon (Abbott-Smith based)

to shepherd

Usage: ποιμαίνω (ποιμήν), [in LXX chiefly for רָעָה ;] to act as shepherd, tend flocks: Luk.17:7; with accusative, ποιμνην, 1Co.9:7. Metaphorical, to tend, shepherd, govern: with accusative, Mat.2:6 (LXX), Jhn.21:16, Act.20:28, 1Pe.5:2, Ju 12, Rev.2:27 7:17 12:5 19:15.† SYN.: βόσκω, q.v (AS)

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How Strong's G4165 Is Translated

The English word each shown verse actually uses to render poimaino, taken from the interlinear word alignment (the same word underlined in the excerpts below). Where a rendering is used more than once, the count is shown.

Feed John 21:16 rule Matthew 2:6 feeding Luke 17:7 feedeth 1 Corinthians 9:7

How Strong's G4165 Usage Compares

Indexed coverage includes Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, New Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha. Each section below keeps corpus counts and sample passages visible so readers can compare the word across contexts instead of reading one flat concordance list.

  • The largest indexed corpus on this page is Septuagint / Greek Old Testament with 50 linked usages.
  • This page lets readers compare New Testament usage with Septuagint / Greek Old Testament usage, which is a key THF advantage over narrower Strong's pages.
  • Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha rows are counted separately so readers can decide how those texts relate to the main word study.

In the Septuagint (LXX)

Strong's G4165 (ποιμαίνω) appears 53 times in the Greek Septuagint — the Old Testament the New Testament authors quoted.

Sample Septuagint occurrences:

Read the full Greek Septuagint interlinear with Strong's →

Strong's G4165 by Corpus

Indexed usage grouped by testament and extended corpus so readers can compare this word across the Bible, Septuagint, deuterocanonical books, and 1 Enoch where present.

Strong's G4165 in the New Testament

11 indexed usages in New Testament.

Matthew 2:6 KJV

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Luke 17:7 KJV

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

John 21:16 KJV

He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Strong's G4165 in the Septuagint / Greek Old Testament

50 indexed usages in Septuagint / Greek Old Testament.

Genesis 8:13 Septuagint / Brenton

And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year of the life of Noah, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the water subsided from off the earth, and Noah opened the covering of the ark which he had made, and he saw that the water had subsided from the face of the earth.

Genesis 30:31 Septuagint / Brenton

And Laban said to him, What shall I give thee? and Jacob said to him, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again tend thy flocks and keep them.

Genesis 30:36 Septuagint / Brenton

And he set a distance of a three days’ journey between them and Jacob. And Jacob tended the cattle of Laban that were left behind.

Strong's G4165 in the deuterocanonical books / Apocrypha

1 indexed usage in Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha.

Judith 8:26 Septuagint / Brenton

Remember what things he did to Abraham, and how he tried Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother.

Usage Excerpts

First 62 linked usage excerpts for Strong's G4165.

Genesis 8:13 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year of the life of Noah, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the water subsided from off the earth, and Noah opened the covering of the ark which he had made, and he saw that the water had subsided from the face of the earth.
Genesis 30:31 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And Laban said to him, What shall I give thee? and Jacob said to him, Thou shalt not give me anything; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again tend thy flocks and keep them.
Genesis 30:36 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And he set a distance of a three days’ journey between them and Jacob. And Jacob tended the cattle of Laban that were left behind.
Genesis 37:2 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And these are the generations of Jacob. And Joseph was seventeen years old, feeding the sheep of his father with his brethren, being young; with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father; and Joseph brought to Israel their father their evil reproach.
Genesis 37:13 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And Israel said to Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed their flock in Shechem? Come, I will send thee to them; and he said to him, Behold, I am here.
Exodus 2:16 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And the priest of Midian had seven daughters, feeding the flock of their father Jethro; and they came and drew water until they filled their pitchers, to water the flock of their father Jethro.
Exodus 3:1 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And Moses was feeding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he brought the sheep nigh to the wilderness, and came to the mount of Horeb.
1 Kingdoms 16:11 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And Samuel said to Jesse, Hast thou no more sons? And Jesse said, There is yet a little one; behold, he tends the flock. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and fetch him, for we may not sit down till he comes.
1 Kingdoms 17:34 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And David said to Saul, Thy servant was tending the flock for his father; and when a lion came and a she-bear, and took a sheep out of the flock,
1 Kingdoms 25:16 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And when we were in the field, they were as a wall round about us, both by night and by day, all the days that we were with them feeding the flock.
2 Kingdoms 5:2 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And heretofore Saul being king over us, thou wast he that didst lead out and bring in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be for a leader to my people Israel.
2 Kingdoms 7:7 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
wheresoever I went with all Israel. Have I ever spoken to any of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to tend my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar?
1 Chronicles 11:2 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And heretofore when Saul was king, thou wast he that led Israel in and out, and the Lord of Israel said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be for a ruler over Israel.
1 Chronicles 17:6 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
in all places through which I have gone with all Israel: did I ever speak to any one tribe of Israel whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why is it that ye have not built me a house of cedar?
Psalms 2:9 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces as a potter’s vessel.
Psalms 22:1 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
A Psalm of David. The Lord tends me as a shepherd, And I shall want nothing.
Psalms 27:9 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: And take care of them, and lift them up forever.
Psalms 36:3 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Hope in the Lord, and do good; And dwell on the land, and thou shalt be fed with the wealth of it.
Psalms 47:15 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
For this is our God forever and ever: He will be our guide for evermore.
Psalms 48:15 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
They have laid them as sheep in Hades; death shall feed on them; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, And their help shall fail in Hades from their glory.
Psalms 77:71 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
He took him from following the ewes great with young, To be the shepherd of Jacob his servant, And Israel his inheritance.
Psalms 77:72 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
So he tended them in the innocency of his heart; And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
Psalms 79:2 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Attend, O Shepherd of Israel, Who guidest Joseph like a flock; Thou who sittest upon the cherubs, manifest thyself;
Psalms 151:1 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
This Psalm is a genuine one of David, though supernumerary, composed when he fought in single combat with Goliath. I was small among my brethren, And youngest in my father’s house: I tended my father’s sheep.
Proverbs 22:11 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And all blameless persons are acceptable with him: A king rules with his lips.
Proverbs 35:7 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Proverbs 36:3 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Song of Solomon 1:7 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Tell me, thou whom my soul loves, Where thou tendest thy flock, where thou causest them to rest at noon, Lest I become as one that is veiled by the flocks of thy companions.
Song of Solomon 1:8 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
If thou know not thyself, thou fair one among women, Go thou forth by the footsteps of the flocks, And feed thy kids by the shepherds’ tents.
Song of Solomon 2:16 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
My kinsman is mine, and I am his: He feeds his flock among the lilies.
Song of Solomon 6:2 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
My kinsman is gone down to his garden, to the beds of spice, To feed his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
Song of Solomon 6:3 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
I am my kinsman’s, and my kinsman is mine, Who feeds among the lilies.
Isaiah 40:11 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
He shall tend his flock as a shepherd, and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and shall soothe them that are with young.
Isaiah 61:5 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And strangers shall come and feed thy flocks, and aliens shall be thy plowmen and vinedressers.
Jeremiah 3:15 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
and I will give you shepherds after my heart, and they shall certainly tend you with knowledge.
Jeremiah 6:3 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
The shepherds and their flocks shall come to her; and they shall pitch their tents against her round about, and shall feed their flocks each with his hand.
Jeremiah 6:18 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Therefore have the nations heard, and they that feed their flocks.
Jeremiah 22:22 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
The wind shall tend all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; for then shalt thou be ashamed and disgraced because of all thy lovers.
Jeremiah 23:2 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Therefore thus saith the Lord against them that tend my people; Ye have scattered my sheep, and driven them out, and ye have not visited them: behold, I will take vengeance upon you according to your evil practices.
Jeremiah 23:4 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And I will raise up shepherds to them, who shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be alarmed, saith the Lord.
Ezekiel 34:10 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hands, and will turn them back that they shall not feed my sheep, and the shepherds shall no longer feed them; and I will deliver my sheep out of their mouth, and they shall no longer be meat for them.
Ezekiel 34:23 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And I will raise up one shepherd over them, and he shall tend them, even my servant David, and he shall be their shepherd;
Hosea 13:5 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
I tended thee as a shepherd in the wilderness, in an uninhabited land.
Micah 5:3 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And the Lord shall stand, and see, and feed his flock with power, and they shall dwell in the glory of the name of the Lord their God: for now shall they be magnified to the ends of the earth.
Micah 5:5 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And they shall tend the Assyrian with a sword, and the land of Nimrod with her trench: and he shall deliver you from the Assyrian, when he shall come upon your land, and when he shall invade your coasts.
Micah 7:14 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Tend thy people with thy rod, the sheep of thine inheritance, those that inhabit by themselves the thicket in the midst of Carmel: they shall feed in the land of Bashan, and in the land of Gilead, as in the days of old.
Zechariah 11:4 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Thus saith the Lord Almighty, Feed the sheep of the slaughter;
Zechariah 11:7 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And I will tend the flock of slaughter in the land of Canaan: and I will take for myself two rods; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Line; and I will tend the flock.
Zechariah 11:9 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
And I said, I will not tend you: that which dies, let it die; and that which falls off, let it fall off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of his neighbor.
Zechariah 11:17 Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, Septuagint / Brenton
Alas for the vain shepherds that have forsaken the sheep! the sword shall be upon the arms of such a one, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be completely withered, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
Matthew 2:6 New Testament, KJV
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Luke 17:7 New Testament, KJV
But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
John 21:16 New Testament, KJV
He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Acts 20:28 New Testament, KJV
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, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
1 Corinthians 9:7 New Testament, KJV
Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
1 Peter 5:2 New Testament, KJV
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Jude 1:12 New Testament, KJV
These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Revelation 2:27 New Testament, KJV
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Revelation 7:17 New Testament, KJV
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation 12:5 New Testament, KJV
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Revelation 19:15 New Testament, KJV
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Judith 8:26 Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha, Septuagint / Brenton
Remember what things he did to Abraham, and how he tried Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother.

All Indexed Usage Links

Every indexed verse link for Strong's G4165, grouped by book.

Genesis 5 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Exodus 2 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
1 Kingdoms 3 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
2 Kingdoms 2 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
1 Chronicles 2 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Psalms 10 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Proverbs 3 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Song of Solomon 5 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Isaiah 2 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Jeremiah 6 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Ezekiel 2 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Hosea 1 usage, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Micah 3 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Zechariah 4 usages, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament
Matthew 1 usage, New Testament
Luke 1 usage, New Testament
John 1 usage, New Testament
Acts 1 usage, New Testament
1 Corinthians 1 usage, New Testament
1 Peter 1 usage, New Testament
Jude 1 usage, New Testament
Revelation 4 usages, New Testament
Judith 1 usage, Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha

Strong's G4165 FAQ

What does poimaino (ποιμαίνω) mean?

Poimaino (Strong's G4165) is a Greek word most simply glossed "rule". poimaino (poy-mai'-no) v. 1. to tend as a shepherd of 2. (figuratively) supervisor

How many times is poimaino (ποιμαίνω) used in the Bible?

This page currently indexes 62 linked usages for Strong's G4165 across 23 books.

Where can I study poimaino (ποιμαίνω) in context?

Use the linked verse references on this page to study Strong's G4165 in context. The indexed coverage includes New Testament, Septuagint / Greek Old Testament, and Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha.

What English words translate poimaino (ποιμαίνω)?

The visible usage excerpts most often surface English words such as rule, feed, feeding, and feedeth. These are scanning signals from the displayed verses, not replacements for the original-language definition.

Does Strong's G4165 appear in the Septuagint or deuterocanonical books?

Yes. The current local index includes 50 in Septuagint / Greek Old Testament and 1 in Deuterocanonical / Apocrypha for Strong's G4165, with linked reader references where each row is available.