Bible Word Study
μακροθυμία
makrothymia · patience, forbearance
μακροθυμία
patience, forbearance
Definition
Μακροθυμία refers to a patient endurance or forbearance, especially in the face of provocation or suffering. It describes the quality of being 'long-tempered'—delaying anger or retaliation. In the New Testament, it often characterizes God's patient restraint in judgment (Romans 2:4, Romans 9:22) and is also a fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in believers (Galatians 5:22). This patience is not passive resignation but an active, steadfast endurance rooted in hope.
Biblical Usage
The word is used 14 times, primarily in the Pauline epistles. It describes both divine and human patience. Key contexts include: God's patience toward sinners (Romans 2:4, 1 Timothy 1:16), the virtue as a Christian characteristic in relationships and suffering (Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 3:12, James 5:10), and its inclusion in lists of spiritual qualities (2 Corinthians 6:6, Colossians 1:11).
Etymology
Derived from μακρός (makros, 'long') and θυμός (thymos, 'temper, passion, anger'). Literally, it means 'longness of spirit' or being 'long-tempered,' the opposite of being short-tempered. It is the noun form of the verb μακροθυμέω (makrothymeō, 'to be patient, to endure').
Semantic Range
Μακροθυμία is a key attribute of God's character, demonstrating His mercy in withholding deserved judgment to allow space for repentance (Romans 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). For believers, it is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) essential for unity (Ephesians 4:2) and enduring hardship. Understanding this Greek term enriches reading by highlighting that biblical patience is an active, God-empowered endurance, not merely passive waiting. In the Greco-Roman world, patience was sometimes seen as a weakness. Biblical μακροθυμία, especially as a divine attribute, presented a counter-cultural virtue of powerful restraint and purposeful endurance, rooted in God's covenant faithfulness and love. ὑπομονή (hypomonē, G5281) — emphasizes steadfast endurance under trial; a holding out. ἀνοχή (anochē, G463) — emphasizes forbearance or tolerance, a holding back.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]