Quick Definition
κοιμάομαι v. I fall asleep, am asleep
Strong's Definition
from 2749; to put to sleep, i.e. (passively or reflexively) to slumber; figuratively, to decease
KJV Usage: (be a-, fall a-, fall on) sleep, be dead
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | κεῖμαι
23.66 · Physiological Processes and States · Sleep, Waking
to sleep, to be asleep, sleep the state of being asleep In some languages sleep is expressed by an idiom, for example, ‘his soul had wandered away’ or ‘his eyes had disappeared.’ Though an expression such as ‘his soul had wandered away’ might appear in some languages to have misleading theological implications, it really means only ‘to sleep.’
23.104 · Physiological Processes and States · Live, Die
to be dead, to have died (figurative extension of meaning of κοιμάομαι[a] ‘to sleep,’ 23.66) to sleep, as a euphemistic expression for the state of being dead Some translators have attempted to preserve the figure of speech in καθεύδω[b] and κοιμάομαι[b] by translating ‘to sleep’ rather than ‘to have died’ or ‘to be dead.’ Such a practice, however, has resulted in misunderstanding in a number of instances and has sometimes led to the doctrine of so-called ‘soul-sleep.’
MAT 27:52 · JHN 11:11 · ACT 7:60 · ACT 13:36 · 1CO 7:39 · 1CO 11:30 · 1CO 15:6 · 1CO 15:18 · 1CO 15:20 · 1CO 15:51 · 1TH 4:13 · 1TH 4:14 · 1TH 4:15 · 2PE 3:4
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
κοιμάω, -@: Pass., pres. κοιμάομαι, κοιμῶμαι; pt. Keκοίμημαι [cf. W. 274 (257)]; 1 aor. ἐκοιμήθην; 1 fut. κοιμπθησομαι; (akin to κεῖμαι; Curtius § 45); to cause KOW@re om to sleep, put to sleep, (Hom. et al.) ; metaph. to still, calm, quiet, (Hom., Aeschyl., Plat.) ; Pass. to sleep, fall asleep . prop., Mt. xxviii. 13; Lk. xxii. 45; Jn. xi. 12; Acts xii. 6; Sept. for 33¥. metaph. and euphemistically i. q. to die (cf. Eng. to fall asleep]: Jn. xi. 11; Acts vii. 60; xiii. 36; 1 Co. vii. 39; xi. 30; xv. 6, 51 [ef. W. 555 (517); B. 121 (106) note]; 2 Pet. 11]. 4; οἱ κοιμώμενοι, κεκοιμημένοι, κοιμηθέντες, i. q. the dead: Mt. xxvii. 52; 1 Co. xv. 20; 1 Th. iv. 13-15; with ἐν Χριστῷ added (see ἐν, I. 6 Ὁ. p. 211°), 1 Co. xv. 18; in the same sense Is. xiv. 8; xliii. 17; 1 K. xi. 43; 2 Mace. xii. 45; Hom. Π. 11, 241; Soph. Electr. 509.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
κοιμάω koimaō 18x
to lull to sleep; pass. to fall asleep, be asleep, Mt. 28:13; Lk. 22:45; met. to sleep in death, Acts 7:60; 13:36; 2 Pet. 3:4
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
κοιμάω, -ῶ,
[in LXX chiefly for שׁכב;]
to lull to sleep, put to sleep. Mid and pass., to fall asleep (M, Pr., 162; M, Th., 1, 4, 13): Mt 28:13, Lk 22:45, Jo 11:12, Ac 12:6. Metaph, of death: Mt 27:52, Jo 11:11 Ac 7:60 13:36, I Co 7:39 11:30 15:6, 18, 20, 51, I Th 4:13-15, II Pe 3:4 (cf. Is 14:8 43:17, II Mac 12:45).†
SYN.: καθεύδω.
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
κοιμάομαι. Κοιμάομαι, ‘‘sleep,” is common, e.g. P Ryl II. 1275 (A.D. 29) κοιμωμένου pov ἐπὶ τῆς θύρας, ‘as I was sleeping at the door,” P Oxy VI. 933% (late ii/a.D.) ἐποίησα δὲ καὶ τὸν νυκτοστράτηγον φ[ύ]λακα κοιμᾶσθαι πρὸς τῇ οἰκίᾳ, “ΕἸ made the night-strategus sleep_on guard at the house’”’ (Edd.). In P Giss I. 191? (ii/A.D.) a wife writes to an absent husband that she had gone to bed without food—&[y]evetos ἐκοιμώμην ---580 great was her anxiety regarding him. We may also cite the curious ostrakon-letter, Os¢v 1157 (Thebes— ii/iii A.D.), in which certain taxgatherers give permission to an hetaera—ty ὑπογεγραμέν(ῃ) ἡμέρᾳ μεθ᾽ οὗ ἐὰν θέλῃς ἐνθάδε κοιμᾶσθαι (cf. Archiv vi. p. 220 n.1). A purely middle use of κοιμηθῆναι is found in P Goodsp Cairo 31° (ili/B.c.) ἡνίκα ἤμελλον κοιμηθῆναι ἔγραψα ἐπιστόλια B: on the other hand P Fay 11το}8 (a.p. 94) ἵϊν]α τὰ πρόβατα ἐκεῖ κοιμηθῆι (‘‘may be folded”) is a clear instance of the passive, as possibly in 1 Th 44, 1 Cor 1538. In AZ. Nicole p. 181 Goodspeed gives a wooden tablet ‘‘ probably for school use,’’ in which this distich is repeated several times— ᾧ μὴ δέδωκεν ἡ τύχη κοιμωμένῳ μάτην δραμεῖται κἂν ὑπὲρ Λάδαν δράμῃ.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
κοιμάω (koimaō) — to sleep. κοιμ-άω, future -ήσω, Doric dialect -άσω [ᾱ]: aorist ἐκοίμησα, Epic dialect κοίμησα [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—middle, future -ήσομαι [Refs 1st c.BC+]aorist κοιμήσατο, -αντο, [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—passive, future -ηθήσομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist ἐκοιμήθην [Refs 8th c.BC+]: perfect κεκοίμημαι [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—lull, put to sleep, κοίμησον.. Ζηνὸς ὑπ᾽ ὀφρύσιν ὄσσε φαεινώ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; put to bed, τὸν δ᾽ αὐτοῦ κοίμησε [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of a hind, ἐν ξυλόχῳ.. νεβροὺς κοιμήσασα [Refs]
2. metaphorically, still, calm, ἀνέμους, κύματα, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; also, soothe, assuage, κοίμησον δ᾽ ὀδύνας [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ᾧ (i.e. φύλλῳ) κοιμῶ τόδ᾽ ἕλκος [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. middle and passive, fall asleep, go to bed, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of animals, lie down, κατὰ ἤθεα κοιμηθῆναι [Refs 8th c.BC+]; βαθὺν κοιμηθῆναι (i.e. ὕπνον) [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
II.2. metaphorically, ὅπως ἂν κοιμηθῇ [τὸ ἐπιθυμητικόν] [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.3. of the sleep of death, κοιμήσατο χάλκεον ὕπνον [Refs 8th c.BC+]: absolutely, fall asleep, die, [NT+5th c.BC+]
II.4. κοιμῶντο.. παρὰ μνηστῇς ἀλόχοισι [Refs 8th c.BC+]: hence, of sexual intercourse, lie with another, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
II.5. keep watch at night, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.6. of things, remain during the night, οὐ μὴ κοιμηθήσεται ὁ μισθὸς παρά σοι ἕως πρωί [LXX]; ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐκοιμήθη ἐκεῖ[LXX]
II.7. with accusative, dream of, μέταλλα χρύσεια [Refs 2nd c.AD+]