ἐπιθυμητής designates a person characterized by unrestrained craving—someone whose inner longings press beyond God-given boundaries. Scripture consistently treats such craving as a moral category, not a mere emotion; it is a disposition that bends the heart toward idolatry, covetousness, and self-indulgence.

New Testament Usage

The term appears once, in 1 Corinthians 10:6: “Now these things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did”. Here Paul is warning the predominantly Gentile church at Corinth not to repeat the apostasy of Israel in the wilderness. By calling the Israelites ἐπιθυμητάς, he casts their sin not merely as outward disobedience but as inward appetite gone wrong. The Corinthians, living amid the temptations of Greco-Roman paganism and marketplace excess, faced the same danger; Paul anchors his exhortation in this single, vivid word.

Old Testament Background

Paul’s reference reaches back to multiple wilderness incidents:
• Exodus 16:3; Numbers 11:4—the craving for meat that produced the plague at Kibroth-hattaavah.
• Exodus 32—the golden calf episode, where desire for a tangible deity replaced trust in the unseen God.
• Numbers 25:1-9—Israel’s lust after Moabite women, leading to idolatry at Baal Peor.

These narratives reveal a pattern: illegitimate desire births idolatry, which provokes divine judgment. Paul expects his readers to recognize that pattern and apply it to their own context.

Desire and Idolatry

Throughout Scripture, desire rightly ordered is celebrated (Psalm 37:4), yet disordered desire is condemned. James 1:14-15 traces sin to the conception of desire within the heart, while 1 John 2:16 sees “the lust of the flesh” as a hallmark of the world system. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 links cravings to idolatry explicitly (verses 7 and 14), showing that what one longs for most quickly becomes one’s functional deity.

Ministry and Pastoral Implications

1. Heart-Level Diagnosis – Pastors must look beyond external behaviors to the cravings that drive them, offering the gospel as the only power that can re-shape desire (Galatians 5:16-24).
2. Corporate Warnings – Paul uses Israel as a corporate example; congregations must likewise heed historical judgments to remain vigilant.
3. Sacramental Sobriety – The context (1 Corinthians 10:1-22) surrounds participation in the Lord’s Table. Leaders should remind believers that holy ordinances do not grant immunity if the heart pursues evil desires.
4. Discipleship of Contentment – Teaching on gratitude counters the restless appetite that fuels consumerism and moral compromise (Philippians 4:11-13; Hebrews 13:5).

Application for Contemporary Believers

• Examine motives—ask whether ambitions and purchases proceed from faithful stewardship or covetous craving.
• Guard media intake—modern entertainment culture monetizes ἐπιθυμία; disciplined choices protect the soul.
• Cultivate higher affections—setting the mind “on things above” (Colossians 3:1-5) gradually displaces illegitimate longings.
• Engage in corporate remembrance—reading and preaching the wilderness narratives keeps the church alert to repeated patterns of sin.

Related Biblical Themes and Key References

Covetousness: Exodus 20:17; Luke 12:15

Idolatry: 1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 Thessalonians 1:9

Lust of the flesh: Romans 13:14; Ephesians 2:3

Renewed desire: Psalm 42:1; Matthew 5:6; Revelation 22:17

Thus Strong’s Greek 1938, though used only once, serves as a theological lens through which Scripture exposes the peril of misplaced desire and calls believers to wholehearted satisfaction in Christ.