5162. trophos
Lexical Summary
trophos: Nurse, Nourisher

Original Word: τροφός
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: trophos
Pronunciation: tro-FOS
Phonetic Spelling: (trof-os')
KJV: nurse
NASB: nursing
Word Origin: [from G5142 (τρέφω - feeds)]

1. a nourisher, i.e. nurse

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
nurse.

From trepho; a nourisher, i.e. Nurse -- nurse.

see GREEK trepho

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 5162 trophós (from 5142 /tréphō, "to improve by giving nurture and care") – properly, a care-giver, sustaining someone by nourishing and giving tender care like a nurse (used only in 1 Thes 2:7).

[5162 (trophós) is used in ancient Greek of a mother's tender care, holding her child in her arms (see BAGD).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from trephó
Definition
a nurse
NASB Translation
nursing (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5162: τροφός

τροφός, τροφου, (τρέφω; see τροφή), a nurse: 1 Thessalonians 2:7. (From Homer down; for מֵינֶקֶת, Genesis 35:8; 2 Kings 11:2; Isaiah 49:23.)

Topical Lexicon
Literary Context in 1 Thessalonians

Paul describes his ministry team as “gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her own children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7). The image shifts the focus from authority to affectionate self-giving. The apostle deliberately grounds his evangelistic work in tenderness, contrasting the self-serving motives of itinerant teachers (1 Thessalonians 2:3-6) with the costly, life-imparting care of a mother who provides both nourishment and protection.

Imagery of Nourishment in Scripture

1. Maternal care is a long-standing biblical metaphor for God’s dealings with His people. “Can a woman forget her nursing child…? Even if she could, I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15).
2. Moses pleads, “Was I who conceived all this people? … that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child’” (Numbers 11:12).
3. Wisdom personified offers sustaining food (Proverbs 9:1-6), anticipating the Gospel motif of Christ as the bread of life (John 6:35).

Such passages illuminate trophos as a living picture of divine provision: God not only delivers but also nurtures and matures His covenant family.

Historical Background of Wet Nursing in the Ancient World

In Greco-Roman society a trophos could be a biological mother or a hired wet nurse, often enjoying deep household influence. Literature and inscriptions portray these women as trusted caregivers who shaped a child’s earliest moral formation. Paul’s audience, familiar with that social institution, would immediately grasp the costly, round-the-clock devotion implied by the term. By adopting the figure, Paul dignifies an occupation sometimes held by slaves and casts apostolic ministry in humble, servant-oriented terms.

Ministerial Applications: Shepherding in Gentle Care

• Pastors and missionaries are called not merely to transfer information but to “share… our own lives” (1 Thessalonians 2:8), as a nurse shares her very body to sustain life.
• Spiritual maturity is fostered through consistent, patient attention to the weak (Romans 15:1-2).
• Corrective discipline, when required, must be administered within an atmosphere of warmth, paralleling the balance of motherhood and fatherhood in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12.

Christological and Trinitarian Dimensions

While Scripture never calls the Son or the Spirit a trophos explicitly, the nursing image harmonizes with Christ’s self-sacrifice (“This is My body, which is for you” — 1 Corinthians 11:24) and the Spirit’s ongoing sanctifying work (“like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk” — 1 Peter 2:2). The triune God not only justifies but also continuously sustains believers, echoing the tender ministry depicted by Paul.

Pastoral and Discipleship Implications

1. Evangelism must be coupled with long-term nurturing; converts are spiritual infants needing steady nourishment (Hebrews 5:12-14).
2. Leadership metrics should value gentleness and sacrificial presence over charisma or numerical success.
3. Congregations are exhorted to honor those who “watch over your souls” (Hebrews 13:17), recognizing the hidden labor analogous to midnight feedings.

Summary

Strong’s 5162 highlights a single but profound apostolic self-portrait: ministry patterned after a nursing mother. The term gathers rich biblical, historical, and theological threads into a model of leadership characterized by gentleness, self-emptying love, and life-sustaining instruction—a timeless call to the church’s servants in every generation.

Forms and Transliterations
ετροφοφόρησε τροφήν τροφοί τροφος τροφός τροφὸς τροφοφορήσαι trophos trophòs
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Thessalonians 2:7 N-NFS
GRK: ὡς ἐὰν τροφὸς θάλπῃ τὰ
NAS: among you, as a nursing [mother] tenderly cares
KJV: you, even as a nurse cherisheth her
INT: as if a nursing mother would cherish

Strong's Greek 5162
1 Occurrence


τροφὸς — 1 Occ.

5161
Top of Page
Top of Page