Bible Dictionaries
Fain

　　1: βούλομαι ►

　　(Strong's #1014 — Verb — boulomai — boo'-lom-ahee )

　　"to will deliberately, wish, desire, be minded," implying the deliberate exercise of volition (contrast No. 3), is translated "would fain" in Philemon 1:13 (in the best mss.). See DISPOSED.

　　2: ἐπιθυμέω ►

　　(Strong's #1937 — Verb — epithumeo — ep-ee-thoo-meh'-o )

　　"to set one's heart upon, desire," is translated "would fain" in Luke 15:16 , of the Prodigal Son. See DESIRE.

　　3: θέλω ►

　　(Strong's #2309 — Verb — thelo — )

　　"to wish, to design to do anything," expresses the impulse of the will rather than the intention (see No. 1); the RV translates it "would fain" in Luke 13:31 , of Herod's desire to kill Christ, AV, "will (kill);" in 1 Thessalonians 2:18 , of the desire of the missionaries to return to the church in Thessalonica. See DISPOSED.

　　Note: In Acts 26:28 , in Agrippa's statement to Paul, the RV rendering is "with but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian." The lit. rendering is "with (or in) little (labor or time) thou art persuading me so as to make (me) a Christian." There is no verb for "wouldest" in the original, but it brings out the sense.