What does πνίγω (pnígō) mean in the Bible?
πνίγω (pnígō): Denotes physical choking or suffocation; in passive form can mean drowning or being overwhelmed by water.
Greek · G4155
πνίγω
To choke
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through theConnect page. Screenshots are helpful.
πνίγωG4155
Pronunciationpnígō
What does πνίγω (pnígō) mean in the Bible?
πνίγω (pnígō): Denotes physical choking or suffocation; in passive form can mean drowning or being overwhelmed by water.
Full entry for πνίγω (G4155) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4155?
The BSB source-word alignment has 3 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and began to choke [him] (1), choked (1), drowned (1).
Where does πνίγω (pnígō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 13:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (2), Mark (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itand began to choke [him]1×Matthew 18:28
choked1×Matthew 13:7
drowned1×Mark 5:13
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 13:7
Aligned rows3
Books represented2
Matthew2Mark1
Source forms
ἔπνιγεν1xepnigenMatthew 18:28
ἐπνίγοντο1xepnigontoMark 5:13
ἔπνιξαν*1xepnixanMatthew 13:7
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural1xMatthew 13:7
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xMatthew 18:28
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural1xMark 5:13
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Denotes physical choking or suffocation; in passive form can mean drowning or being overwhelmed by water.
Strong'sG4155
Lexical occurrences3 versesGreek text appearances2 timesWord forms1 form3 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
to choke
Extended definitionSource: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Denotes physical choking or suffocation; in passive form can mean drowning or being overwhelmed by water.
to choke: with accusative, Mat.13:7 (WH, mg.); imperfect (coniative), Mat.18:28; of drowning, pass., Mrk.5:13 (cf. ἀπο-, ἐπι-, συν-πνίγω).
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
2 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 18:28Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἔπνιγε,epnigen
I choke, strangle
Read verseMark 5:13Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Passive Indicative
ἐπνίγοντοepnigonto
I choke, strangle
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups1Aligned forms3TensesAorist, ImperfectVoicesActive, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality3×
Aorist ActiveMatt 13:71×
Imperfect ActiveMatt 18:281×
Imperfect PassiveMark 5:131×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 3 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
imperfect2aorist1
Voice
active2passive1
Mood
indicative3
NT Occurrences
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
πνίγω is built from this root: