What does συμπνίγω (sympnígō) mean in the Bible?
συμπνίγω (sympnígō): Choke by crowding or overwhelming pressure; figuratively, spiritual word suffocated by worldly concerns
Greek · G4846
συμπνίγω
To choke
Reading a lexicon entry
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συμπνίγωG4846
Pronunciationsympnígō
What does συμπνίγω (sympnígō) mean in the Bible?
συμπνίγω (sympnígō): Choke by crowding or overwhelming pressure; figuratively, spiritual word suffocated by worldly concerns
Full entry for συμπνίγω (G4846) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4846?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [and] choke (1), choke (1), choked (1), pressed around (1), they are choked (1).
Where does συμπνίγω (sympnígō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 13:22. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (2), Mark (2), Matthew (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 It[and] choke1×Mark 4:19
choke1×Matthew 13:22
choked1×Mark 4:7
pressed around1×Luke 8:42
they are choked1×Luke 8:14
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 13:22συμπνίγειtochokeVerb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularMark 4:7συνέπνιξανtochokedVerb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralMark 4:19συμπνίγουσινto[and] chokeVerb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralLuke 8:14συμπνίγονταιtothey are chokedVerb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person PluralLuke 8:42συνέπνιγονtopressed aroundVerb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 13:22
Aligned rows5
Books represented3
Matthew1Mark2Luke2
Source forms
συμπνίγει1xsympnigeiMatthew 13:22
συμπνίγονται1xsympnigontaiLuke 8:14
συμπνίγουσιν1xsympnigousinMark 4:19
συνέπνιγον1xsynepnigonLuke 8:42
συνέπνιξαν1xsynepnixanMark 4:7
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural1xMark 4:7
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural1xLuke 8:42
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural1xMark 4:19
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xMatthew 13:22
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural1xLuke 8:14
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Choke by crowding or overwhelming pressure; figuratively, spiritual word suffocated by worldly concerns
Strong'sG4846
Lexical occurrences5 versesGreek text appearances5 timesWord forms1 form5 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkLuke 8:40-56Source Gloss
to choke
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 13:22Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
συμπνίγειsumpnigei
I choke utterly, crowd upon
Read verseMark 4:7Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
συνέπνιξανsunepnixan
I choke utterly, crowd upon
Read verseMark 4:19Verb Third Person Plural Present Active Indicative
συμπνίγουσιsumpnigousin
I choke utterly, crowd upon
Read verseLuke 8:14Verb Third Person Plural Present Passive Indicative
συμπνίγονται,sumpnigontai
I choke utterly, crowd upon
Read verseLuke 8:42Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
συνέπνιγονsunepnigon
I choke utterly, crowd upon
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 forms5TensesPresent, Aorist, ImperfectVoicesActive, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicativestates a fact or reality5×
Present ActiveMatt 13:22 · Mark 4:192×
Aorist ActiveMark 4:71×
Present PassiveLuke 8:141×
Imperfect ActiveLuke 8:421×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present3imperfect1aorist1
Voice
active4passive1
Mood
indicative5
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)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
literal choking or crowding by a pressing multitude of people
figurative choking of God's word by worldly cares and riches in spiritual growth
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
συμπνίγω is built from these roots: