To stir or agitate (roil water)
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Ταράσσω (tarassō) means to trouble, disturb, agitate, stir, or throw into confusion. Herod and Jerusalem are disturbed by news of the newborn king, revealing fear within threatened power rather than humble worship.
Reader summary
Full entry for ταράσσω (G5015) · Open the biblical lexicon
Ταράσσω (tarassō) means to trouble, disturb, agitate, stir, or throw into confusion. Herod and Jerusalem are disturbed by news of the newborn king, revealing fear within threatened power rather than humble worship.
The BSB source-word alignment has 17 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include be troubled (2), troubled (2), troubling (2), [and] unsettled (1), agitate (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:3. Its strongest book concentrations include John (6), Acts (3), Galatians (2), Luke (2).
Ταράσσω (tarassō) means to trouble, disturb, agitate, stir, or throw into confusion. Herod and Jerusalem are disturbed by news of the newborn king, revealing fear within threatened power rather than humble worship. The disciples are terrified when they see Jesus walking on the sea until His self-identifying word answers their fear. Zechariah is startled by the angel at the incense altar and receives a command not to fear.
At Bethesda, stirred water becomes part of the disabled man's explanation of why he cannot reach the pool first. Acts describes unauthorized teachers unsettling Gentile believers through words that confuse their minds. Disturbance may be emotional, physical, political, or doctrinal. Its cause and the truth that answers it determine whether agitation exposes hostility, human frailty, practical obstruction, or harmful teaching.
Ταράσσω describes disturbance or agitation: Herod's threatened fear, disciples terrified by Jesus' approach, Zechariah startled by an angel, water stirred at a pool, and churches unsettled by unauthorized teaching.
When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Herod is disturbed by the Magi's report, and Jerusalem shares the agitation, because the announced king threatens an established and violent order.
For they all saw Him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”
The disciples see Jesus on the sea and are terrified, but His immediate “I am; do not fear” addresses fear with His presence and identity.
When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.
Zechariah is startled at the angel's appearance, and the messenger answers the fear with news that his prayer has been heard.
“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am on my way, someone else goes in before me.”
The disabled man says he lacks anyone to place him into the pool when the water is stirred, explaining frustrated hope before Jesus heals by His word.
It has come to our attention that some went out from us without our authorization and unsettled you, troubling your minds by what they said.
Jerusalem's letter says unauthorized teachers troubled Gentile believers' minds, distinguishing apostolic gospel clarity from destabilizing demands.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Disturbs minds and emotions through agitation; metaphorically troubles hearts with fear or perplexity.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 17 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
Read verseI agitate, stir up, trouble
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.
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.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 15 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
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 passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 17 lexical occurrence verses.
ταράσσω is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Trouble reveals what a person trusts. Herod's disturbance turns murderous because royal news threatens his control. The disciples' terror meets Jesus' immediate word, and fear is corrected by the identity of the One walking toward them. Zechariah's startle becomes receptive wonder when divine promise interprets the encounter. Bethesda shows disturbance without moral symbolism: moving water belongs to the man's practical account of exclusion and delay, while Jesus Himself provides healing.
Acts treats doctrinal trouble seriously because words can unsettle consciences by attaching unauthorized requirements to the gospel. Churches should not promise a life without disturbance, but must ask whether fear is driven by threatened idols, limited understanding, bodily vulnerability, or teaching that obscures grace. Christ's presence and apostolic truth do not merely calm feelings; they reorient troubled people toward reality.
Matt.2.3
Ταράσσω can describe stirring a physical substance or disturbing persons inwardly and socially. Active and passive forms identify the cause and recipient; object and setting determine physical, emotional, or doctrinal sense.
Waters churn, kings tremble, prophets are troubled by visions, Jesus calms fearful disciples, and apostles protect churches from teaching that agitates consciences.