What does φορτίον (phortíon) mean in the Bible?
The Greek noun phortion names a burden, load, or cargo — something carried by a person or ship. It is the diminutive of phortos (cargo, freight), though in NT usage the diminutive sense is not pressed.
Greek · G5413
φορτίον
Burden
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φορτίον G5413
Pronunciation phortíon
What does φορτίον (phortíon) mean in the Bible?
The Greek noun phortion names a burden, load, or cargo — something carried by a person or ship. It is the diminutive of phortos (cargo, freight), though in NT usage the diminutive sense is not pressed.
Reader summary
Full entry for φορτίον (G5413) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5413?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include load (2), [with] heavy burdens (1), burden (1), cargo (1), loads (1).
Where does φορτίον (phortíon) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 11:30. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (2), Matthew (2), Acts (1), Galatians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
The Greek noun phortion names a burden, load, or cargo — something carried by a person or ship. It is the diminutive of phortos (cargo, freight), though in NT usage the diminutive sense is not pressed. The word appears in a closely related pair in Galatians 6: in verse 2 Paul commands believers to 'carry one another's burdens (barē — another burden-word)' and so fulfill the law of Christ; in verse 5 he says that 'each one should carry their own load (phortion).'
This surface tension requires careful reading. The two burden-words are different: barē (v. 2) is a heavy, crushing weight — something too great for one person to carry alone; phortion (v. 5) is a proper personal load, the responsibility that belongs to each individual person. Paul is not contradicting himself: community burden-bearing (v. 2) addresses the crushing weights that exceed individual capacity, while individual responsibility (v.
5) Addresses the proper load of personal accountability before God. The distinction is pastoral: Christian community is not a mutual-exemption pact from all personal responsibility, nor is Christian individualism an excuse for leaving others under crushing weights. The tension between the two verses is the healthy tension of genuine community.
source_lexicon
How the Bible Uses It
The local Greek artifact indexes about six NT uses of phortion, with selected witnesses including Galatians 6:5, Matthew 11:30 (Jesus's yoke is easy and his phortion is light), Matthew 23:4, and Luke 11:46 (the Pharisees bind heavy burdens on others but will not lift a finger to carry them). The Matthew 11:30 usage is the most constructive: the contrast with the Pharisees' crushing burdens is that Christ's burden is light — fitting, manageable, suited to the one who carries it.
- Gal.6.5
For each one should carry his own load.
The individual-responsibility statement in a section that also commands community burden-bearing (v.2). phortion here is the personal load of accountability — specifically in context, the responsibility of a teacher to examine their own work (vv. 3-4) and not compare themselves with others. Each person will give an account to God for their own life (v.4 context), which is the ultimate personal load no one else can carry.
- Matt.11.30
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Jesus contrasts his phortion with the burdens the Pharisees had placed on people (Matt. 23:4 also uses phortia). Christ's burden is 'light' (elaphron) — not because following him is costless (Galatians shows the cross and suffering are real) but because it is a burden of relationship with one who carries it alongside the disciple, and because the heart that receives rest (v.28) carries with a different quality of weight than the heart straining under condemnation and performance-anxiety.
- Gal.6.2
Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
The companion verse to Gal. 6:5, using barē (heavy weight) rather than phortion. The distinction is real: barē is the crushing, overwhelming burden that exceeds individual capacity; phortion is the proper personal load. Community burden-bearing (barē in v.2) addresses the genuinely crushing: the person under grief, shame, persecution, or spiritual failure who cannot carry on alone. This is the 'law of Christ' — the love-command (John 13:34) expressed as mutual weight-bearing.
- Matt.23.4
They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
Jesus's critique of the scribes and Pharisees uses phortia for the burdensome traditions and regulations they placed on people while exempting themselves. This is the anti-pattern to both Gal. 6:2 (community burden-bearing) and Matt. 11:30 (Christ's light burden): religious leadership that multiplies obligations without providing help is the opposite of the burden-bearing that the law of Christ requires.
- Luke.11.46
“Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied. “For you weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load.
Luke's parallel to Matthew 23:4, applying the same critique to lawyers (legal experts, scribes). The burden-image spans both Gospels: the pre-Christ religious system, as operated by its guardians, produced weight without relief. Jesus's response is not to remove all obligation but to carry it alongside: 'my yoke is easy' implies yoked together with him, not unyoked altogether.
Passage contextCanonical parallel
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 load 2× Luke 11:46, Galatians 6:5
[with] heavy burdens 1× Luke 11:46
burden 1× Matthew 11:30
cargo 1× Acts 27:10
loads 1× Matthew 23:4
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 11:30 φορτίον to burden Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular Matthew 23:4 φορτία to loads Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural Luke 11:46 φορτία to [with] heavy burdens Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural Luke 11:46 φορτίοις to load Noun - Dative Neuter Plural Acts 27:10 φορτίου to cargo Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular Galatians 6:5 φορτίον to load Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 11:30
Aligned rows 6
Books represented 4
Matthew 2 Luke 2 Acts 1 Galatians 1
Source forms
φορτία 2x phortia Matthew 23:4, Luke 11:46
φορτίον 2x phortion Matthew 11:30, Galatians 6:5
φορτίοις 1x phortiois Luke 11:46
φορτίου 1x phortiou Acts 27:10
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural 2x Matthew 23:4, Luke 11:46
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular 1x Galatians 6:5
Noun - Dative Neuter Plural 1x Luke 11:46
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular 1x Acts 27:10
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular 1x Matthew 11:30
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- The apparent tension between Galatians 6:2 (carry one another's burdens) and Galatians 6:5 (each one will carry their own load) is real and must not be dissolved in either direction. Congregations that only practice v.5 tend toward spiritual isolation and individualism that leaves the genuinely crushed without help. Congregations that only practice v.2 tend toward enabling dependence and the dissolution of personal accountability. A healthy reading holds both: the community moves urgently to help those under crushing weight while also maintaining the framework of individual responsibility before God that cannot be transferred to the group.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that Galatians 6:5's individual accountability means believers will be judged entirely individually at the last day with no reference to community, corporate sin, or systemic injustice — the NT's eschatological picture is more complex; however, Paul's point in context is that a teacher cannot compare their work favorably to others (v.4) by shifting responsibility to the group.
- Do not claim that Jesus's 'my burden is light' (Matt. 11:30) means that mental health struggles, grief, trauma, or suffering should be lighter for Christians than for others — Paul's own account of his crushing pressures (2 Cor. 1:8 — 'far beyond our ability to endure') shows that the 'lightness' is not an empirical reduction of suffering but a transformation of how it is borne: with Christ, not alone, and toward the hope of glory.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. A burden designed to be carried; lighter and more bearable than the heavier βάρος.
Strong's G5413
Lexical occurrences 6 verses Greek text appearances 5 times Word forms 5 forms 6 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 11:45–54 Source Gloss
burden
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
A burden designed to be carried; lighter and more bearable than the heavier βάρος.
(dimin. of φόρτος), [in LXX chiefly for מַשָּׂא ;] a burden, load: of the cargo of a ship (Hdt., al.), Act.27:10; metaphorically, Mat.11:30 23:4, Luk.11:46, Gal.6:5.
Synonymsβάρος (which see), ὄγκος
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek 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 11:30 Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
φορτίον fortion
a burden, freight
Read verse Matthew 23:4 Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
φορτία fortia
a burden, freight
Read verse Luke 11:46 Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
φορτία fortia
a burden, freight
Read verse Luke 11:46 Noun Dative Plural Neuter
φορτίοις. fortioiv
a burden, freight
Read verse Galatians 6:5 Noun Accusative Singular Neuter
φορτίον fortion
a burden, freight
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 this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 5 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 5 Aligned forms 6 Case pattern Accusative (3) Number pattern Plural (3)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Neuter Matt 11:30 1×
Genitive · Singular · Neuter Acts 27:10 1×
Dative · Plural · Neuter Luke 11:46 1×
Accusative · Plural · Neuter Matt 23:4 · Luke 11:46 2×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Gal 6:5 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Additional Occurrences
Luke 11:45–54 φορτία phortíon
Burdens, loads
New Testament Witnesses
burdens
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 6 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
φορτίον is built from this root:
φόρτος G5414
Why This Word Matters
Represents oppressive legal demands.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Phortion in Galatians 6:5 is one of those verses that seems to undo what the verse before it says — and that surface tension is exactly the productive tension Paul intends. He is not being inconsistent; he is being precise. Two distinct things need to be said about burdens in the community of Christ. First (v. 2): when someone is under a crushing weight (barē) — spiritual failure, grief, shame, illness, persecution — the community must move in and share the weight.
This is not optional; it is the law of Christ, the love-command applied practically. Second (v. 5): each person carries a phortion that cannot be transferred — their own standing before God, their own account of their own work, their own spiritual discernment of their own life. The accountability I owe to God for how I have lived cannot be outsourced to the community, and the community cannot exempt me from it.
Together, these two principles define the texture of Christian fellowship: deep mutual care that bears genuine pain together, within a framework of individual accountability before God. The failure of most Christian communities is not that they violate both principles simultaneously but that they over-apply one and under-apply the other. Either they privatize everything (each person carries their own load and that's it) or they collapse all individual responsibility into group identity (the community carries everything, individual accountability diminishes).
Paul refuses both. The gospel produces communities that carry each other's crushing weights AND hold each person accountable before God for how they live.
Anchor passage
Gal.6.5
Doctrinal connections
- G922 baros — heavy burden/weight; used in Gal 6:2 ('carry one another's barē'); the contrast with phortion in v.5 is the pastoral key to the passage
- G5010 taxis — order/arrangement; the phortion of v.5 is about ordered personal responsibility; the community has an order where individual accountability and mutual care are both present
- G2647 kataluo — to destroy/dissolve; Matt 5:17 — Jesus came not to dissolve (katalusai) the law; the 'law of Christ' in Gal 6:2 fulfills the deepest intention of the law through burden-bearing love
- G26 Agape — love; the law of Christ in Gal 6:2 is the love-command; phortion in v.5 exists within the framework of agape community
- G5479 Chara — joy; Paul's instruction on burden-bearing appears in a section beginning with restoring the fallen person 'in a spirit of gentleness' (6:1); the weight-bearing community is a gentle and joyful one
- Matt.11.28-30 — 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened'; Christ's invitation to those under crushing weight; the phortion he gives is light because it is carried with him
Phortion is a diminutive of phortos (freight, ship's cargo) from pherō (to bear, to carry). In classical usage phortion could describe the pack of a marching soldier, the cargo of a ship, or a general package carried by a person. The diminutive does not necessarily mean a small or light burden in NT usage — Matthew 23:4 uses phortia for Pharisaic burdens that are explicitly heavy and hard to carry.
What the form does suggest is a burden that is properly assigned and carried rather than an overwhelming, crushing weight that exceeds capacity. The related word baros (Gal. 6:2) is consistently used for heavy, weighty, oppressive burdens — the kind that require external help. Together the two words in Galatians 6:2-5 draw the distinction Paul needs.
From Old to New Testament
The burden-bearing theme runs through the OT in multiple streams. Isaiah 46:1-4 contrasts the burden-bearing of the Babylonian idols (which must be carried by exhausted animals) with Yahweh, who bears his people: 'Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.'
Yahweh is a God who carries rather than being carried. Numbers 11:11-17 shows Moses collapsing under the burden of leading Israel alone, and God's response is to distribute the burden among seventy elders — an early form of the Galatians 6:2 burden-sharing principle. The Levitical priests carried the ark of the covenant (Num. 4) — the weight of God's presence borne by a community for the community's benefit.
Jesus's 'come to me, all who are weary and burdened' (Matt. 11:28) is the christological fulfillment of the OT burden-bearing God: the one who in Isaiah 46 promised to carry his people now comes in flesh to provide rest. His yoke-burden is the new-covenant life, shared with him who carries it alongside his people.
Canonical parallel
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain