Greek · G971 · unreviewed

βιάζω

To force

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βιάζω G971
Pronunciation biázō

What does βιάζω (biázō) mean in the Bible?

βιάζω (biázō) is a Greek word meaning "to force". βιάζω (βία), and depon. Reveals the contested and urgent nature of the kingdom’s arrival. This term runs through the canonical themes of Kingdom.

Full entry for βιάζω (G971) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

to force
Extended definition

Denotes forceful pressing or violent advancement; in NT, often describes eager pursuit into the kingdom.

to force, constrain, rare in active (poet, and late prose), but found in cl. in pass., and so perh. βιάζεται, suffereth violence, Mat.11:12, EV (but see infr.), whether

ain good sense, of disciples (Thayer, al.), or
bin bad sense, of the enemies of the kingdom (Meyer, in l.; Dalman, Words, 139ff.; Cremer, 141ff.). Mid., advanceth violently, Mt, l.with (Deiss., BS., 258; Banks, see ref. in DCG, ii, 803f.); before εἰς, to press violently, or force one's way into, Luk.16:16 (see ICC, in l., and in Mt, l.with; cf. παραβιάζομαι and see MM, see word).
Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Why This Word Matters
Reveals the contested and urgent nature of the kingdom’s arrival. Matthew 11:7–15
Grammatical Forms

How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.

Tenses
Present
Voices
Middle
Indicative states a fact or reality
Present Middle Matt 11:12 · Luke 16:16
Discourse Aspect

How this verb appears across 2 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).

Aspect
ongoing 2
Tense
present 2
Voice
middle 2
Mood
indicative 2

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)

Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources