θησαυρίζω
thēsaurízō
G2343 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To gather, accumulate, or store up valuables or resources; specifically, to collect and keep in reserve, whether material (such as wealth or goods) or immaterial (such as knowledge or merit). In various contexts, the word can also mean to reserve something for future use, or metaphorically, to accumulate non-material resources such as judgment, wrath, or merit.
Semantic Range
to store up (wealth or goods), to accumulate (treasure or valuables), to reserve for future use, to amass, to heap up, to accumulate intangible things (e.g., wrath, judgment, merit)
Root / Etymology
Derived from θησαυρός ('storehouse, treasury, treasure'), plus the denominative verb suffix -ίζω, indicating the act of doing what the noun refers to. Thus, θησαυρίζω means 'to store up as in a treasury.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, θησαυρίζω is relatively rare but understood in parallel with θησαυρός. In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, the verb is attested especially in contexts relating to storing up goods, wealth, or valuables for future use or security. In the Septuagint and New Testament, the verb frequently takes on metaphorical connotations: in the Septuagint, used both for storing literal goods and metaphorically for divine or human actions (e.g., God storing up something, or people laying up iniquity). In the New Testament, it occurs most notably in ethical teachings (e.g., Matthew 6:19–20), contrasting the storing up of earthly versus heavenly treasures. The verb can also refer to storing up divine judgment or wrath (Romans 2:5), showing the semantic extension from physical to abstract storing. Standard English translations like 'lay up,' 'store up,' or 'heap up' capture only part of the word's range, sometimes overlooking nuances related to intangible accumulation or reserved future consequences. The metaphorical uses became prominent in later Greek Jewish and Christian usage, often in moral or eschatological contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from θησαυρός; to amass or reserve (literally or figuratively):--lay up (treasure), (keep) in store, (heap) treasure (together, up).
Root Family
θησαυρίζω (thēsaurizō) — to store, to accumulate, to reserve
Word Forms
6 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2343-06 |
θησαυρίζων | thesaurizon | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
stores up | storing up | 2 |
G2343-05 |
θησαυρίζετε | thesaurizete | V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL |
Keep storing up | 2 | |
G2343-03 |
θησαυρίζειν | thesaurizein | V PRS ACT INF |
to be storing up | 1 | |
G2343-02 |
τεθησαυρισμένοι | tethesaurismenoi | V PRF PASS PTCP NOM M PL |
stored-up | having been stored up | 1 |
G2343-04 |
θησαυρίζεις | thesaurizeis | V PRS ACT IND 2P SG |
you are storing up | 1 | |
G2343-01 |
ἐθησαυρίσατε | ethesaurisate | V AOR ACT IND 2P PL |
you have heaped up | you stored up | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2343-05 |
Matthew 6:19 | θησαυρίζετε | thesaurizete | V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL |
Keep storing up | |
G2343-05 |
Matthew 6:20 | θησαυρίζετε | thesaurizete | V PRS ACT IMP 2P PL |
Keep storing up | |
G2343-06 |
Luke 12:21 | θησαυρίζων | thesaurizon | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
stores up | storing up |
G2343-04 |
Romans 2:5 | θησαυρίζεις | thesaurizeis | V PRS ACT IND 2P SG |
you are storing up | |
G2343-06 |
1 Corinthians 16:2 | θησαυρίζων | thesaurizon | V PRS ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
storing up | storing up |
G2343-03 |
2 Corinthians 12:14 | θησαυρίζειν | thesaurizein | V PRS ACT INF |
to be storing up | |
G2343-01 |
James 5:3 | ἐθησαυρίσατε | ethesaurisate | V AOR ACT IND 2P PL |
you have heaped up | you stored up |
G2343-02 |
2 Peter 3:7 | τεθησαυρισμένοι | tethesaurismenoi | V PRF PASS PTCP NOM M PL |
stored-up | having been stored up |