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καταβαρέω

katabaréō

G2599 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To weigh down, oppress, or burden, either literally (to load or weigh down physically) or figuratively (to overwhelm or impose with stressful demands, emotional heaviness, or obligations). In Koine Greek, especially in literary and religious contexts, often used for the effect of emotional, psychological, or spiritual pressure.

Semantic Range

to weigh down, to burden, to oppress, to overwhelm, to impose a (heavy) load upon, to make heavy (emotionally or physically)

Root / Etymology

From the prepositional prefix κατά ('down, against, according to') and the verb βαρέω ('to weigh, to oppress, to burden'). The compound intensifies the sense of the simple verb, conveying a sense of being fully weighed down or oppressed.

Historical & Contextual Notes

καταβαρέω rarely appears in classical Greek and is more commonly found in Hellenistic and later Koine Greek. In the New Testament, its use (e.g., Luke 21:34; 2 Corinthians 1:8) carries both literal (being physically or emotionally weighed down) and metaphorical (overwhelmed by worry or hardship) senses. The word can describe being burdened by anxieties, external pressures, or even drunkenness. In Hellenistic literature, it could also mean oppressive rule, or being overwhelmed by circumstances. English translations often render it as 'weigh down,' 'burden,' or 'overwhelm,' but the nuance can be broader than 'impose upon.' Contrasts with lighter terms like ἐπιβαρύνω (to put a load upon), which may imply causation rather than the state of being overwhelmed. The sense of ongoing, often inward, heaviness or oppression distinguishes καταβαρέω in early Christian and later Greek writing.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from κατά and βαρέω; to impose upon:--burden.

Root Family

βαρ- (epibaréō) — to be heavy, to burden, to impose

Root βαρ- to weigh, to burden, to oppress
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G1912 ἐπιβαρέω to impose a burden upon
G4 ἀβαρής an unburdensome man
G912 Βαραββᾶς Barabbas
G916 βαρέω let him be weighed down
G917 βαρέως heavily

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2599-01 καταβαρυνόμενοι katabarunomenoi V PRS PASS PTCP NOM M PL weighed down being weighed down being weighed down 1
G2599-02 κατεβάρησα katebaresa V AOR ACT IND 1P SG burdened I was weighing down burden 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2599-01 Mark 14:40 καταβαρυνόμενοι katabarunomenoi V PRS PASS PTCP NOM M PL weighed down being weighed down being weighed down
G2599-02 2 Corinthians 12:16 κατεβάρησα katebaresa V AOR ACT IND 1P SG burdened I was weighing down burden
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