προσρήγνυμι
prosrḗgnymi
G4366 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To break, burst, or tear against a surface or object, especially with force. In context, often refers to the forceful impact or battering of waves, storms, or floods upon a particular target. The term emphasizes violent, sudden action directed towards or against something.
Semantic Range
to break against, to burst upon, to tear into, to batter or beat forcibly against (especially of water, waves, or storms), to crash against or overwhelm
Root / Etymology
From the preposition πρός ('towards, against') and the verb ῥήγνυμι ('to break, burst, tear'). The compound construction denotes the directionality of the action (i.e., 'to burst towards' or 'to break upon').
Historical & Contextual Notes
The verb προσρήγνυμι appears rarely in extant Greek literature, with primary attestation in Luke 6:48–49 (cf. parallel in Luke 6:48), where it depicts the action of a flood or river forcefully striking a house. The imagery is of something violently surging or crashing against a structure, which carries the nuance of overwhelming force and suddenness. In the Septuagint and wider Hellenistic usage, the root ῥήγνυμι conveys ideas of breaking, shattering, or tearing, especially with suddenness or violence. English translations often render προσρήγνυμι as 'rushed against,' 'burst upon,' or 'beat vehemently against,' but these can obscure the sense of destructive force or the imagery of shattering impact inherent in the Greek. Unlike more general terms such as παίω ('strike, hit'), προσρήγνυμι is reserved for forceful, often destructive, natural events such as floods or storms, not ordinary impacts. The word does not bear metaphorical senses outside its literal storm/flood imagery in attested Koine sources.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from πρός and ῥήγνυμι; to tear towards, i.e. burst upon (as a tempest or flood):--beat vehemently against (upon).
Root Family
προσρήγνυμι (prosrēgnumi) — break, burst, tear against
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4366-02 |
προσέρρηξεν | proserrexen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
beat | burst against | 1 |
G4366-01 |
προσέρηξεν | proserexen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
beat against | burst against | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences