ἔκοπτον
kóptō
were cutting
To strike, cut, or chop; in extended usage, to beat oneself as an outward sign of grief, especially by striking the breast; to mourn or lament, often in the sense of public wailing or ritualized mourning; also to cut down or fell (as in trees or enemies). The principal sense is physical striking or cutting, which metaphorically extends to actions of mourning or lamentation displayed by bodily gestures.
Matthew 21:8 · Word #14
Lexicon G2875
| Lemma | κόπτω |
| Transliteration | kóptō |
| Strong's | G2875 |
| Definition | To strike, cut, or chop; in extended usage, to beat oneself as an outward sign of grief, especially by striking the breast; to mourn or lament, often in the sense of public wailing or ritualized mourning; also to cut down or fell (as in trees or enemies). The principal sense is physical striking or cutting, which metaphorically extends to actions of mourning or lamentation displayed by bodily gestures. |
Morphology V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | IMPF — Imperfect — Continuous or repeated past action |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | IND — Indicative — States a fact or reality |
| Person | 3P — 3rd person — The one spoken about ("he/she/it/they") |
| Number | PL — Plural — More than one |
Common Translation
| Phrase | were cutting |
| Literal | were cutting |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | κόπτω |
| Strong's | G2875 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G2875-02
they were striking
| Morphological Notes | Verb; imperfect tense (past ongoing), active voice, indicative mood, 3rd person plural. |
| Rendering Rationale | The imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural, denotes continuous or repeated action in past time, hence "they were striking." The rendering preserves the core physical sense of the root κοπ- without narrowing it to a specific contextual application such as mourning. |
View full lexicon entry for G2875 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
they were cutting
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Greek ἔκοπτον in this context means 'cutting (branches)' rather than 'striking'; 'they were cutting' is more accurate. |