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ἐκθαμβέω

ekthambéō

G1568 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To be utterly astonished, overwhelmed by amazement, to be greatly amazed, especially in a way that provokes awe, bewilderment, or extreme emotional reaction. The word can indicate a powerful reaction to something unexpected or extraordinary, sometimes mixed with fear or alarm; carries the sense of being struck with deep emotional disturbance as a result of witnessing or experiencing an extraordinary event.

Semantic Range

to be utterly astonished, to be overwhelmed by amazement or alarm, to be greatly amazed, to be greatly disturbed, to be deeply moved with awe or fear

Root / Etymology

From ἔκθαμβος (ekthambos), which itself is composed of ἐκ (ek, "out of") and θαμβέω (thambeō, "to astonish, astound").

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, θαμβέω (thambeō) means 'to be astounded, amazed,' typically expressing surprise or bewilderment without specific connotations of fear. The compound prefixed form ἐκθαμβέω intensifies the meaning, suggesting an emotional reaction that is both overwhelming and involuntary, sometimes verging on terror. It is not a common word outside biblical and Hellenistic Jewish Greek. In the New Testament (e.g., Mark 9:15; 14:33; 16:5-6), it consistently conveys an overpowering emotional experience in the face of the miraculous, the divine, or the utterly unexpected, whether positive (amazement at the transfiguration) or distressing (shock at the empty tomb or Jesus' suffering in Gethsemane). English Bible translations often render it as 'amazed,' 'astonished,' or 'alarmed,' but these do not always capture the strong emotional intensity and element of awe or fear present in the Greek. Compared with similar words like θαμβέω, θαυμάζω (to marvel), ἐκθαμβέω is reserved for more profound, often unsettling, emotional responses.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἔκθαμβος; to astonish utterly:--affright, greatly (sore) amaze.

Root Family

θαμβ- (ekthambéō) — to be astonished, to be astounded, to be overwhelmed

Root θαμβ- to be astonished, to be astounded, to be overwhelmed
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G2284 θαμβέω they were astounded

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1568-03 ἐξεθαμβήθησαν exethambethesan V AOR PASS IND 3P PL they were amazed they were utterly astonished they were utterly astonished 2
G1568-01 ἐκθαμβεῖσθαι ekthambeisthai V PRS PASS INF to be greatly distressed to be utterly astonished to be utterly astonished 1
G1568-02 ἐκθαμβεῖσθε ekthambeisthe V PRS PASS IMP 2P PL be amazed Be utterly astonished be utterly astonished 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1568-03 Mark 9:15 ἐξεθαμβήθησαν exethambethesan V AOR PASS IND 3P PL they were amazed they were utterly astonished they were utterly astonished
G1568-01 Mark 14:33 ἐκθαμβεῖσθαι ekthambeisthai V PRS PASS INF to be greatly distressed to be utterly astonished to be utterly astonished
G1568-03 Mark 16:5 ἐξεθαμβήθησαν exethambethesan V AOR PASS IND 3P PL they were amazed they were utterly astonished they were utterly astonished
G1568-02 Mark 16:6 ἐκθαμβεῖσθε ekthambeisthe V PRS PASS IMP 2P PL be amazed Be utterly astonished be utterly astonished
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