ῥιπίζω
rhipízō
G4494 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To move or agitate, especially by means of wind or air; to cause to be blown, stirred, or tossed about (as chaff by a winnowing fan or waves by wind). In figurative contexts, 'to be unsettled' or 'to experience internal agitation.' Primary usage relates to agitation caused by wind or air, with developed metaphorical meanings relating to mental or spiritual disturbance.
Semantic Range
to agitate with wind, to toss (as by fan or wind), to stir up, to cause to be disturbed or unsettled (literally or figuratively), to experience internal agitation or unrest
Root / Etymology
From the root ῥιπ- (to throw, hurl), via a presumed derivative ῥιπίζα ('fan,' a winnowing object), related to ῥίπτω (to throw). The verb formation relates to the action of fanning, blowing, or agitating.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, the related noun ῥιπίζα refers to a winnowing fan, a tool used to separate chaff from grain by tossing and agitating the husks with air. ῥιπίζω occurs infrequently in literary Greek; its sense is contextually discerned from agricultural and metaphorical imagery—most notably found in the Septuagint (Isaiah 41:16) and in the New Testament in James 1:6, describing a person 'tossed' or 'driven' by wind, indicative of inconsistency or instability. The verb emphasizes the force and often unpredictability of an external agent (wind, air, spirit), and is akin to metaphors of instability found in Hellenistic Jewish literature. In modern English Bibles, often rendered 'toss,' 'agitate,' or 'driven,' but these may underrepresent the figurative sense of being unsettled or lacking grounding. Comparison with ἀνεμίζω ('to be blown by the wind') demonstrates overlap, but ῥιπίζω retains an agricultural and forceful nuance.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a derivative of ῥίπτω (meaning a fan or bellows); to breeze up, i.e. (by analogy) to agitate (into waves):--toss.
Root Family
ῥιπίζω (rhipizō) — to throw, to move by wind, to agitate
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4494-01 |
ῥιπιζομένῳ | ripizomeno | V PRS PASS PTCP DAT M SG |
tossed | to the one being wind-agitated | to the one being wind-agitated | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4494-01 |
James 1:6 | ῥιπιζομένῳ | ripizomeno | V PRS PASS PTCP DAT M SG |
tossed | to the one being wind-agitated | to the one being wind-agitated |