Greek word · G1072

γεμίζω

gemizō

to fill

γεμίζω means 'to fill' or 'make full.' In the passive it means 'be filled.' Mark uses it of filling a sponge with sour wine (15:36). John uses it of filling the water jars at Cana (2:7) and the baskets of leftovers (6:13).

Appears 8 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

γεμίζω

(γέμω), [in LXX: Genesis 45:17 (טען), 3Ma.5:47, 4Ma.3:14 * ;]

to fill;

1. properly, of a ship (Thuc, al.): Mark 4:37 (pass.).

2. In late writers, generally (MGr., see Kennedy, Sources, 155), with accusative, before genitive, Mark 15:36, John 2:7 6:13, Revelation 15:8; ἀπό, Luke 15:16, Rec. WH, mg.; ἐκ, Luke 15:16, WH, Revelation 8:5. Pass., absol.: Luke 14:23.

† (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Mark 4:37

Range of meaning

γεμίζω means 'to fill' or 'make full.' In the passive it means 'be filled.' Mark uses it of filling a sponge with sour wine (15:36). John uses it of filling the water jars at Cana (2:7) and the baskets of leftovers (6:13).

Against the English

'Was now full' (KJV) and 'was already filled' (WEB) can suggest the boat was completely full, which would mean it had sunk. 'Was filling' (ESV), 'filling up' (NASB), 'began to fill' (NLT), 'being swamped' (BSB) and 'nearly swamped' (NIV) all keep the sense of a process still under way.

How it drifted

In 1611, 'full' in 'it was now full' may have been read loosely as 'full of water.' A modern reader hears 'completely full,' which the present-tense Greek does not say.

Used elsewhere in the period

The form is a present-tense infinitive. After ὥστε ('so that') this describes an actual result still in progress. The Vulgate likewise uses an ongoing form (impleretur, 'it was being filled'). Luke's parallel says 'they were being filled up (συνεπληροῦντο) and were in danger' (8:23).

From the study of John 2:7

Range of meaning

To fill, load or make full: a container, a ship, a sponge, a house. It is an everyday, physical word. In this period it carries no religious meaning of its own.

Against the English

"Fill" is an accurate rendering. What English can miss is the repetition, command "fill!" and report "they filled," which the BSB's "So they filled them" keeps.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the LXX (the Greek Old Testament) it is used for filling vessels, for example Gen 45:17 (loading animals). Elsewhere in the NT: Mark 4:37 (a boat filling with waves), Mark 15:36 (a sponge filled with sour wine), Luke 14:23 ("that my house may be filled"). In John the same verb comes back at the feeding of the five thousand: the leftover pieces "filled twelve baskets" (John 6:13). Both are early signs that end in a large surplus.

From the study of Luke 14:23

Range of meaning

To fill or load something to capacity: jars (John 2:7), a boat swamped with water (Mark 4:37), a temple filled with smoke (Revelation 15:8), a belly filled with food (Luke 15:16).

Against the English

'Be filled' (KJV, ESV) and 'be full' (BSB, NIV) are both accurate. Neither shows that it answers the servant's 'there is still room' directly.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used in the Greek Old Testament and the New Testament for filling containers. The passive form here ('be filled') looks to the result.

Where it appears

Mark · 2

  1. Mark 4:37 γεμίζεσθαι is being filled up

    Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.

    Here: A present-tense, passive form describing a process: the boat 'was being filled' or 'was filling up.' It was swamping but had not yet gone under. 'Was full' (KJV) overstates the Greek.

  2. Mark 15:36 γεμίσας having filled

    And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 14:23 γεμισθῇ may be filled

    So the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.

    Here: 'May be filled', full to capacity. It answers the slave's 'there is still room' (v.22). The master will not leave one place empty.

John · 3

  1. John 2:7 γεμίσατε ἐγέμισαν do fill, they filled

    Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.

    Here: An aorist imperative, a plain and direct command to do one complete job: fill the jars. Nothing is explained, no reason is given, and no miracle is announced. It is simply an order to servants.

  2. John 6:13 ἐγέμισαν filled

    So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

    Here: To load something until it is full. John uses the same verb at Cana, where the servants filled the jars 'to the brim' (2:7). The baskets are not partly full; they are packed.

Revelation · 2

  1. Revelation 8:5 ἐγέμισεν filled

    Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

    Here: He fills it full. The vessel that held fragrant incense is now loaded to the brim with burning coals.

  2. Revelation 15:8 ἐγεμίσθη was filled

    And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

    Here: 'Was filled'. The verb is passive and points to a single event: the sanctuary suddenly fills. It echoes v.7, where the bowls are 'full' (gemousas, from a related verb) of God's wrath. The bowls are full of wrath and the sanctuary is full of smoke.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.