Greek word · G1465

ἐγκόπτω

enkoptō

to impede

To cut into; to block a road or break it up to stop an advance; to hinder, thwart or interrupt.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated November 01, 2026

What it means

ἐγκόπτω, see: ἐνκ-.

ἐν-κόπτω (Rec. ἐγκ-, see: ἐν; and in I Pe, l.with, ἐκκ-);

1. to cut into (as in breaking up a road), hence, 2. to hinder: with accusative Acts 24:4, 1 Thessalonians 2:18, . inf., Galatians 5:7; before τοῦ, with inf., Romans 15:22; εἰς τό, with inf, 1 Peter 3:7.†

(AS)

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

Range of meaning: To cut into; to block a road or break it up to stop an advance; to hinder, thwart or interrupt.
Against the English: 'Hindered' (all major versions) is accurate. The variant 'cut off' (ἐκκόπτεσθαι, in the Textus Receptus) is stronger.
Used elsewhere in the period: Rom 15:22 (Paul hindered from coming), Gal 5:7 ('who cut in on you?'), 1 Thess 2:18 (Satan hindered us). Used in Greek military writers and Polybius of obstructing passage.

Range of meaning: Literally "to cut into". In usage it means to block, hinder, thwart, or get in the way. Ancient sources use it for cutting up a road or setting obstacles to stop an enemy's advance, and more generally for interrupting someone's progress.
Against the English: "Hinder" (KJV, ESV, NASB) is accurate but flat. "Cut in on" (NIV) and "obstructed" (BSB) keep more of the physical picture. "Interfered with" (WEB) is in between. None is wrong. The vivid picture of a runner whose path is suddenly blocked is only partly visible in the softer renderings.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the NT: Paul was "hindered" from coming to Rome (Rom 15:22) and Satan "hindered" him from returning to Thessalonica (1 Thess 2:18); husbands are warned so that their prayers are not "hindered" (1 Pet 3:7); and Acts 24:4 uses it for not "detaining" Felix further. The related noun enkopē ("hindrance") appears in 1 Cor 9:12. Polybius and other Hellenistic writers use the verb for blocking military movements (BDAG; Stählin, TDNT).

Range of meaning: Literally 'to cut into'. In use, 'to put an obstacle in someone's way, to hinder, impede, thwart'. Lexicographers often trace the picture to military usage: breaking up or trenching a road so an enemy cannot advance. A related picture comes from athletics, cutting in on a runner so he is knocked off his stride. By the first century the verb was a common word for 'hinder', and the original picture was not always felt.
Against the English: 'Hindered' (KJV, WEB, YLT, ESV, NASB) is accurate but has become a mild word in English. 'Obstructed' (BSB), 'blocked our way' (NIV) and 'prevented' (NLT) bring out more of the sense of a barrier and a definite result. None is wrong. The Greek describes an active block, not just a slowdown.
Used elsewhere in the period: Elsewhere in the NT: Acts 24:4 (not to 'detain/delay' Felix further), Romans 15:22 (Paul was 'hindered' from coming to Rome, there because of his unfinished work in the east), Galatians 5:7 ('who cut in on you' while you were running well, where the athletic picture is explicit), and 1 Peter 3:7 (so that prayers are not 'hindered'). The related noun ἐγκοπή appears in 1 Cor 9:12 ('lest we put any obstacle in the way of the gospel'). Papyri use the verb for everyday hindrances (Moulton-Milligan).

Acts · 1

Acts 24:4 ἐγκόπτω, I may be a hindrance,

But in order not to delay you any further, I beg your indulgence to hear us briefly.

Romans · 1

Romans 15:22 ἐνεκοπτόμην I was being hindered

That is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.

Galatians · 1

Galatians 5:7 ἐνέκοψεν impeded

You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth?

Here: Literally "cut in". The word was used for breaking up a road to stop an advancing force, and it fits the picture of someone cutting across a runner's lane. The aorist (a simple past) marks a single act that broke into their ongoing run.

1 Thessalonians · 1

1 Thessalonians 2:18 ἐνέκοψεν hindered

For we wanted to come to you—indeed I, Paul, tried again and again—but Satan obstructed us.

Here: 'Cut in on us', 'blocked us'. The aorist tense sums up the whole series of attempts as one thwarted result. The verb pictures an obstacle cut across someone's path.

1 Peter · 1

1 Peter 3:7 ἐγκόπτεσθαι [cause to] be impeded

Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Here: Literally 'to cut into', as when a road is broken up to stop an army. The prayers are pictured as travelling toward God and running into an obstruction.

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