ἐκθαμβέω

From the study of Mark 14:33

Range of meaning

This is the verb thambeō ("be astounded, alarmed") made stronger with the prefix ek- ("out, utterly"). It covers being overwhelmed, astonished or alarmed: the shock of facing something beyond what you can process. Depending on context it leans toward amazement or toward alarm and terror. BDAG gives "be very excited" and, in Mark 14:33, "be overwhelmed, be alarmed."

Against the English

KJV "sore amazed" and YLT "amazed" were accurate in 1611. Back then "amazed" meant stunned, bewildered, as if lost in a maze. Today "amazed" usually means pleasantly impressed. Modern versions say "distressed" or "troubled" (BSB "deeply troubled"). That gets the pain right but loses the element of shock and horror.

How it drifted

"Amaze" has softened since the 17th century, from "stupefy, overwhelm with terror or wonder" toward "delight with surprise." Modern translators went to the other extreme and chose ordinary words for distress, which lose the shock.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the New Testament only Mark uses this word: 9:15 (the crowd is "greatly amazed" when Jesus suddenly appears after the Transfiguration), 14:33, and 16:5–6 (the women at the tomb are "alarmed" by the young man in white, and he tells them "Do not be alarmed"). In the Greek Old Testament the simpler thambos/thambeō describes terror before something overwhelming. Sirach 30:9 uses ekthambeō, of a pampered child who will "terrify" or "alarm" a parent.

From the study of Mark 16:5

Range of meaning

Passive: to be utterly astounded, deeply alarmed or overwhelmed, the strongest form of thambos (stunned astonishment). It covers the range from awed amazement to distress and terror, always with a sense of being shaken. In the New Testament only Mark uses it: 9:15; 14:33; 16:5, 6.

Against the English

KJV 'affrighted' and BSB/ESV/NIV 'alarmed' bring out the fear. WEB and YLT 'amazed' kept the older English sense of 'stunned, bewildered' when that sense was current, but today 'amazed' usually means pleasantly impressed, which misses the shock.

How it drifted

In older English 'amaze' meant to stun, stupefy or throw into confusion, close to 'be in a maze'. That fits ekthambeō. Over the last two centuries 'amazed' has moved toward delighted wonder ('amazing!'), so translations that keep it now mislead.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Mark 9:15 the crowd is 'overwhelmed with wonder' when Jesus suddenly appears after the transfiguration. Most telling is Mark 14:33, where Jesus himself in Gethsemane 'began to be deeply distressed (ekthambeisthai) and troubled'. The verb can describe anguish, not only surprise. Sirach 30:9 (LXX) uses it of a pampered child who will 'terrify' a parent. BDAG gives 'be very excited, be overwhelmed... be alarmed, distressed'.

From the study of Mark 16:6

Range of meaning

An intensified form (ἐκ-, "out, utterly") of θαμβέω, "to be astounded." It covers being overwhelmed by something beyond normal experience: shock, alarm, terrified awe, deep distress. BDAG gives both "be very excited, amazed" and "be alarmed, distressed." Which shade applies depends on context, and often both are present.

Against the English

KJV "be not affrighted" and BSB/NIV/ESV "alarmed" bring out the fear. WEB/YLT/NASB "amazed" bring out the astonishment, but modern "amazed" usually means pleasantly impressed, which is far too light for this word.

How it drifted

English "amazed" has softened over the centuries from "stunned, bewildered, terrified" (the older sense of "amaze") to "impressed, delighted." Translations that keep "amazed" carry the older sense, but readers hear the modern one.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the New Testament it appears only in Mark: the crowd's reaction on seeing Jesus come down from the mountain (9:15); Jesus himself in Gethsemane, who "began to be greatly distressed" (14:33); and the women in the tomb (16:5, 6). In the Septuagint, Sirach 30:9 uses it of a spoiled child who will "terrify" or "stun" his parent. The simple θαμβέω is Mark's word for the shock Jesus' words and deeds caused (1:27; 10:24, 32).