Greek word · G1776

ἐνοχλέω

enochleō

to trouble

To crowd in on, annoy, harass, cause trouble or distress.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐν-οχλέω, -ῶ

(ὄχλος), [in LXX for חָלָה ;]

to trouble: with accusative, Hebrews 12:15. Pass., before ἀπό, Luke 6:18.†

(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 Hebrews 12:15

Range of meaning

To crowd in on, annoy, harass, cause trouble or distress.

Against the English

KJV and WEB supply 'you' as the object ('trouble [you]'); the Greek has no object. BSB's 'cause trouble' keeps it open.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 6:18: people 'troubled by unclean spirits'. Common in papyri and literary Greek for harassment or nuisance. It also stands in some manuscripts of Greek Deuteronomy 29:17 (Codex Alexandrinus), where most read en cholē 'in gall', which is the same letters in a different order.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 6:18 ἐνοχλούμενοι being troubled

    They had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases, and those troubled by unclean spirits were healed.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 12:15 ἐνοχλῇ, may trouble [you],

    See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.

    Here: 'Should cause trouble.' The verb has no object in Greek. KJV and WEB add 'you'. In most copies of Greek Deuteronomy the same letters read en cholē, 'in gall' (poison). Hebrews' reading turns the poison image into active harm done to the community.

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