Greek word · G2337

θηλάζω

thēlazō

to suckle

To suckle. Active of a mother ('to nurse', as in Matthew 24:19), and of a baby ('to suck at the breast'). The participle here means 'nursing infants'.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

θηλάζω

(θηλή, a breast), [in LXX chiefly for יָנַק hi. ;]

1. of the mother, to suckle: Matthew 24:19, Mark 13:17, Luke 21:23.

2. Of the young, to suck: Matthew 21:16; μαστούς, Luke 11:27 (cf. Job 3:12, Song of Songs 8:1, al.).†

(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 Matthew 21:16

Range of meaning

To suckle. Active of a mother ('to nurse', as in Matthew 24:19), and of a baby ('to suck at the breast'). The participle here means 'nursing infants'.

Against the English

'Sucklings' (KJV, YLT), 'infants' (BSB), 'nursing babies' (WEB, ESV). BSB's 'infants' is accurate but loses the vivid picture of babies still at the breast.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in the Greek Old Testament for nursing (e.g. 1 Samuel 1:23 of Samuel before weaning). 2 Maccabees 7:27 mentions nursing for three years, which shows that 'sucklings' could include toddlers who could speak a little.

From the study of Luke 11:27

Range of meaning

The word works from either side of nursing. It can mean the mother giving suck ('nursing mothers', Matt 24:19; Luke 21:23) or the infant sucking ('nursing babies', Matt 21:16).

Against the English

In Greek, Jesus is the subject: 'the breasts which you sucked' (KJV and YLT keep this, and so does ESV with 'at which you nursed'). BSB and WEB make the breasts the subject ('that nursed you'). That is natural English but moves the attention from the child to the mother.

Used elsewhere in the period

Matthew 21:16 quotes Psalm 8:2 (Greek 8:3), 'out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies'. Matthew 24:19 and Luke 21:23 have 'woe to those who are nursing'. Luke 23:29 has 'breasts that never nursed'.

From the study of Matthew 24:19

Range of meaning

Active: to give the breast, nurse, suckle (of a mother). It can also mean "to suck" (of an infant). The feminine active participle here can only mean the nursing women.

Against the English

KJV "them that give suck" is literal but archaic. WEB, NIV, NLT and BSB say "nursing mothers." ESV and NASB say "those who are nursing infants/babies," which is correct, though a quick reader could take it to mean the babies themselves.

Used elsewhere in the period

Matthew 21:16 quotes Psalm 8:2 LXX, "out of the mouth of infants and θηλαζόντων (sucklings)", where the participle means the babies. Luke 11:27 has "the breasts that you sucked." 2 Maccabees 7:27 has a mother recall that she "nursed you three years", evidence that weaning came late in that world, around age two or three.

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 21:16 θηλαζόντων sucklings

    “Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise’?”

    Here: 'Those who are nursing', literally babies still at the breast. Weaning came at about two to three years (2 Maccabees 7:27). The phrase is deliberate exaggeration: praise from those who can barely talk.

  2. Matthew 24:19 θηλαζούσαις nursing infants

    How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!

    Here: "Giving suck". The form is active and feminine, so it means the mothers who are breastfeeding, not the babies (compare Matthew 21:16, where a different form of the verb means the nursing infants). In that world these mothers could have children up to two or three years old to feed and carry.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 13:17 θηλαζούσαις nursing infants

    How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 11:27 ἐθήλασας. You nursed.

    As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”

    Here: 'You sucked.' Jesus is the subject: he is the baby at the breast. Many English versions turn it around to 'that nursed you'.

  2. Luke 21:23 θηλαζούσαις nursing

    How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people.

    Here: Women breastfeeding infants. In the ancient world this often lasted two or three years, so these are mothers tied to small children who cannot walk far or survive without them.

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