Greek word · G2599

καταβαρέω

katabareō

to burden

To weigh down, to burden, especially financially: to be a charge on someone's resources.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κατα-βαρέω, -ῶ

to weigh down: metaphorically, with accusative of person(s), 2 Corinthians 12:16.†

(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 2 Corinthians 12:16

Range of meaning

To weigh down, to burden, especially financially: to be a charge on someone's resources.

Against the English

'Burden' is accurate. Readers should know the burden in view is money and upkeep, not emotional weight.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used only here in the New Testament. Paul makes the same point with related words: abarēs, 'not a burden', in 11:9, and katanarkaō, 'be a dead weight on', in 11:9 and 12:13–14. 1 Thess 2:9 says he worked night and day so as not to burden anyone.

Similar words

Where it appears

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 12:16 κατεβάρησα did burden

    Be that as it may, I was not a burden to you; but crafty as I am, I caught you by trickery.

    Here: 'Put a weight on you', here meaning a financial weight: he did not live off them or take support from them. Everyone grants this; his refusal of pay was well known (11:7–9; 12:13).

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