Greek word · G2875

κόπτω

koptō

to cut/mourn

Active: to cut or chop (branches, Matt 21:8). Middle: to strike oneself, meaning to beat the breast or head in ritual lament for the dead or for disaster. It is the standard Greek Old Testament word for public mourning (Genesis 23:2; 2 Samuel 1:12; Zechariah 12:10–12).

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κόπτω

[in LXX for כָּרַת, סָפַד, נָכָה hi., etc. ;]

1. to strike, smite.

2. to cut off: with accusative of thing(s), before ἀπό, Matthew 21:8; ἐκ, Mark 11:8. Mid., to beat one's breast with grief, to mourn, bewail: Matthew 11:17 24:30; with accusative of person(s), Luke 8:52 23:27; before ἐπί, with accusative, Revelation 1:7 18:9 (cf. ἀνα-, ἀπο-, ἐκ-, ἐν-, κατα-, προ-, προσ-κόπτω).†

SYN.: θρηνέω, q.v (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 24:30

Range of meaning

Active: to cut or chop (branches, Matt 21:8). Middle: to strike oneself, meaning to beat the breast or head in ritual lament for the dead or for disaster. It is the standard Greek Old Testament word for public mourning (Genesis 23:2; 2 Samuel 1:12; Zechariah 12:10–12).

Against the English

English 'mourn' suggests private, inward grief. The Greek pictures a public, physical lament: wailing and beating the chest, as at a funeral procession. YLT's 'smite the breast' is closest. 'Wail' (used by some versions) is also closer than 'mourn'.

How it drifted

Modern Western grief is mostly quiet and private, so 'mourn' loses the bodily, communal action that ancient hearers would have pictured.

Used elsewhere in the period

Zechariah 12:10–12 (Greek): 'they will look upon me whom they pierced, and they will beat their breasts (κόψονται) for him as for a beloved one… and the land will mourn, tribe by tribe (κατὰ φυλὰς φυλάς)'. Revelation 1:7 combines the same Zechariah text with Daniel 7:13: 'every eye will see him… and all the tribes of the earth will wail (κόψονται) because of him'. Luke 23:27 and 23:48: women and crowds beat their breasts at the crucifixion.

From the study of Revelation 1:7

Range of meaning

Active: to cut or strike. Middle (as here): to strike oneself, especially to beat the breast in mourning, and so 'to lament' or 'to mourn loudly'.

Against the English

'Mourn' (BSB, WEB, NASB) and 'wail' (KJV, ESV) each catch part of it. 'Mourn' sounds private and quiet. 'Wail' catches the noise but can sound like nothing more than a scream of terror. The word pictures a public, physical funeral lament.

How it drifted

English has no single word for ritual mourning gestures. In modern culture grief is mostly private.

Used elsewhere in the period

Zech 12:10–12 LXX uses κόπτομαι and κοπετός ('mourning') repeatedly. Elsewhere: Gen 23:2 (Abraham mourns Sarah); Luke 8:52; 23:27 (the women 'beating their breasts' for Jesus on the way to the cross); Matt 24:30 ('all the tribes of the earth will mourn', the same combination of Daniel and Zechariah); Rev 18:9.

From the study of Revelation 18:9

Range of meaning

In the active voice it means 'to cut, strike, chop' (Matt 21:8, cutting branches). In the middle voice, where the subject acts on itself, it means 'to strike oneself', and from that the standard sense 'to beat the breast in mourning, lament' (BDAG).

Against the English

English versions give 'wail', 'mourn', 'lament' or 'bewail'. All of these put the stress on sound. The Greek names a bodily act: hitting your own chest, often together with loud crying. YLT's 'smite themselves' keeps the physical picture.

How it drifted

English has no single verb for ritual breast-beating, so translators use sound-words. These are adequate but lose the gesture.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek Old Testament: Gen 23:2 (Abraham mourns Sarah), 2 Sam 1:12, Zech 12:10–12 ('they shall mourn for him'). In the New Testament: Luke 8:52 and 23:27 (women beating their breasts for Jesus). Professional and public mourning with chest-beating was normal at deaths across the ancient Mediterranean.

Where it appears

Matthew · 3

  1. Matthew 11:17 ἐκόψασθε. you did wail.

    ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

  2. Matthew 21:8 ἔκοπτον were cutting down

    A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

    Here: 'Were cutting.' The past-continuous tense shows the action as ongoing, with people repeatedly hacking off branches as the procession moved along. The same verb can mean 'beat (the breast), mourn', but only in a different form and setting. Here it simply means cutting.

  3. Matthew 24:30 κόψονται will mourn

    At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

    Here: Future middle, 'they will strike themselves', meaning beat their breasts in public lament as at a funeral. The word comes straight from Zechariah 12:10–12 (Greek version). YLT's 'smite the breast' keeps the physical act.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 11:8 κόψαντες cutting down

    Many in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 8:52 ἐκόπτοντο they were mourning for

    Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.”

  2. Luke 23:27 ἐκόπτοντο were mourning

    A great number of people followed Him, including women who kept mourning and wailing for Him.

Revelation · 2

  1. Revelation 1:7 κόψονται will wail

    Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.

    Here: In this middle form it means 'they will strike themselves': the public, physical lament of beating the chest for the dead, taken from Zechariah 12:10–12.

  2. Revelation 18:9 κόψονται they will wail

    Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.

    Here: In this middle form (the subject acts on itself) the word means striking one's own chest in ritual grief. It is a physical act of public mourning, not simply 'wailing'. The same form is used in Rev 1:7, where the tribes mourn over the pierced one.

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