Greek word · G2947
κυλίω
kyliō
to wallow
'To roll.' In the middle voice it means 'to roll oneself, roll about, writhe on the ground'. A related verb is used for the stone 'rolled away' in Mark 16:3–4 (ἀποκυλίω).
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
κυλίω late form of κυλίνδω,
[in LXX: Joshua 10:18, 1 Samuel 14:33, al. (גָּלַל), 2 Kings 9:33 (שָׁמַט), al. ;]
to roll, roll along. Pass., to be rolled; of persons (in Hom, as sign of grief), to roll or wallow: Mark 9:20.†
(AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
'To roll.' In the middle voice it means 'to roll oneself, roll about, writhe on the ground'. A related verb is used for the stone 'rolled away' in Mark 16:3–4 (ἀποκυλίω).
- Against the English
The KJV has 'wallowed', NLT 'writhing', and most modern versions 'rolled about'. Today 'wallow' suggests a pig in mud or someone indulging in self-pity, which has nothing to do with the original.
- How it drifted
In the 1600s 'wallow' simply meant rolling about on the ground. Its modern senses of luxuriating or self-indulgence came later.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Used in Greek for rolling objects and for bodies tossing or rolling about. This is the only place it occurs in the New Testament.
Where it appears
Mark · 1
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Mark 9:20 ἐκυλίετο he was rolling around
So they brought him, and seeing Jesus, the spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Here: 'He kept rolling about.' The tense describes action still going on: the reader watches the thrashing as it continues. This is the only place the word appears in the New Testament.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.