Greek word · G3349

μετεωρίζω

meteōrizō

to worry

It comes from meteōros, 'raised off the ground, hanging in mid-air' (the source of our 'meteor' and 'meteorology'). The active verb means to lift up or raise aloft. BDAG gives sense (3), 'be anxious, worried', for Luke 12:29.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 23, 2026

What it means

μετ-εωρίζω

(μετέωρος, (a) in mid air; (b) buoyed up; (with) in suspense; Thuc.; in π. opposite to ἀμέριμνος, see Zorell, see word) [in LXX: Ob 4 (גָּבַהּ hi.), Micah 4:1 (נָשָׂא ni.), Psalms 131:1, Ezekiel 10:16 (רוּם), 2Ma.5:17 2Mac 7:34, 3Ma.6:5 * ;]

to raise on high (Thue., Xen., al.; Ob, Mi, Ez, ll with). Metaphorical,

(a) to buoy up; pass., to be elated, puffed up (Polyb., al., Psalms 2:1-12, 3 Mac, ll. with)

(b) to be anxious, in suspense (Polyb., see 70, 10; FlJ, BJ, iv, 2, 5) : Luke 12:29.†

(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 Luke 12:29

Range of meaning: It comes from meteōros, 'raised off the ground, hanging in mid-air' (the source of our 'meteor' and 'meteorology'). The active verb means to lift up or raise aloft. In the passive and middle forms it is used (1) literally, of things rising: birds, smoke, ships put out to sea or riding high on the swell; (2) of a person being 'lifted up' inside: elated, puffed up, proud; (3) of a mind 'up in the air': in suspense, unsettled, wavering, anxious. BDAG gives sense (3), 'be anxious, worried', for Luke 12:29.
Against the English: BSB, WEB, ESV, NIV and NASB all have 'worry' or 'be anxious'. That captures the sense but loses the picture of being left hanging. KJV 'of doubtful mind' and YLT 'in suspense' keep the idea of being suspended or undecided. The Latin Vulgate and the early English versions that followed it took the word in the 'lifted up / proud' sense.
How it drifted: The drift is not in the modern versions, which are basically right. It came from the Latin rendering 'do not be lifted up on high', which read the word as a warning against pride. KJV's 'doubtful mind' reflects the 'suspense' sense, but today a reader hears intellectual doubt or religious scepticism in it.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Greek Old Testament (LXX), the 'lifted up / proud' sense is common: Psalm 131:1 (130:1 LXX), 'my eyes were not lifted up'; 2 Maccabees 5:17, Antiochus 'was elated in mind'; 2 Maccabees 7:34, 'do not be vainly lifted up'; Micah 4:1, the mountain of the LORD 'will be raised up'. The 'suspense' sense is well attested for the adjective meteōros in classical and Hellenistic historians. Thucydides 2.8 describes Greece as meteōros, keyed up with uncertain expectation before war, and Polybius and Josephus use it of people or cities left in suspense. The everyday usage that settles the question comes from papyrus letters. Moulton–Milligan cite a private letter from Oxyrhynchus (P.Oxy. 1679) with mē meteōrizou, evidently 'don't worry', said to reassure a family member.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

Luke 12:29 μετεωρίζεσθε. do worry yourself.

And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.

Here: This word appears only here in the New Testament. Its root picture is being lifted off the ground and left hanging in mid-air. Here it means being unsettled and suspended in worry, tossed back and forth between possibilities, like a ship lifted high on rough water.

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