Greek word · G3736

ὀρύσσω

oryssō

to dig

To dig: to excavate a pit, trench, well, grave or winepress; to dig into the ground. BDAG gives simply "dig (out)".

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὀρύσσω

[in LXX chiefly for חָפַר also for כָּרָה, etc. ;]

to dig: with accusative, ληνόν, Matthew 21:33; ὁπολήνιον, Mark 12:1; γῆν, Matthew 25:18 (cf. δι-, ἐξ-ορύσσω).†

(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 25:18

Range of meaning

To dig: to excavate a pit, trench, well, grave or winepress; to dig into the ground. BDAG gives simply "dig (out)".

Against the English

"Dug a hole" (BSB, NASB, NIV) and "digged in the earth" (KJV) are both accurate. The Greek is plainer than some English: "dug ground".

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX) it is used for digging wells (Gen 26:18–25) and digging round the Nile for water (Exod 7:24). In the NT: digging a winepress (Matt 21:33; Mark 12:1). Burying valuables is well attested. Josephus says the Romans recovered gold, silver and other treasure that Jerusalem's owners had buried against the chances of war (War 7.114–115). The Copper Scroll from Qumran (3Q15) is a list of buried treasure caches.

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 21:33 ὤρυξεν he dug

    Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

    Here: Winepresses were usually cut into bedrock, which was hard labour. Isaiah 5:2 LXX uses the same verb ('I dug a wine-vat').

  2. Matthew 25:18 ὤρυξεν he dug in

    But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

    Here: "He dug". The usual word for digging a pit, well or winepress (Matt 21:33). Here he digs a hole to bury the silver, a recognised way of keeping valuables safe.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 12:1 ὤρυξεν dug

    Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

    Here: He dug, usually by cutting into bedrock. That was hard labour and a sign of serious investment. Isaiah 5:2 in Greek uses the same verb.

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