Greek word · G3961

πατέω

pateō

to trample

To tread or walk on; to trample. Used of crushing grapes in a winepress and, figuratively, of conquerors treading down a land or city and defiling what is sacred.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πατέω, -ῶ

[in LXX for דָּרַךְ, etc. ;]

1. intrans., to tread, walk: before ἐπάνω ὄφεων κ.τ.λ. (figuratively), Luke 10:19 (cf. Psalms 91:13).

2. Trans., to tread on, trample: τ. ληνόν, Revelation 14:20 19:15 (cf. Judges 9:27, Lamentations 1:15, al.); of the desecration of Jerusalem by its enemies, Luke 21:24, Revelation 11:2 (cf. κατα-, περι-, ἐν-περι-πατέω).†

(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 Revelation 11:2

Range of meaning

To tread or walk on; to trample. Used of crushing grapes in a winepress and, figuratively, of conquerors treading down a land or city and defiling what is sacred.

Against the English

'Trample' and 'tread under foot' are accurate. The point a modern reader may miss is that this was a fixed prophetic phrase for Gentile desecration of Jerusalem.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 21:24: 'Jerusalem will be trampled by the nations until the times of the nations are fulfilled', almost the same words. Zechariah 12:3 LXX speaks of Jerusalem as 'a stone trampled by all the nations'. Daniel 8:13 speaks of the sanctuary and host being 'trampled'. Isaiah 63:18: 'our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary'. 1 Maccabees 3:45, 51 says 'your sanctuary is trampled down' under Antiochus IV, and Psalms of Solomon 17:22 asks God to purge Jerusalem of nations who trample her. Revelation 14:20 and 19:15 use the same verb for God treading the winepress of judgment.

From the study of Luke 10:19

Range of meaning

To tread, walk on; to trample, crush underfoot; figuratively to subdue or desecrate, as in Jerusalem 'trampled by Gentiles' (Luke 21:24; compare Revelation 11:2).

Against the English

'Tread on' (BSB, KJV, ESV) keeps the image. 'Trample' (NIV) sharpens the sense of conquest. Renderings that only say 'walk among' lose the crushing.

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint Psalm 90:13 (our Psalm 91:13) uses the compound verb katapateō: 'you will trample the lion and the dragon (serpent)'. Genesis 3:15 pictures the serpent's head being struck by the woman's offspring. In the ancient Near East, a victor putting his foot on a defeated foe's neck was a stock image (Joshua 10:24; Psalm 110:1).

From the study of Luke 21:24

Range of meaning

To tread or walk on. When used of an enemy, it means to trample, subjugate or desecrate. In Jewish writings trampling the sanctuary or the holy city is the standard image of profanation by foreign power.

Against the English

'Trodden down' (KJV, BSB) and 'trampled' (WEB and others) are accurate. What English often loses is the continuous form: Greek ἔσται πατουμένη is literally 'will be being trampled'. It describes a lasting condition, not a single blow.

Used elsewhere in the period

Zechariah 12:3 in the Septuagint: Jerusalem as 'a stone trampled by all the nations'. Daniel 8:13: the sanctuary and host 'trampled'. Isaiah 63:18: adversaries trampled the sanctuary. 1 Maccabees 3:45, 51: the sanctuary 'trampled' under Antiochus IV. Psalms of Solomon 17:22: a hoped-for king will 'purge Jerusalem of nations that trample her'. Revelation 11:2: the nations 'will trample the holy city for forty-two months'.

Where it appears

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 10:19 πατεῖν to tread

    Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.

    Here: To walk on something and crush it underfoot. This is the posture of a victor over a beaten enemy, and it echoes Psalm 91:13 and Genesis 3:15. It is not a word for cautious stepping.

  2. Luke 21:24 πατουμένη trodden down

    They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

    Here: 'Being trodden underfoot'. The present participle makes it continuous. This is the language of desecration and subjugation that the Greek Old Testament uses for foreigners trampling the sanctuary and the holy city.

Revelation · 3

  1. Revelation 11:2 πατήσουσιν they will trample upon

    But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.

    Here: To tread underfoot: the picture of conquest, occupation and desecration. It echoes the stock phrase for Gentiles defiling Jerusalem and the sanctuary (Luke 21:24; Daniel 8:13; 1 Maccabees 3:45).

  2. Revelation 14:20 ἐπατήθη was trodden

    And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

    Here: 'Was trodden.' A single, completed act, in the passive, with no one named as the treader. In 19:15 the rider on the white horse is the one who 'treads the winepress'. Here the treader is left unnamed, which points to God's own action.

  3. Revelation 19:15 πατεῖ treads

    And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

    Here: Present tense, 'treads'. It sets the scene vividly in motion. Treading is what workers did to grapes in a press.

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