Greek word · G4120

πλέκω

plekō

to weave

To weave, plait, braid, twine: hair, baskets, nets, garlands. Figuratively, to devise or 'weave' a plot.

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

What it means

πλέκω

[in LXX: Exodus 28:14 (עֲבֹת), Isaiah 28:5 (צְפִירָה)* ;]

to plait, twist, weave: Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:2.†

(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 John 19:2

Range of meaning

To weave, plait, braid, twine: hair, baskets, nets, garlands. Figuratively, to devise or 'weave' a plot.

Against the English

KJV "platted" (an old spelling of 'plaited') and YLT "plaited" keep the weaving idea. "Twisted together" (BSB and others) is accurate but sounds rougher.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used for wreath-making in classical Greek (plekein stephanon, 'to weave a wreath', is a standard phrase). Mark 15:17 and Matt 27:29 use the same participle, so this is shared tradition across the Gospels.

From the study of Mark 15:17

Range of meaning

To weave, plait, braid or twist together, as with hair, baskets, garlands or wreaths.

Against the English

KJV 'platted' (an old form of 'plaited'), YLT 'plaited', WEB 'weaving', BSB 'twisted together'. All are fair. 'Weave' best keeps the link with how real wreaths were made.

Used elsewhere in the period

Classical Greek uses it for weaving garlands and wreaths (LSJ). In the New Testament it appears only in this scene (Matt 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2).

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 27:29 πλέξαντες having twisted together

    And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, knelt down before Him, and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

    Here: 'Having woven.' The verb is used for braiding hair or weaving wreaths and baskets. The soldiers made something by hand on the spot, twisting thorny branches into the shape of a wreath.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 15:17 πλέξαντες having twisted together

    They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head.

    Here: 'Having woven', meaning the soldiers made it on the spot by twisting and plaiting branches together, the way a festal or victor's wreath was made. In the New Testament the word appears only in the crown-of-thorns scenes.

John · 1

  1. John 19:2 πλέξαντες having twisted together

    The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, set it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe.

    Here: "Having woven": the word used for plaiting hair, weaving baskets or making garlands. The crown was a ring made on the spot by bending and twining thorny branches, the way a festive wreath was made from leaves or flowers.

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