Greek word · G4438
πυκτεύω
pykteuō
to box
To box, to compete as a boxer (pyktēs). The word is technical and belongs to athletics. It is not used for soldiers in battle or for general struggle.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
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 1 Corinthians 9:26
- Range of meaning
To box, to compete as a boxer (pyktēs). The word is technical and belongs to athletics. It is not used for soldiers in battle or for general struggle.
- Against the English
KJV, BSB, WEB and YLT have 'fight.' ESV and NASB have 'box,' and NIV has 'fight like a boxer.' 'Fight' on its own lets readers picture warfare or a general struggle. The Greek is specific: a boxing match in the games.
- How it drifted
English 'fight,' especially next to the familiar phrase 'fight the good fight' (1 Tim 6:12, which uses a different word, agōnizomai), pushes readers toward battle imagery and 'spiritual warfare.' Paul's image here is sport.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Boxing was one of the oldest Greek contests (Homer, Iliad 23.651–699) and was held at the Olympic, Pythian, Nemean and Isthmian games. Fighters wrapped their hands in leather thongs, and by the Roman period these were often hardened. There were no rounds and no weight classes. A bout ended when one man was knocked out or raised a finger to concede. The word does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament or in the LXX.
Where it appears
1 Corinthians · 1
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1 Corinthians 9:26 πυκτεύω I fight
Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.
Here: Specifically 'to box,' fist-fighting in the games, from pyx, 'with the fist.' It is not a general word for fighting or warfare, and it appears only here in the New Testament.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.