Greek word · G4699

σπόγγος

spongos

sponge

A natural sea sponge used for washing, wiping and soaking up liquid. It was a cheap and common household and military item.

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

What it means

σπόγγος, -ου, ὁ

a sponge: Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36, John 19:29.†

(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 Matthew 27:48

Range of meaning

A natural sea sponge used for washing, wiping and soaking up liquid. It was a cheap and common household and military item.

Against the English

All English versions say "sponge" (KJV spelling "spunge"). The translation is accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word is common in classical Greek. In the NT it appears only in this scene (Matt 27:48; Mark 15:36; John 19:29).

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 27:48 σπόγγον, a sponge,

    One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.

    Here: A natural sea sponge, an ordinary everyday object. It was a practical way to get liquid to the mouth of a man whose hands were fixed to a cross.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 15:36 σπόγγον a sponge

    And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”

John · 1

  1. John 19:29 σπόγγον a sponge

    A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth.

    Here: A real sea sponge, a common household and military item in the Roman world. It holds liquid so that it can be lifted up to someone's mouth and sucked.

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