Greek word · G4987

σωρεύω

sōreuō

to pile up

To heap up, pile up (from σωρός, 'heap'); to load something on someone.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

σωρεύω

[in LXX: Proverbs 25:22 (חָתָה), Judith 15:11 * ;]

(a) to heap on: with accusative before ἐπί with accusative, Romans 12:20 (LXX) (Arist., al.);

(b) to heap with: with accusative and dative, metaphorically, ἁμαρτίαις, 2 Timothy 3:6 (overwhelmed with, Field, Notes, 217) (Polyb.).†

(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 2 Timothy 3:6

Range of meaning

To heap up, pile up (from σωρός, 'heap'); to load something on someone.

Against the English

KJV 'laden', NIV/WEB 'loaded down', ESV/NLT 'burdened', BSB/NASB 'weighed down'. All are fair. The Greek perfect tense means the load was piled on in the past and is still there.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rom 12:20 (quoting Prov 25:22 in the Greek Old Testament): 'you will heap burning coals on his head'. In 2 Tim 4:3 the compound ἐπισωρεύω is used of people who 'heap up teachers for themselves to suit their own desires'.

From the study of Romans 12:20

Range of meaning

To heap up or pile on. It is also used in a weakened sense, "to load with": 2 Tim 3:6 speaks of people "loaded down with sins". In the New Testament it is found only in these two places.

Against the English

"Heap" is a good rendering. The important point is grammatical: σωρεύσεις is a future indicative, "you will heap", which describes a result and is not a command or a stated aim.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is taken word for word from the Greek Proverbs 25:22. The Hebrew has "scoop/snatch up (coals)", and the Greek translators made the picture one of piling up.

Where it appears

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 12:20 σωρεύσεις you will heap

    On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

    Here: "You will heap up". It is a future statement of result, not a command. Paul says this is what will happen, not that this is your aim.

2 Timothy · 1

  1. 2 Timothy 3:6 σεσωρευμένα burdened

    They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,

    Here: Perfect passive: they have had sins piled on them, and the pile is still there. The picture is of a heavy, accumulated load, which may suggest guilt that leaves them open to anyone offering relief.

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