Greek word · G5299
ὑπωπιάζω
hypōpiazō
to wear out
From ὑπώπιον (hypōpion), the part of the face under the eyes, and so a bruise or black eye. The verb means (1) literally, to hit someone in the face and give them a black eye; (2) more loosely, to treat roughly or wear someone out.
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
ὑπωπιάζω
(ὑπώπιον, (a) the part of the face below the eyes; (b) a blow on the face),
to strike under the eye, give a black eye:
metaphorically,
(a) of persistent annoyance (RV, wear out), Luke 18:6;
(b) of severe self-discipline (R, txt. buffet, mg. bruise), 1 Corinthians 9:27 (see Field, Notes, 71, 174).†
ὑπο-πιάζω,
later form of ὑποπιέζω, to press slightly; metaphorically,
to repress: 1 Corinthians 9:27 T.7 for ὑπωπιάζω, which see†
(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 1 Corinthians 9:27
- Range of meaning
From ὑπώπιον (hypōpion), the part of the face under the eyes, and so a bruise or black eye. The verb means (1) literally, to hit someone in the face and give them a black eye; (2) more loosely, to treat roughly or wear someone out. In Luke 18:5 the unjust judge gives in to the widow 'so that she won't keep coming and wear me out' (some translate 'give me a black eye').
- Against the English
KJV 'keep under' and ESV 'discipline' are tame. They give the result (control) but lose the picture of a punch landing. YLT 'chastise' and the Vulgate's castigo lean toward correcting or punishing. WEB 'beat' and NIV 'strike a blow to' keep the boxing violence.
- How it drifted
The Latin castigo ('I chastise, correct') pushed the verse toward the language of penance. Later devotional use sometimes read it as approving bodily self-punishment. 'Discipline' in modern English can suggest either punishment or a gym routine. Neither is the picture Paul gives, which is a boxer landing real blows in a bout.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The noun ὑπώπιον is common in classical Greek for the face below the eyes and for bruises (e.g. Aristotle, Rhetoric 3.11). The verb appears in comic and later prose for 'beating black and blue'. In the NT it appears only here and in Luke 18:5 (BDAG s.v.).
Where it appears
Luke · 1
-
Luke 18:5 ὑπωπιάζῃ she may exhaust
yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Otherwise, she will wear me out with her perpetual requests.’”
1 Corinthians · 1
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1 Corinthians 9:27 ὑπωπιάζω I batter
No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
Here: A boxing word: to land a blow on the face under the eye, leaving a bruise. Paul says he lands real punches, and the opponent is himself. The present tense shows this is his ongoing habit, not a single act.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.