STRONGS G971:
βιάζω: (
βία);
to use force, to apply force;
τινά,
to force, inflict violence on, one; the active is very rare and almost exclusively poetic [from Homer down]; passive [Buttmann, 53 (46)] in
Matthew 11:12 ἡ βασιλεία τ.
οὐρ.
βιάζεται,
the kingdom of heaven is taken by violence, carried by storm, i. e. a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought for with the most ardent zeal and the intensest exertion; cf. Xenophon, Hell. 5, 2, 15 (23)
πόλεις τὰς βεβιασμένας; [but see Weiss, James Morison, Norton, in the place cited]. The other explanation:
the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence namely, from its enemies, agrees neither with the time when Christ spoke the words, nor with the context; cf. Fritzsche, DeWette, Meyer, at the passage. Middle,
βιάζομαι followed by
εἴς τι to force one's way into a thing, (
ἐς τὴν Ποτίδαιαν, Thucydides 1, 63;
ἐς τὸ ἔξω, 7, 69;
εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν, Polybius 1, 74, 5;
εἰς τὰ ἐντός, Philo, vit. Moys. i., § 19;
εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον, Plutarch, Otho 12, etc.):
εἰς τ.
βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, to get a share in the kingdom of God by the utmost earnestness and effort,
Luke 16:16. [Compare:
παραβιάζομαι.]
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com
BLB Scripture Index of Thayer's