What does ἐκκεντέω (ekkentéō) mean in the Bible?
ἐκκεντέω means to pierce or thrust through. In John 19:37 the word appears in the Scripture citation: they will look on the One they have pierced.
Greek · G1574
ἐκκεντέω
To transfix
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ἐκκεντέω G1574
Pronunciation ekkentéō
What does ἐκκεντέω (ekkentéō) mean in the Bible?
ἐκκεντέω means to pierce or thrust through. In John 19:37 the word appears in the Scripture citation: they will look on the One they have pierced.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐκκεντέω (G1574) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1574?
The BSB source-word alignment has 2 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include pierced (1), they have pierced (1).
Where does ἐκκεντέω (ekkentéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at John 19:37. Its strongest book concentrations include John (1), Revelation (1).
What This Word Actually Means
ἐκκεντέω means to pierce or thrust through. In John 19:37 the word appears in the Scripture citation: they will look on the One they have pierced. The verb is not decorative. It belongs to John's passion witness, where Jesus' death is real, scripturally witnessed, and publicly looked upon.
The pastoral value is sober attention to the crucified Christ. The word should not be turned into gore or speculation. John gives it as Scripture witness, tied to the one who has been pierced. It helps teachers keep the cross bodily and scriptural: Jesus is not symbolically wounded only, and the passion is not outside God's written witness.
How the Bible Uses It
John 19:37 uses ἐκκεντέω in the Scripture citation about looking on the One they pierced.
- John 19:37 places the verb in a Scripture citation after Jesus' death.
- The pierced One is the focus of looking, witness, and fulfillment context.
- Revelation 1:7 carries the pierced language into the announcement that every eye will see the coming Christ.
- The word contributes to bodily passion witness without inviting graphic excess or collective ethnic blame.
John 19:37 places ἐκκεντέω in a Scripture citation after the soldiers confirm Jesus' death and one pierces His side. The evangelist directs attention to the pierced Jesus as the subject of written witness. Revelation 1:7 uses the same verb when announcing His coming, universal visibility, and the mourning of the earth's tribes.
The two-verse evidence joins crucifixion and future appearing without making the verb carry the whole theology of either passage. It confirms bodily violence against Jesus and the identity of the One who comes. It must not be used for graphic spectacle, antisemitic blame, inherited ethnic guilt, or romanticizing another person's wounds.
John identifies the crucified Jesus as the pierced One to whom Scripture points, and Revelation identifies the coming Jesus as the pierced One whom every eye will see.
Passage contextcanonical_witnesstheological_synthesisCanonical parallelPastoral application
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It pierced 1× Revelation 1:7
they have pierced 1× John 19:37
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row John 19:37
Aligned rows 2
Books represented 2
John 1 Revelation 1
Source forms
ἐξεκέντησαν 2x exekentēsan John 19:37, Revelation 1:7
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 2x John 19:37, Revelation 1:7
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Keep the word tied to John's Scripture citation and passion context.
- Let the pierced Christ remain the focus, not the mechanics of the wound.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that ἐκκεντέω alone proves every fulfillment connection.
- Do not turn the piercing into graphic spectacle.
Passage contextPastoral applicationlexical
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To pierce through, emphasizing penetration of the body—specifically Christ's crucifixion wound.
Strong's G1574
Lexical occurrences 2 verses Greek text appearances 2 times Word forms 1 form 2 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to transfix
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
2 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
John 19:37 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐξεκέντησαν. exekenthsan
I pierce through, transfix
Read verse Revelation 1:7 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Indicative
ἐξεκέντησαν· exekenthsan
I pierce through, transfix
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 1 Aligned forms 2 Tenses Aorist Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 2×
Aorist Active John 19:37 · Rev 1:7 2×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 2 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 2
Voice
active 2
Mood
indicative 2
NT Occurrences
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
ἐκκεντέω is built from these roots:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
G1574 appears only twice in the governed local evidence, and both verses direct attention to Jesus as the pierced One. John 19 places the word after Jesus' death within eyewitness and Scripture-fulfillment testimony. Revelation 1 carries the same identity into the announcement that every eye will see Him coming and that the earth's tribes will mourn. The verb therefore helps teachers keep the cross bodily and the coming Christ continuous with the crucified Jesus.
It does not identify an ethnic population as permanently guilty, authorize hostility toward Jewish people, or make suffering itself sacred. The pastoral center is Christ, not the mechanics of His wound and not speculation about assigning blame. A faithful reading names human violence and divine scriptural witness while refusing gore, inherited guilt, and the use of Christ's unique Passion to pressure harmed people into silence.
Anchor passage
John 19:37
Doctrinal connections
- John 19:31-37 joins confirmed death, eyewitness testimony, and Scripture witness.
- Revelation 1:7 joins the pierced Jesus to His visible coming and worldwide mourning.
- Zechariah 12:10 supplies the prophetic looking-and-mourning background.
- John 20:24-29 preserves the continuity of the crucified and risen Jesus through His wounds.
The verb names piercing in two forms across two verses. Agent, responsibility, fulfillment, mourning, and theological significance come from each passage rather than from the verb alone.
From Old to New Testament
Zechariah 12:10 is the controlling prophetic background for looking on the pierced figure and mourning. John and Revelation use that language in distinct passion and coming contexts that should not be collapsed.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain