2218. zugos
Lexical Summary
zugos: Yoke

Original Word: ζυγός
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: zugos
Pronunciation: dzoo-gos'
Phonetic Spelling: (dzoo-gos')
KJV: pair of balances, yoke
NASB: yoke, pair of scales
Word Origin: [from the root of zeugnumi "to join, especially by a yoke"]

1. a coupling
2. (figuratively) servitude (a law or obligation)
3. (literally) the beam of the balance (as connecting the scales)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
pair of balances, yoke.

From the root of zeugnumi (to join, especially by a "yoke"); a coupling, i.e. (figuratively) servitude (a law or obligation); also (literally) the beam of the balance (as connecting the scales) -- pair of balances, yoke.

HELPS Word-studies

2218 zygós – properly, a yoke; a wooden bar placed over the neck of a pair of animals so they can pull together; (figuratively) what unites (joins) two people to move (work) together as one.

[2218 (zygós) unites two elements to work as one unit, like when two pans (weights) operate together on a balance-scale – or a pair of oxen pulling a single plough.]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from zeugnumi (to yoke)
Definition
a yoke
NASB Translation
pair of scales (1), yoke (5).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2218: ζυγός

ζυγός, ζυγοῦ, , for which in Greek writings before Polybius τό ζυγόν was more common (from ζεύγνυμι);

1. a yoke;

a. properly, such as is put on draught-cattle.

b. metaphorically, used of any burden or bondage: as that of slavery, 1 Timothy 6:1 (Leviticus 26:13), δουλείας, Galatians 5:1 (Sophocles Aj. 944; δουλοσυνης, Demosthenes 322, 12); of troublesome laws imposed on one, especially of the Mosaic law, Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1; hence, the name is so transferred to the commands of Christ as to contrast them with the commands of the Pharisees which were a veritable 'yoke'; yet even Christ's commands must be submitted to, though easier to be kept: Matthew 11:29f (less aptly in Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 16, 17 [ET] Christians are called οἱ ὑπό τόν ζυγόν τῆς χάριτος ἐλθόντες (cf. Harnack at the passage)).

2. a balance, pair of scales: Revelation 6:5 (as in Isaiah 40:12; Leviticus 19:36; Plato, rep. 8, 550 e.; Aelian v. h. 10, 6; others).

Topical Lexicon
General Concept

The term ζυγός (Strong’s 2218) denotes a wooden beam used to bind two draft animals for plowing or pulling, and by extension any device of binding or weighing, such as a balance beam. In Scripture the word develops rich symbolic value, representing bondage, discipline, or measured judgment, depending on context.

Physical Implements in First-Century Life

1. Agricultural yoke – A familiar sight in agrarian Palestine, where oxen or donkeys were linked by a single cross-piece fastened around the necks.
2. Pair of scales – Merchants suspended goods from two pans hung at each end of a short bar; honest weights and measures were a moral concern rooted in Leviticus 19:36.

Both images inform New Testament usage: the farm yoke highlights burden and guidance; the merchant’s scale underscores evaluation and justice.

Old Testament Backdrop

Prophets frequently spoke of Israel’s “yoke” of oppression (Jeremiah 28; Isaiah 10:27), and Torah laws protected accurate “balances” (Proverbs 11:1). The Messiah was anticipated as the One who would “break the yoke” of tyranny (Isaiah 9:4).

New Testament Occurrences and Themes

1. Christ’s Inviting Yoke – Matthew 11:29-30

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
• Exchange: weary sinners lay down the crushing weight of sin and self-effort to receive a yoke characterized by grace.
• Partnership: the picture is of two animals; believers are joined to Christ, the stronger partner who carries the load.
• Instruction: “learn from Me” implies discipleship under a gentle Rabbi whose teaching leads to “rest for your souls.”

2. Freedom from Legalistic Bondage – Galatians 5:1; Acts 15:10

Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free… do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.”

Acts 15:10: “Why do you test God by placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?”
• The Mosaic law as a system of earning righteousness is likened to an unbearable collar.
• Apostolic teaching insists that justification is by grace through faith, not by ritual observances.
• Christian liberty is not license but deliverance into Spirit-empowered obedience (Galatians 5:13-14).

3. Social Order under the Gospel – 1 Timothy 6:1

“All who are under the yoke as slaves should regard their own masters as worthy of full honor, so that the name of God and our teaching will not be discredited.”
• The household code addresses real social structures without endorsing injustice.
• Believing slaves adorn the gospel through respectful conduct, anticipating ultimate liberation in Christ (1 Corinthians 7:22).

4. Eschatological Weighing – Revelation 6:5

“I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales.”
• The ζυγός here is a balance symbolizing measured scarcity and economic upheaval during the third seal.
• God’s judgments are precise and righteous; nothing escapes divine accounting (Revelation 6:6).

Ministerial and Pastoral Implications

• Gospel preaching must confront both legalism and lawlessness, directing hearers to the gentle mastery of Christ.
• Church leaders should model Christ’s yoke by exercising authority that is humble, restorative, and life-giving (1 Peter 5:2-3).
• Discipleship involves intentional “learning” under Jesus’ yoke, forming character that finds rest even amid labor (Hebrews 4:9-11).

Doctrinal Synthesis

ζυγός pictures two opposing realities: oppressive servitude apart from Christ and liberating submission to Christ. The former crushes under unattainable standards or tyrannical powers; the latter joins believers to the Savior who both carries the weight and balances the scales of justice. United with Him, the church experiences present rest and anticipates final vindication when every weight and measure is brought into perfect equity before the throne.

Forms and Transliterations
εζυγωμένα ζυγοί ζυγοίς ζυγον ζυγόν ζυγὸν ζύγον ζυγος ζυγός ζυγού ζυγω ζυγώ ζυγῷ ζύθον zugo zugō zugon zugos zygo zygō zygôi zygō̂i zygon zygón zygòn zygos zygós
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 11:29 N-AMS
GRK: ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ'
NAS: Take My yoke upon you and learn
KJV: Take my yoke upon you,
INT: Take the yoke of me upon

Matthew 11:30 N-NMS
GRK: ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς
NAS: For My yoke is easy and My burden
KJV: For my yoke [is] easy, and
INT: the indeed yoke of me easy

Acts 15:10 N-AMS
GRK: θεόν ἐπιθεῖναι ζυγὸν ἐπὶ τὸν
NAS: of the disciples a yoke which
KJV: God, to put a yoke upon the neck
INT: God to put a yoke upon the

Galatians 5:1 N-DMS
GRK: μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε
NAS: again to a yoke of slavery.
KJV: again with the yoke of bondage.
INT: not again in a yoke of bondage be held

1 Timothy 6:1 N-AMS
GRK: εἰσὶν ὑπὸ ζυγὸν δοῦλοι τοὺς
NAS: are under the yoke as slaves
KJV: are under the yoke count their own
INT: are under a yoke slaves the

Revelation 6:5 N-AMS
GRK: αὐτὸν ἔχων ζυγὸν ἐν τῇ
NAS: on it had a pair of scales in his hand.
KJV: him had a pair of balances in his
INT: it having a pair of scales in the

Strong's Greek 2218
6 Occurrences


ζυγῷ — 1 Occ.
ζυγόν — 4 Occ.
ζυγός — 1 Occ.

2217
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