Lexical Summary pateó: To tread, to trample, to walk Original Word: πατέω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance tread under foot. From a derivative probably of paio (meaning a "path"); to trample (literally or figuratively) -- tread (down, under foot). see GREEK paio NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom patos (trodden) Definition to tread or tread on NASB Translation trampled under (1), tread (1), tread under foot (1), treads (1), trodden (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3961: πατέωπατέω, πάτω; future πατήσω; passive, present participle πατουμενος; 1 aorist ἐπατήθην; from Pindar, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Plato down; the Sept. for דָּרַך, etc.; to tread, i. e., a. to trample, crush with the feet: τήν ληνόν, Revelation 14:20; Revelation 19:15 (Judges 9:27; Nehemiah 13:15; Jeremiah 31:33 b. to advance by setting foot upon, tread upon: ἐπάνω ὄφεων καί σκορπίων καί ἐπί πᾶσαν τήν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, to encounter successfully the greatest perils from the machinations and persecutions with which Satan would fain thwart the preaching of the gospel, Luke 10:19 (cf. Psalm 90:13 c. to tread underfoot, trample on, i. e. treat with insult and contempt: to desecrate the holy city by devastation and outrage, Luke 21:24; Revelation 11:2 (from Daniel 8:13); see καταπατέω. (Compare: καταπατέω, περιπατέω, ἐμπεριπατέω The verb πατέω portrays the forceful act of trampling with the foot. Scripture uses the image to communicate mastery, conquest, profanation, or judgment. Whether depicting serpents crushed underfoot or grapes pressed in a winepress, the action is decisive and public, leaving visible evidence of what has been subdued. Old Testament Precedent The Hebrew prophets often spoke of enemies “trampled” in God’s judgment (for example, Isaiah 63:3–6). That background informs the Greek term in the New Testament, linking the Messiah’s victory to divine promises that covenant breakers and hostile powers would be placed beneath the feet of the LORD’s Anointed. Occurrences in the New Testament 1. Luke 10:19 Together they trace a movement from the authority granted to Christ’s disciples, through the interim age of Gentile domination, to the climactic trampling of evil in the Day of the LORD. Luke’s Gospel: Authority for the Mission Luke 10:19: “See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Here πατέω conveys delegated dominion. The risen Christ overturns the ancient curse of Genesis 3:15 by enabling His witnesses to walk uninjured over hostile forces—both literal dangers and the demonic realm they symbolize. The verb underscores that the church’s victory is not passive; believers actively “tread” upon what once threatened them, advancing the gospel in hostile territory. Luke 21:24: “Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” The same term depicts judgment upon covenant-breaking Israel. The Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 demonstrated the Lord’s prophetic warning. Yet the phrase “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” holds out hope: the trampling has a terminus fixed by God, after which restoration will come (Romans 11:25–27). Apocalyptic Fulfillment in Revelation Revelation sharpens the picture of trampling into an eschatological certainty. Revelation 11:2: “They will trample the holy city for forty-two months.” The action repeats Luke 21:24 but confines it to a symbolic period of three-and-a-half years. The holy city’s outer court lies exposed; worship, however, endures within. God’s sovereignty sets boundaries to persecution. Revelation 14:20: “Then the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the press as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of one thousand six hundred stadia.” The verb paints the grisly harvest of the wicked. The treading takes place “outside the city,” echoing Christ’s own sufferings outside Jerusalem’s gate (Hebrews 13:12) but this time falling on unrepentant nations. Revelation 19:15: “He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” Here the Subject is the returning Christ. What the Old Testament attributed to Yahweh alone is now performed by the Lamb, affirming His full deity and final victory. The trampling is not indiscriminate violence but righteous retribution. Theological Themes 1. Victory over Satanic power—fulfilled proleptically in gospel mission and consummated at Christ’s Parousia. Pastoral and Missional Application • Courage: disciples may engage dark powers with confidence, for the authority to tread is granted by Christ Himself. Historical Interpretation Early Christian writers (e.g., Irenaeus, Hippolytus) related Revelation’s winepress to the nations persecuting the saints. Reformers applied Luke 10:19 to the believer’s freedom from superstition. Modern missions have cited the same verse to encourage workers entering spiritually dark regions. Across centuries, πατέω has reminded the church that Christ’s kingdom advances not by compromise but by triumph over evil. Conclusion From the disciples’ first steps of ministry to the Rider on the white horse, the New Testament employs πατέω to affirm that all hostile forces will lie crushed beneath Christ and His people. The present age holds both authority and adversity, yet Scripture guarantees a future when the trampling feet belong solely to the victorious King. Englishman's Concordance Luke 10:19 V-PNAGRK: ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων NAS: you authority to tread on serpents KJV: unto you power to tread on serpents INT: authority to tread upon serpents Luke 21:24 V-PPM/P-NMS Revelation 11:2 V-FIA-3P Revelation 14:20 V-AIP-3S Revelation 19:15 V-PIA-3S Strong's Greek 3961 |
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