4033. perikukloó

Lexical Summary

perikukloó: To encircle, to surround

Original Word: περικυκλόω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: perikukloó
Pronunciation: pe-ree-koo-KLO-oh
Phonetic Spelling: (per-ee-koo-klo'-o)
KJV: compass round
NASB: surround
Word Origin: [from G4012 (περί - about) and G2944 (κυκλόω - encircled)]

1. to encircle all around, i.e. blockade completely

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

encircle, surround

From peri and kukloo; to encircle all around, i.e. Blockade completely -- compass round.

see GREEK peri

see GREEK kukloo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from peri and kukloó
Definition
to encircle
NASB Translation
surround (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4033: περικυκλόω

περικυκλόω, περικύκλῳ: future περικυκλώσω; to encircle, compass about: of a city (besieged), Luke 19:43. (Aristophanes av. 346; Xenophon, an. 6,1 (3), 11; Aristotle, h. a. 4, 8 (p. 533{b}, 11); Lucian, others; the Sept. for סָבַב.)

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Context

Luke 19:41-44 records Jesus weeping over Jerusalem as He approaches the city on the first Palm Sunday. He foretells a day when Jerusalem’s foes will “barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side” (Luke 19:43). The verb translated “surround” is the unique New Testament occurrence of Strong’s Greek 4033. It lies at the heart of Christ’s lament, joining His compassion for the city with a sober announcement of divine judgment.

Prophetic Background

1. Covenant warnings. Centuries earlier Moses had foreseen a siege as a penalty for covenant infidelity: “They will besiege you in all your gates throughout the land the LORD your God has given you” (Deuteronomy 28:52). Jesus’ words consciously echo this Mosaic curse, confirming that the covenant standard has not changed.
2. Old Testament precedents. The Septuagint uses cognate forms of the same verb to describe hostile encirclements (for example, 2 Kings 6:14; Psalm 88:17). By adopting identical siege language, Luke presents Jesus as the final prophet standing in continuity with the former prophets.

Historical Fulfillment

The prophecy found chilling fulfillment in A.D. 70 when Titus led four Roman legions against Jerusalem. Josephus recounts how the Romans built a wall of circumvallation, cutting off all escape and supplies—precisely what Jesus foretold. More than one million Jews perished, and the Second Temple was razed, leaving “not one stone on another” (Luke 19:44).

Theological Significance

• Christ’s omniscience. The precise realization of His words underscores His deity and the reliability of His teaching (John 13:19).
• Judgment tempered by mercy. Jesus weeps even while pronouncing sentence, revealing both the holiness that punishes sin and the love that grieves over lost opportunity (Ezekiel 33:11).
• Continuity of Scripture. The seamless thread from Deuteronomy through the Prophets to Jesus verifies the coherence of God’s redemptive plan.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Call to repentance. The encirclement of Jerusalem stands as a sobering reminder to individuals and nations that rejecting the time of divine visitation has consequences (Luke 19:44).
2. Pastoral warning and comfort. Shepherds must warn of coming judgment while pointing to the Savior who still weeps for the lost.
3. Spiritual warfare. Believers may feel “surrounded” by adversities, yet they can echo Elisha’s assurance: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16).
4. Evangelistic urgency. Just as Jerusalem faced an irrevocable deadline, so every sinner must heed today’s invitation: “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Related New Testament Themes

• Siege imagery resurfaces in Revelation, where hostile nations encircle the beloved city (Revelation 20:9), but divine intervention delivers it—a reversal of Luke 19:43 for those in Christ.
• The verb “hem in on every side” reappears conceptually in 2 Corinthians 4:8, where Paul testifies, “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed,” highlighting the believer’s resilience in contrast to Jerusalem’s doom.

Devotional Reflection

The single use of Strong’s 4033 carries the weight of an entire theological panorama: God’s longing heart, humanity’s stubborn resistance, and history’s confirmation that His word never fails. When life’s pressures appear to encircle the soul, Luke 19:43 reminds us that only those outside Christ are truly without escape. In Him there is always a way out—through the gates of repentance into the freedom secured by His cross and resurrection.

Forms and Transliterations

περιειληφυία περιεκύκλου περιεκύκλωσαν περιεκύκλωσάν περιεκύκλωσε περιέλαβε περιέλαβεν περιελάβοντο περικεκυκλωμένα περικεκυκλωμένας περικυκλούντες περικύκλω περικυκλωθήσεται περικυκλώσουσί περικυκλωσουσιν περικυκλώσουσιν περικυκλώσουσίν περιλαβείν περιλάβετε περιλαβών περιληφθήσονται περιλήψεταί perikuklosousin perikuklōsousin perikyklosousin perikyklōsousin perikyklṓsousín

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 19:43 V-FIA-3P
GRK: σοι καὶ περικυκλώσουσίν σε καὶ
NAS: up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem
KJV: compass thee round, and keep
INT: you and will close around you and

Strong's Greek 4033
1 Occurrence

περικυκλώσουσίν — 1 Occ.