4422. ptoeó

Lexical Summary

ptoeó: To frighten, to terrify, to be alarmed

Original Word: πτοέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ptoeó
Pronunciation: pto-eh'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (pto-eh'-o)
KJV: frighten
NASB: startled, terrified
Word Origin: [probably akin to the alternate of G4098 (πίπτω - fell) (through the idea of causing to fall) or to G4072 (πέτομαι - flying) (through that of causing to fly away)]

1. to scare

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

frighten.

Probably akin to the alternate of pipto (through the idea of causing to fall) or to petomai (through that of causing to fly away); to scare -- frighten.

see GREEK pipto

see GREEK petomai

HELPS Word-studies

4422 ptoéō (from the root meaning, "fly") – properly, flutter; (figuratively) terrify, like when someone "flies off" into unrealistic, irrational behavior.

4422 /ptoéō ("terrified") means to be provoked by agitating fears, causing someone to become "psychologically detached from reality."

[4422 (ptoéō) in ancient Greek meant "to alarm, be startled, terrified" (BAGD).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
to terrify
NASB Translation
startled (1), terrified (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4422: πτοέω

πτοέω, πτόω: 1 aorist passive ἐπτοήθην; (πτόα terror); from Homer down; to terrify; passive, to be terrified (the Sept. chiefly for חָתַת): Luke 21:9; Luke 24:37 (Tr marginal reading WH marginal reading θροηθεντες. Synonym: see φοβέω, at the end.)

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Greek 4422 portrays the sudden alarm that seizes the human heart when confronted by the unexpected. In Scripture it occurs only twice, both in Luke, each time swiftly answered by a command or action that replaces panic with faith.

Scriptural Occurrences

Luke 21:9 – In the Olivet Discourse Jesus foretells tumultuous world events: “When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

Luke 24:37 – After the resurrection the disciples, seeing Jesus, “were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a spirit.”

Contextual Analysis

Luke 21:9 situates fear amid global upheaval—wars, earthquakes, famines. Jesus acknowledges the legitimacy of human alarm yet issues an imperative that such alarm must not reign. Luke 24:37 sets fear inside the intimate circle of discipleship. Although earlier warnings had been given, the physical appearance of the risen Christ overwhelmed their categories of expectation. Both passages present fear as a threshold emotion: it arises naturally but is to be crossed into trust.

Theological Significance

1. Certainty of God’s Plan. In Luke 21 Jesus grounds the command against fear in divine necessity: “These things must happen.” Panic yields to providence.
2. Reality of the Resurrection. In Luke 24 fear is dispelled by tangible evidence—hands, feet, eating of fish—validating the bodily resurrection and inaugurating a fearless witness (Luke 24:48).
3. Eschatological Assurance. The word serves Luke’s overarching purpose: believers live between the first and second advents. Fear will tempt, but the outcome is secured (Acts 1:11).

Historical Background

Luke writes after A.D. 70, when Jerusalem had indeed fallen. Early Christians remembered Jesus’ injunction not to be terrified and saw its fulfillment in history, confirming His prophetic authority. Likewise, the post-resurrection appearance speaks into a Greco-Roman world rife with superstition about spirits. Luke presents a risen Lord who removes dread by concrete proof, confronting contemporary fears with historical fact.

Ministry and Practical Application

• Shepherding Amid Crisis – Pastors guiding congregations through wars, plagues, or societal shifts emulate Jesus’ pattern: acknowledge danger, command courage, ground it in God’s sovereignty.
• Personal Discipleship – Believers confronted with sudden news—medical diagnoses, economic loss—recall Luke 24’s invitation to “touch and see” the risen Christ through Scripture and prayer.
• Evangelism – Luke’s usage encourages proclamation that Christianity is not escapism but realistic hope; fear is answered by historical resurrection and promised consummation.
• Counseling Trauma – The term legitimizes initial shock yet refuses to let it harden into chronic anxiety. The gospel narrative models movement from alarm to peace.

Related Biblical Themes

Fear versus Faith – Compare Genesis 15:1; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 14:27.

Providence in Turmoil – See Psalm 46; Romans 8:28.

Resurrection Assurance – Refer to 1 Corinthians 15:17-20; 1 Peter 1:3.

Conclusion

Strong’s 4422 surfaces at pivotal moments when human fear meets divine revelation. Whether facing geopolitical chaos or the startling nearness of the risen Lord, the biblical response is the same: fear yields to faith because God’s purposes are certain, Christ is alive, and His disciples are called to steadfast witness.

Forms and Transliterations

επτοήθη επτοήθησαν επτόηντο επτοήται πτοηθείην πτοηθείησαν πτοηθεντες πτοηθέντες πτοηθής πτοηθήσεται πτοηθήση πτοηθήσομαι πτοηθήσονται πτοηθητε πτοηθήτε πτοηθῆτε πτοηθώσι πτοηθώσιν πτοήσει πτοήσω πτοήσωσι πτοούνται ptoethentes ptoethéntes ptoēthentes ptoēthéntes ptoethete ptoethête ptoēthēte ptoēthē̂te

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 21:9 V-ASP-2P
GRK: ἀκαταστασίας μὴ πτοηθῆτε δεῖ γὰρ
NAS: and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things
KJV: be not terrified: for these things
INT: commotions not be terrified must for

Luke 24:37 V-APP-NMP
GRK: πτοηθέντες δὲ καὶ
NAS: But they were startled and frightened
KJV: But they were terrified and
INT: having been Terrified however and

Strong's Greek 4422
2 Occurrences

πτοηθῆτε — 1 Occ.
πτοηθέντες — 1 Occ.