4683. sparganoó

Lexical Summary

sparganoó: To swaddle, to wrap in swaddling clothes

Original Word: σπαργανόω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: sparganoó
Pronunciation: spar-gan-OH-o
Phonetic Spelling: (spar-gan-o'-o)
KJV: wrap in swaddling clothes
NASB: wrapped in cloths
Word Origin: [from sparganon (a strip]

1. to swathe (an infant after the Oriental custom)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

wrap in swaddling clothes.

From sparganon (a strip; from a derivative of the base of sparasso meaning to strap or wrap with strips); to swathe (an infant after the Oriental custom) -- wrap in swaddling clothes.

see GREEK sparasso

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from sparganon (a swathing band)
Definition
to wrap in swaddling clothes
NASB Translation
wrapped...in cloths (1), wrapped in cloths (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4683: σπαργανόω

σπαργανόω, σπαργάνω: 1 aorist ἐσπαργάνωσα; perfect passive participle ἐσπαργανωμενος: (σπραγανον a swathing band); to wrap in swaddling-clothes: an infant just born, Luke 2:7, 12. (Ezekiel 16:4; (Euripides, Aristotle), Hippocrates, Plutarch, others.)

Topical Lexicon

Word Usage in Scripture

Strong’s Greek 4683 occurs twice, both in Luke’s infancy narrative: Luke 2:7 and Luke 2:12. In each verse Mary “wrapped Him in swaddling cloths.” The verb expresses her deliberate care for the newborn Jesus and becomes, by angelic decree, the identifying “sign” for the shepherds.

Luke 2:7: “And she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:12: “And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Historical and Cultural Background

Swaddling was a universal Near-Eastern practice. Long, narrow strips of cloth were wound snugly around an infant from shoulders to feet to provide warmth, security, and to keep limbs straight. Jewish tradition held that every child should be washed, rubbed with salt or oil (Ezekiel 16:4), and swaddled—acts symbolizing welcome, cleansing, and covenant inclusion. Luke’s mention of swaddling cloths therefore signals that, despite poverty and exclusion from normal lodging, Jesus received the ordinary love and covenantal care of a faithful Jewish mother.

A Humble yet Prophetic Sign

1. Identification with the lowly
• The Messiah’s first bed is a manger; His first garments, simple cloth strips. The Creator assumes the most vulnerable human state (Philippians 2:6-7).
2. Verification for eyewitnesses
• The shepherds were told the exact circumstances so they could recognize the Child. The detail ensures historical anchoring of the incarnation narrative.
3. Foreshadowing of redemptive purpose
• Many commentators see an echo between the swaddling cloths of His birth and the linen wrappings of His burial (John 19:40). From manger to tomb, He is “wrapped” for us.

Old Testament Resonances

Job 38:9 speaks of the clouds as a “swaddling band” for the sea, portraying God as a cosmic parent. Ezekiel 16:4 rebukes Jerusalem for neglect by noting that the infant city was “not washed… nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.” By contrast, Luke presents a Son properly wrapped, highlighting God’s faithful love where Israel had failed.

Christological Significance

• True Humanity: The act confirms that the eternal Word became flesh, not merely appearing human.
• True Royalty in Poverty: Kings wore robes; this King wore strips of common cloth, fulfilling Isaiah 53:2, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him.”
• Sign of Peace: Shepherds, despised by society, are first to witness the Messiah; the swaddled Child preaches peace to the outcasts even before He speaks.

Implications for Preaching and Discipleship

1. Incarnational Ministry

– Just as Mary wrapped Jesus, believers are called to wrap others with practical care (James 2:15-16).
2. Humility in Leadership

– Spiritual leaders remember the Savior who began earthly life in swaddling cloths and a feeding trough (Mark 10:45).
3. Assurance of God’s Tenderness

– The image reassures the anxious that God’s salvation is intimate and personal, not distant or abstract (Isaiah 40:11).

Devotional Reflection

Meditate on the paradox: the One who “sustains all things by His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3) allowed Himself to be confined by strips of cloth. Such voluntary restriction secured our eternal freedom (Galatians 5:1).

Summary

Strong’s Greek 4683 paints a portrait of the incarnate Son embraced in ordinary cloths, combining humility, prophetic symbolism, and pastoral warmth. The swaddled Messiah invites every generation to behold the God who stoops to lift us, and who still wraps repentant sinners in garments of salvation (Isaiah 61:10).

Forms and Transliterations

εσπαργανώθης εσπαργανωμενον εσπαργανωμένον ἐσπαργανωμένον εσπαργάνωσα εσπαργανωσεν εσπαργάνωσεν ἐσπαργάνωσεν σπαρτίον σπαρτίου esparganomenon esparganoménon esparganōmenon esparganōménon esparganosen esparganōsen espargánosen espargánōsen

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 2:7 V-AIA-3S
GRK: πρωτότοκον καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν καὶ
NAS: son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid
KJV: him in swaddling clothes, and
INT: first-born and wrapped in swaddling clothes him and

Luke 2:12 V-RPM/P-ANS
GRK: εὑρήσετε βρέφος ἐσπαργανωμένον καὶ κείμενον
NAS: a baby wrapped in cloths and lying
KJV: the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying
INT: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying

Strong's Greek 4683
2 Occurrences

ἐσπαργανωμένον — 1 Occ.
ἐσπαργάνωσεν — 1 Occ.