Lexical Summary bareó: To weigh down, to burden, to oppress Original Word: βαρέω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance to burden, weigh downFrom barus; to weigh down (figuratively) -- burden, charge, heavy, press. see GREEK barus HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 916 baréō (from 922 /báros, weight) – to burden (weigh down). See 922 (baros). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom barus Definition to weigh down NASB Translation burdened (3), heavy (1), overcome (1), weighted down (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 916: βαρέωβαρέω, βάρω: to burden, weigh down, depress; in the N. T. found only in the passive, viz., present participle βαρούμενοι, imperative βαρείσθω; 1 aorist ἐβαρήθην; perfect participle βεβαρημενος; the better writings do not use the present; they use only the participles, βεβαρηως and βεβαρημενος; see Matth. § 227; Winers Grammar, 83 (80); (Buttmann, 54 (47); Veitch, under the word). Used simply: to be weighed down, oppressed, with external evils and calamities, 2 Corinthians 1:8; of the mental oppression which the thought of inevitable death occasions, 2 Corinthians 5:4; ὀφθαλμοί βεβαρημένοι, namely, ὕπνῳ, weighed down with sleep, Mark 14:40 (L T Tr WH καταβαρυνόμενοι); Matthew 26:43; with ὕπνῳ added, Luke 9:32; ἐν (בְּ) κραιπάλῃ, Luke 21:34 Rec. βαρυνθῶσιν (see βαρύνω) (Homer, Odyssey 19, 122 οἴνῳ βεβαρηοτες, Diodorus Siculus 4, 38 τῇ νόσῳ); μή βαρείσθω let it not be burdened, namely, with their expense, 1 Timothy 5:16, (ἐισφοραις, Dio Cassius, 46, 32). (Compare: ἐπιβαρέω, καταβαρέω.) Topical Lexicon Root Idea and Semantic Range The verb behind Strong’s 916 conveys the experience of being pressed down by a weight. It can describe literal heaviness (drooping eyelids), emotional strain (anxieties), social responsibility (supporting relatives), or severe outward affliction (persecution, life-threatening pressure). In every setting the word portrays a force that restricts freedom and demands relief. Occurrences in the New Testament • Matthew 26:43 – the disciples’ eyes “were heavy.” Eschatological Watchfulness and Moral Sobriety (Luke 21:34) “But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by carousing, drunkenness, and the worries of life…” The image is spiritual stupefaction. Indulgence and anxiety press on the inner life until alertness to Christ’s return is dulled. The verb personalizes sin’s gravity: pleasures and cares become a load that pins the heart to earth. The remedy is vigilant self-examination and prayerful dependence on the Spirit, who alone keeps the believer light-footed and ready for the Day. Pastoral Care and Community Responsibility (1 Timothy 5:16) “…so that the church will not be burdened and can care for the widows who are truly in need.” Here the weight is financial and administrative. Family members who shirk duty transfer an avoidable load to the congregation, diverting resources from those with no safety net. The verse establishes a principle of subsidiarity: responsibility should rest where God first placed it. The church’s mercy ministry remains generous, yet orderly, protecting stewardship and prioritizing the destitute. The Apostles’ Personal Testimony of Affliction (2 Corinthians 1:8; 5:4) “We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life” (1:8). “We groan under our burdens” (5:4). Paul employs the verb for crushing external trials and for the existential weight of mortality. The double testimony unites outer persecution with inner yearning. Suffering surpasses human capacity, driving reliance on “the God who raises the dead” (1:9). Concurrently, the frailty of the “tent” intensifies desire for the resurrection body. Thus the word links present tribulation to eschatological hope. Physical Weariness in the Gospels (Matthew 26:43; Luke 9:32) Both scenes highlight sacred moments—Gethsemane and the Transfiguration—when chosen disciples succumb to sleep. The heaviness of their eyes illustrates the weakness of the flesh even in the presence of divine glory or intense intercession. The narratives underscore humanity’s need for the enabling grace that Christ alone provides, contrasting His wakeful obedience with their drowsiness. Theological Threads • Sin as a burden: carousing, drunkenness, and worry load the heart. Practical Ministry Applications 1. Cultivate watchfulness by disciplining appetites and anxieties, guarding the heart from becoming leaden. Thus Strong’s 916, while a single verb, threads through warnings, narratives, and doctrinal teaching, illustrating the many weights humanity carries and the all-sufficient grace that lifts them. Forms and Transliterations βαρεισθω βαρείσθω βαρήθημεν βαρηθωσιν βαρηθῶσιν βαρουμενοι βαρούμενοι βεβαρημενοι βεβαρημένοι βεβάρηται εβαρηθημεν ἐβαρήθημεν bareistho bareisthō bareístho bareísthō barethosin barethôsin barēthōsin barēthō̂sin baroumenoi baroúmenoi bebaremenoi bebareménoi bebarēmenoi bebarēménoi ebarethemen ebarēthēmen ebarḗthemen ebarḗthēmenLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 26:43 V-RPM/P-NMPGRK: οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ βεβαρημένοι NAS: for their eyes were heavy. KJV: eyes were heavy. INT: the eyes heavy Luke 9:32 V-RPM/P-NMP Luke 21:34 V-ASP-3P 2 Corinthians 1:8 V-AIP-1P 2 Corinthians 5:4 V-PPM/P-NMP 1 Timothy 5:16 V-PMM/P-3S Strong's Greek 916 |
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