ἀφρ-ίζω G0875
to foam, to foam at the mouth, to produce foam or froth
This verb vividly describes the physical act of foaming, with classical usage ranging from wine cups to human and animal mouths. In the New Testament, both occurrences appear in Mark's account of the demon-possessed boy, creating a stark physical portrait of spiritual affliction. The boy foams at the mouth as part of the violent seizures caused by the unclean spirit. Spanish 'echa espumarajos' (literally 'throws out foam') captures the violent, involuntary nature of the foaming, while French 'écumer' and German 'schäumen' preserve the basic meaning across languages. This graphic detail emphasizes the severity of the demonic oppression and the completeness of Jesus's healing.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Both uses in Mark 9:18 and 9:20 describe the same possessed boy's symptom during demonic seizures. The present participle form emphasizes the ongoing, repeated nature of the foaming, which served as a visible sign of the spirit's power over the child. The multilingual glosses consistently maintain the visceral, physical nature of this foam production, showing how translators across cultures recognized this as a medical-spiritual manifestation requiring divine intervention. 2×
AR["مُزْبِدًا", "يُزْبِدُ"]·ben["ফেনা-তুলতে", "ফেনা-তোলে"]·DE["schaeumen"]·EN["foaming", "he-foams"]·FR["écumer"]·heb["מַקְצִיף"]·HI["झाग-निकालता-है", "झाग-निकालते-हुए"]·ID["berbusa", "ia-berbusa"]·IT["schiumare"]·jav["muruh", "panjenenganipun-muruh"]·KO["거품-물고", "거품-물며"]·PT["espuma", "espumando"]·RU["пенится", "пенясь"]·ES["echa-espumarajos", "echando-espumarajos"]·SW["akitoa-povu", "anatoa-povu"]·TR["köpürerek", "köpürüyor"]·urd["جھاگ-نکالتا", "جھاگ-نکالتا-ہے"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀφρ-ίζω, ={ἀφρέω}, foam, Refs 5th c.BC+; of a wine-cup, Refs 4th c.BC+