βᾰσᾰν-ίζω G0928
To torment, torture, cause severe suffering; to be battered or tossed by waves
The verb basanizo originally meant 'to test on a touchstone' for proving gold, but by New Testament times it had narrowed almost entirely to the infliction or experience of severe suffering. Demons beg Jesus not to torment them before the appointed time (Matt 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28), the rich man is tormented in Hades (Luke 16:23-24), and Revelation's visions describe eschatological torment with fire and sulfur (Rev 9:5; 14:10; 20:10). One striking outlier preserves an older physical sense: the disciples' boat being 'battered' by waves on the Sea of Galilee (Matt 14:24), where nature rather than supernatural agency is the tormenting force.
Senses
1. torment, torture, cause agony — To torment, torture, or cause intense suffering — whether physical, spiritual, or eschatological. This is the dominant sense across eleven of twelve occurrences. It covers demonic encounters where evil spirits fear premature judgment (Matt 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28), the paralytic 'grievously tormented' by illness (Matt 8:6), Lot's righteous soul tormented by Sodom's lawlessness (2 Pet 2:8), and the apocalyptic torments of Revelation where the smoke of suffering rises forever (Rev 14:10-11; 20:10). Spanish consistently renders 'atormentar,' French 'tourmenter,' and German 'quaelen,' all pointing to deliberate, intense affliction. The verb's progression from testing metal to testing persons to outright torture reflects a semantic narrowing well attested in Hellenistic Greek. 11×
AR["تُعَذِّب", "تُعَذِّبْني", "سَيُعَذَّبونَ", "سَيُعَذَّبُ", "عَذَّبا", "لِتُعَذِّبَنا", "مُتَعَبّينَ", "مُتَعَذِّبَةً", "يُعَذَّبُ", "يُعَذَّبُوا", "يُعَذِّبُ"]·ben["কষ্ট-পাচ্ছে", "তারা-যন্ত্রণা-পাবে", "যন্ত্রণা-দাও", "যন্ত্রণা-দিতে", "যন্ত্রণা-দিয়েছিল", "যন্ত্রণা-পাবে", "যন্ত্রণা-পেত", "যন্ত্রণা-ভোগকারী", "যন্ত্রণায়", "যন্ত্রিত-হবে"]·DE["quaelen", "βασανίσαι", "βασανίσῃς", "βασανιζόμενος"]·EN["being-tormented", "he-will-be-tormented", "straining", "they-will-be-tormented", "to-torment", "torment", "tormented", "was-tormented", "you-torment"]·FR["tourmenter"]·heb["אֶת-", "יְעַנּוּ", "יְעֻנֶּה", "יְעֻנּוּ", "לְ-עַנֵּנוּ", "מְעֻנֶּה", "מִתְיַסְּרִים", "מִתְעַנָּה", "עִנָּה", "תְּעַנֶּה"]·HI["कष्ट-देने-को", "कष्ट-पाते-हुए", "तड़पती-हुई", "दुख-दिए", "पीड़ित-करता-था", "पीड़ित-होता-हुआ", "यातना-दिए-जाएंगे", "यातना-दी-जाएगी", "वे-यातना-दी-जाएं", "सता"]·ID["Engkau-siksa", "ia-akan-disiksa", "menderita", "menyiksa", "menyiksa;", "mereka-akan-disiksa", "mereka-disiksa", "tersiksa"]·IT["tormentare"]·jav["badhe-dipun-siksa", "dipun-siksa", "kasiksa;", "nandhang-sangsara", "nyiksa", "nyiksa.", "piyambakipun-badhe-dipun-siksa", "piyambakipun-sedaya-dipunsiksa", "rekasa", "sampun-nyiksa"]·KO["고문하기라", "고문하지.", "고통-받는", "고통-받을-것이니", "고통받을-것이다", "괴로워하며", "괴로워했다;", "괴롭게-하려고", "괴롭혔으니", "괴롭히지", "괴롭힘-당하는-것을"]·PT["atormentado", "atormentar", "atormentaram", "atormentava", "atormentes", "atormentes.", "fossem-atormentados", "sendo-atormentada", "será-atormentado", "serão-atormentados"]·RU["будет-мучим", "будут-мучимы", "мучащаяся", "мучающийся", "мучающихся", "мучил", "мучили", "мучились-они", "мучить", "мучь"]·ES["atormentaba", "atormentados", "atormentar", "atormentaron", "atormentes", "sean-atormentados", "será-atormentado", "serán-atormentados", "siendo-atormentada", "siendo-atormentado"]·SW["akiteseka", "alitesa", "ana-teseka.", "atateswa", "kututesa", "unitese.", "usinitese", "wakitaabika", "waliwatesa", "watateswa", "wawateshe"]·TR["acı-çeken", "acı-çekerek", "işkence-ediyordu", "işkence-et.", "işkence-etme!", "işkence-etmeye", "işkence-etti", "işkence-çekecek", "işkence-çekecekler", "işkence-çeksinler", "zorlanırken"]·urd["تڑپائے-جائیں-گے", "تڑپانا", "تکلیف-دے", "تکلیف-میں", "ستائی-جائیں", "ستایا", "ستایا-کرتا-تھا؛", "عذاب-دینے", "عذاب-پائے-گا", "مصیبت-میں"]
2. batter, toss about by waves — To batter, toss about, or harass by natural forces — specifically of a boat being pummeled by wind and waves. The sole occurrence at Matthew 14:24 describes the disciples' vessel 'being tossed' (basanizomenon) by waves, the wind being contrary. Spanish renders 'siendo-azotada' (being lashed), and English 'being-tossed,' both capturing the physical buffeting rather than personal torment. This sense preserves the verb's older connotation of testing or straining — the boat is 'put to the test' by the storm — before the semantic field contracted almost entirely to human suffering. Some scholars treat this as a metaphorical extension of sense 1 (the boat 'tormented' by waves), but the multilingual gloss divergence confirms it as a recognizably distinct usage. 1×
AR["مُعَذَّبَةً"]·ben["আক্রান্ত-হচ্ছিল"]·DE["βασανιζόμενον"]·EN["being-tossed"]·FR["tourmenter"]·heb["מֻטָּלְטָל"]·HI["सतअयि-ज-रहि-थि"]·ID["diombang-ambingkan"]·IT["tormentare"]·jav["kaombang-ambing"]·KO["시달리고-있었다"]·PT["sendo-açoitado"]·RU["терзаемая"]·ES["siendo-azotada"]·SW["ikisumbuliwa"]·TR["halsiz-düşmüş"]·urd["بےچین-ہوتی-تھی"]
Related Senses
H4941 1. justice, righteousness (134×)H4941 2. judgment, judicial decision (119×)H4941 3. ordinances, statutes (plural) (110×)H8199 1. to judge, adjudicate (98×)G2919 1. judge, pass judgment (76×)H8199 2. judge (person, office-holder) (61×)G2920 1. judgment / condemnation (48×)H7378 1. Qal: quarrel, contend, strive (42×)H4941 4. prescribed ordinance, regulation (34×)G1832 1. it is lawful, it is permitted (32×)G2917 1. judgment, condemnation (27×)G2919 2. be judged, stand trial (27×)H5360 1. vengeance, retribution (27×)H7378 2. Qal: plead, defend, litigate (22×)G2723 1. accuse, bring charges against (20×)G2923 1. judge (one who judges/decides) (19×)G2632 1. condemn, pass judgment against (18×)H1777 1. judge, adjudicate (18×)H1576 1. recompense, retribution (17×)H5359 1. vengeance, retribution (17×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
βᾰσᾰν-ίζω, Attic dialect future -ῐῶRefs 5th c.BC+aorist ἐβασάνισα, subjunctive βασανίσω variant in Refs —passive, aorist ἐβασανίσθην: perfect βεβασάνισμαι:—rub upon the touch-stone (βάσανος), χρυσόν Refs 5th c.BC+: hence, put to the test, prove, Refs 4th c.BC+; investigate scientifically, Refs 5th c.BC+ of the instances used in inductive inference, ἀπὸ τῶν πανταχόθεν βεβασανισμένων [μεταβαίνομεν]…