ἐγκεντ-ρίζω G1461
To graft a branch into a tree; used metaphorically for incorporating believers into God's covenant people.
Drawn from the agricultural world of olive cultivation, this verb means to insert a shoot or scion into a rootstock so it can draw life from the host tree. Paul commandeers the image in Romans 11:17-24, where wild olive branches (Gentile believers) are grafted into the cultivated olive tree (Israel). The Spanish 'injertar' and French 'greffer' both preserve the horticultural precision, while the metaphor carries deep theological freight: life flows from the root to every grafted branch alike.
Senses
1. graft in — To graft a branch into a living tree so it shares the root's vitality. All six NT occurrences cluster in Romans 11:17-24, where Paul builds an extended allegory of the olive tree representing God's covenant people. Gentile believers are wild branches grafted in (v. 17), some natural branches were broken off (v. 19), and God is able to graft the original branches back (v. 23-24). The multilingual evidence is uniform: Spanish 'injertar,' French 'greffer,' and English 'graft in' all reflect this single agricultural-metaphorical sense. 6×
AR["أَنْ-يُطْعِمَ-هُمْ", "أُطْعَمَ", "سَيُطْعَمُونَ", "طُعِمْتَ"]·ben["কলম-করতে", "কলম-করা-হই।", "কলম-করা-হবে", "কলম-করা-হবে;", "কলম-করা-হয়েছ", "কলম-করা-হয়েছিলে"]·DE["einpfropfen"]·EN["might-be-grafted-in", "to-graft-in", "were-grafted", "were-grafted-in", "will-be-grafted-in"]·FR["greffer"]·heb["אֻרְכַב", "הֻרְכַּבְתָּ", "יֻרְכְּבוּ", "לְהַרְכִּיב"]·HI["कलम-लगाए-जाएंगे", "कलम-लगाने-में", "कलम-लगाया-गया", "कलम-लगाया-जाऊं"]·ID["akan-dicangkokkan", "dicangkokkan", "mencangkokkan"]·IT["innestare"]·jav["badhé-dipun-seseli", "badhé-dipun-seseli;", "dipun-seseli", "dipun-seseli.", "nyeseli"]·KO["접붙여졌으니", "접붙여지게", "접붙여지리라", "접붙여지리요", "접붙이시기를"]·PT["enxertar-", "fosse-enxertado.", "foste-enxertado", "serão-enxertados", "serão-enxertados;"]·RU["-культурную-маслину", "их", "привился", "привьются", "среди-"]·ES["fuera-injertado", "fuiste-injertado", "para-injertar", "serán-injertados"]·SW["kuwapandikiza", "nipandikizwe.", "ulipandikizwa", "watapandikizwa", "watapandikizwa;"]·TR["aşılamaya", "aşılanacaklar", "aşılanayım", "aşılandın"]·urd["پیوند-لگائے-جائیں-گے", "پیوند-لگانے", "پیوند-لگایا-جاؤں", "پیوند-لگایا-گیا"]
Related Senses
H3754 1. vineyard, cultivated grape plot (92×)H0730 1. cedar tree or wood (73×)H1612 1. vine, grapevine (55×)H3293a 1. forest, wood, thicket (55×)H5560 1. fine flour (53×)H5193 1. plant vegetation (48×)H2232 1. sow seed, plant crops (41×)H1715 1. grain, cereal crop (40×)H7114b 1. reap, harvest grain (36×)H2132 1. olive tree (34×)H8184 1. barley (34×)H2406 1. wheat (grain crop) (30×)H7070 1. reed, cane (plant) (30×)H7848 1. acacia (28×)H8328 1. root of a plant (28×)H8384 1. fig tree (25×)H5488 1. reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds') (24×)G0290 1. a vineyard (23×)G2325 1. reap, harvest a crop (21×)G4687 1. sow seed, plant (21×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐγκεντ-ρίζω, goad, spur on, LXX __II of plants, graft, Refs 4th c.BC+, etc.: metaphorically, NT+3rd c.AD+; of a Centaur, ὃν φύσις ἐνεκέντρισεν ἵππῳ Refs __III (κέντρον) concentrate, Refs 5th c.AD+ —passive Refs