ἑορτάζω G1858
to keep festival, celebrate a feast
A verb meaning to observe a festival or holiday, derived from ἑορτή (feast). Classical usage included celebrating victories or religious festivals, and at Rome it could mean celebrating a triumph. In 1 Corinthians 5:8, Paul urges believers to 'keep the festival' (ἑορτάζωμεν) with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, transforming Passover imagery into a metaphor for Christian living.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Paul's call to 'celebrate the festival' draws on the Passover tradition of removing leaven. The Spanish 'celebremos,' French 'fête,' and German 'Fest-feiern' all convey festive observance. Paul reinterprets the annual feast as a continuous ethical state: since Christ our Passover has been sacrificed, believers should perpetually celebrate with moral purity rather than the old leaven of malice. 1×
AR["لِـنَعيِّدْ"]·ben["পর্ব-পালন-করি,"]·DE["Fest-feiern"]·EN["let-us-celebrate"]·FR["fête"]·heb["נָחֹג"]·HI["पर्व-मनाएं"]·ID["marilah-kita-merayakan,"]·IT["festeggiare"]·jav["kita-mahargya,"]·KO["절기를-지키자"]·PT["celebremos"]·RU["будем-праздновать,"]·ES["celebremos"]·SW["tuadhimishe-sikukuu,"]·TR["kutlayalım"]·urd["عید-منائیں"]
Related Senses
H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G4336 1. pray to God (86×)H6944 3. holy things, sacred offerings (plural) (86×)H3722a 1. make ritual atonement (Piel) (85×)H6912 1. bury (Qal active) (82×)H6419 1. pray (Hitpael) (80×)H6944 4. holiness (with possessive pronoun) (77×)H6942 1. sanctify, consecrate (Piel factitive) (76×)H2930a 1. Qal: be/become unclean (75×)H7819a 1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) (72×)H1486 1. lot (object cast for decisions) (71×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἑορτάζω, in Ionic dialectProse ὁρτάζω· imperfect ἑώρταζον (with irregular augment) Refs 5th c.BC+: future -άσωRefs 2nd c.AD+: aorist ἑώρτασα Refs 2nd c.AD+; infinitive ἑορτάσαι Refs 5th c.BC+; compare διεορτάζω: (ἑορτή):—keep festival or holiday, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἑορτὰς ἑ. celebrate festivals, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἑ. τῷ θεῷ Refs 2nd c.AD+ __II celebrate as a festival, νίκην ἑ. celebrate it by a festival, Refs 1st c.AD+; at Rome, celebrate by a triumph, Refs 2nd c.AD+