ἡσσ-άομαι G2274
to be defeated, overcome, worsted; to be inferior or less than
This passive Greek verb expresses being overcome, defeated, or made inferior. Paul uses it twice in 2 Peter 2:19-20 to describe enslavement to corruption and sin: people are slaves to whatever overcomes them, and those who escape corruption but return to it are 'overcome' again. In 2 Corinthians 12:13 Paul uses it ironically, asking wherein the Corinthians were 'inferior' to other churches—except that he didn't burden them financially. The classical range extends from military defeat to moral failure, from being physically weaker to being logically refuted. The New Testament focuses on moral and spiritual defeat, the state of being mastered by sin or vice.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The sense captures being overcome or made inferior, whether by external force or internal weakness. Peter's dual usage in 2 Peter 2 establishes the word as describing entanglement and enslavement—'by what a person is overcome, to this he is enslaved.' The Spanish 'vencido' (vanquished), French 'vaincu' (conquered), and German 'unterlegen' (inferior) all point to defeat or subjugation. Paul's ironic usage in 2 Corinthians asks about inferiority but assumes none, playing on the word's comparative sense. Whether moral defeat (Peter) or rhetorical comparison (Paul), the word fundamentally describes the state of being worsted, outmatched, or mastered. 3×
AR["نَقَصْتُمْ", "يُغلَبونَ", "يُغلَبُ"]·ben["কম-হয়েছিলে", "পরাজিত-হয়", "পরাজিত-হয়েছে"]·DE["unterlegen-sein"]·EN["has-been-overcome", "they-are-overcome", "you-were-less-than"]·FR["être-vaincu", "ἡττῶνται", "ἥττηται"]·heb["הֻחְסַרְתֶּם", "מְנֻצָּחִים", "נֻצַּח"]·HI["तुम-घटे-रहे", "हारते-हैं", "हारा-है"]·ID["dikalahkan,", "kamu-dikurangi"]·IT["vincere", "ēttētai", "ēttōntai"]·jav["kawon,", "panjenengan-kirang"]·KO["못한-바-되었는가", "지면,"]·PT["foi-vencido", "fostes-inferiores", "são-vencidos"]·RU["побеждаются", "побеждён", "уступили"]·ES["fuisteis-inferiores", "ha-sido-vencido", "son-vencidos"]·SW["ameshindwa", "mlipungukiwa,", "wanashindwa"]·TR["eksik-kaldınız", "yenildiyse", "yenilirler"]·urd["کم-رہے", "ہارا-جاتا-ہے،", "ہارتے-ہیں،"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἡσσ-άομαι, Attic dialect ἡττ-, Refs 5th c.BC+: future ἡσσηθήσομαι Refs 5th c.BC+future middle ἡττήσομαιRefs 5th c.BC+: aorist ἡσσήθην Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἥσσημαι Refs 5th c.BC+: pluperfect ἥττητο Refs 4th c.BC+: Ionic dialect ἑσσόομαι, participle ἑσσούμενος Refs 5th c.BC+imperfect ἑσσοῦτο (without augment) Refs: aorist ἑσσώθην Refs: perfect ἕσσωμαι Refs 3rd c.BC+: (ἥσσων):—to be less or…