Senses
1. swallow up, devour, overwhelm — To swallow down or engulf completely; to consume or destroy by swallowing, used both literally and figuratively. This single sense of katapino covers all NT occurrences. Literally in Matt 23:24, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees who strain out a gnat but 'swallow' a camel (present participle katapinontes) -- a vivid hyperbole for moral distortion. In Heb 11:29 the Egyptians 'were swallowed up' (aorist passive katepotheesan) by the Red Sea, a literal physical engulfment. In Rev 12:16 the earth opened its mouth and 'swallowed' (aorist active katepien) the river the dragon spewed. Figuratively in 1 Cor 15:54, death is 'swallowed up' (aorist passive katepothee) in victory -- the triumphant eschatological defeat of death itself. In 2 Cor 2:7 Paul warns that excessive sorrow might 'swallow up' (aorist subjunctive passive katapothee) the repentant sinner -- overwhelmed by grief. In 2 Cor 5:4 believers groan because they desire that the mortal 'might be swallowed up' (aorist subjunctive passive katapothee) by life. In 1 Pet 5:8 the devil seeks someone 'to devour' (aorist infinitive katapiein). All multilingual glosses confirm: Arabic ibtala'a (swallow), German verschlingen, Hebrew nivla/livloa (was swallowed/to swallow), Hindi nigalnaa (to swallow), Korean samkida (swallow), Spanish tragar/devorar. 7×
AR["ابتَلَعَت","ابتُلِعَ","ابْتُلِعُوا","البالِعينَ","يَبتَلِعُ","يُبتَلَعَ"]·ben["গিলে-খেতে","গিলে-ফেলল","গিলে-ফেলে","গ্রাস-করা-হল","গ্রাস-হয়","ডুবে-গেল"]·DE["verschlingen","καταπίνοντες"]·EN["might-be-swallowed-up","swallowed","swallowing","to-devour","was-swallowed-up","were-swallowed"]·FR["engloutir"]·heb["בָּלְעָה","בּוֹלְעִים","יִבָּלַע","לִבְלֹעַ","נִבְלְעוּ","נִבְלַע","שֶׁיִבָּלַע"]·HI["निगल-गई","निगल-गए।","निगल-जाए","निगल-ली-गई","निगलते-हो","निगलने-के-लिए"]·ID["Ditelan","ditelan","ditelan.","menelan","untuk-ditelan"]·IT["inghiottire","katapiein","katapinontes","katepien","katepothēsan"]·jav["Katelen","dipun-telen","kang-dipunmangsa,","kauntu","kelelep","ngulu","nguntal"]·KO["삼켜졌다","삼켜졌으니","삼켜지게","삼켜지지-않도록","삼켰으니","삼키는-자들아","삼키려-함이니"]·PT["Foi-tragada","engoliu","foram-engolidos","seja-absorvido","seja-devorado"]·RU["Поглощена","поглотила","поглотить,","поглощено-было","поглощены-были","поглощён-был","проглатывающие"]·ES["Fue-tragada","devorar","fueron-tragados","que-tragáis","sea-absorbido","sea-consumido","tragó"]·SW["Limemezwa","Ole","amezwe","ikaumeza","kimezwe","kummeza","walimezwa"]·TR["o-","yutanlar","yutmaya","yuttu","yutuldular","yutulmasın","yutulsun"]·urd["نگل-لیا","نگل-لیا-جائے","نگلتے-ہوئے","نگلنے-کو،","نگلی-گئی","ڈوب-جائے","ڈوب-گئے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
καταπίνω [ῑ], future -πίομαι Refs 6th c.BC+, later -πιοῖμαι Refs 1st c.AD+: aorist Refs 8th c.BC+ R.: perfect -πέπωκα Refs 6th c.BC+:—gulp, swallow down, both of liquids and solids Refs 8th c.BC+; λίθους Refs 5th c.BC+; of the sea, LXX+6th c.BC+:—passive, τὸ -ποθὲν ὕδωρ (i.e. by the earth) Refs 5th c.BC+; of rivers that disappear underground, Refs 4th c.BC+; of cities swallowed by an earthquake,…