καταποντ-ίζω G2670
to drown, to sink (in the sea); both active sense (cause to drown) and passive (be submerged)
The verb describes drowning or sinking in deep water, particularly the sea. In Matthew 14:30, Peter begins to sink when his faith wavers while walking on the water toward Jesus. In Matthew 18:6, Jesus uses vivid imagery—a millstone tied around the neck and drowning in the depths of the sea—to warn against causing little believers to stumble. Classical usage included both throwing someone into the sea and the resulting submersion, making it a powerful metaphor for total destruction.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To drown or sink in water, whether actively causing submersion or passively being overcome by waves. Matthew 14:30 depicts Peter's literal near-drowning as he walked on water, while 18:6 uses the imagery hypothetically as the ultimate punishment for those who lead astray the vulnerable. Spanish and French ('hundirse,' 'couler') emphasize the sinking motion, while English captures both the transitive 'be drowned' and intransitive 'to sink' nuances that the Greek verb carries in different contexts. 2×
AR["يَغْرَقُ", "يُغْرَقُ"]·ben["ডুবতে", "ডুবানো-হয়"]·DE["καταποντίζεσθαι", "καταποντισθῇ"]·EN["he-should-be-drowned", "to-sink"]·FR["couler"]·heb["יִטְבַּע", "לִטְבֹּעַ"]·HI["दुबोय-जअये", "दोओबने"]·ID["ditenggelamkan", "tenggelam"]·IT["affondare"]·jav["kacemplungaken", "kelem,"]·KO["가라앉으며", "빠뜨려지는-것이"]·PT["a-afundar"]·RU["потопили", "тонуть"]·ES["a-hundirse", "sea-hundido"]·SW["azamishwe", "kuzama"]·TR["batmaya", "batırılsın"]·urd["ڈبویا-جائے", "ڈوبنے"]
Related Senses
H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)H5674a 1. Qal: pass by, pass through (256×)H3381 1. Qal: to go down, descend (physical movement) (242×)G1831 1. go/come out physically (193×)H5337 1. deliver, rescue, save (Hifil) (188×)H7901 1. lie down, rest, sleep (183×)G1525 1. enter a place physically (179×)H7812 1. prostrate oneself, bow down, worship (173×)H3318 2. Hifil: bring out, lead out, take out (persons) (172×)H7725 2. to bring back, restore (Hifil) (151×)H5674a 2. Qal: cross over (134×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
καταποντ-ίζω, throw into the sea, plunge or drown therein, τινα Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, variant in NT+2nd c.BC+; sink, NT.Mat.14.30; of a ship, Refs 3rd c.BC+