Strong's g3591
Understanding ὄγκος (ogkos) Strong's G3591: The Athletic Weight That Teaches Spiritual Freedom
Pronunciation Guide: ong’-kos
Quick Answer: ὄγκος (ogkos) means a burden, weight, or encumbrance that hinders progress – specifically referring to anything that impedes a runner in their race, teaching us to remove spiritual hindrances from our walk with God.
Key Information
ὄγκος
Strong’s Entry
g3591
Gloss: ogkos (ong’-kos) n.1. a mass (as bending or bulging by its load)2. (figuratively) a burden (hindrance)[probably from agkos “a bend”, (“ache”)]KJV: weight See also: G43
1. What Does ὄγκος Mean?
Strong’s G3591: ὄγκος (ogkos) refers to a mass, bulk, or weight that causes hindrance through its burden. The word literally describes “whatever is prominent, protuberance, bulk, mass” and metaphorically means “a burden, weight, encumbrance.” In athletic contexts, it referred to “the excess bodily weight athletes shed during training” and “a mass as bending or bulging because of the load, burden.” The word appears only once in Scripture, in Hebrews 12:1, where it describes spiritual encumbrances that must be laid aside for effective Christian living.
Key Insight: Like athletes removing excess weight for peak performance, believers must identify and remove spiritual hindrances that slow their race of faith.
2. Where Does ὄγκος Come From?
Etymology and Morphology Details:
- Part of speech: Noun, masculine
- Etymology: “probably from the same as” G43 (ἀγκάλη – arm/embrace)
- Language origin: Classical Greek, used “in many other uses in Greek writings of all ages”
- Primary usage: Athletic and metaphorical contexts in both secular and biblical literature
ὄγκος Morphology:
This section helps readers identify different forms of this word in ancient texts and understand how Greek nouns change their endings based on their grammatical function.
Morphology:
- ὄγκος (nominative singular) – weight/burden (as subject)
- ὄγκου (genitive singular) – of weight/burden
- ὄγκῳ (dative singular) – to/for/with weight/burden
- ὄγκον (accusative singular) – weight/burden (as direct object)
3. What Is the History of ὄγκος?
The word ὄγκος has deep roots in classical Greek literature, where it described physical mass or bulk that creates burden through weight. In ancient Greek athletic culture, where athletes “trained naked, rubbing their bodies with olive oil” and competed in gymnasiums, the concept of removing excess weight (ὄγκος) was central to athletic success. Ancient Greek athletes understood that “nakedness emphasised equality” by stripping away “material signs of status,” leaving competitors with “little more than their mind and body.”
Greek athletic training was deeply practical: “Running and jumping made him active and sound of wind; throwing the diskos and the spear trained hand and eye for the use of weapons; wrestling and boxing taught him to defend himself in hand-to-hand warfare.” The removal of ὄγκος represented not just physical preparation but spiritual discipline – the shedding of anything that would impede peak performance in life’s most important contest.
The Septuagint translators did not commonly use this specific term, as it appears to be selected by the author of Hebrews for its precise athletic connotations that would resonate with Greek-speaking Jewish believers familiar with Hellenistic culture.
Historical Summary: From classical Greek athletics to biblical metaphor, ὄγκος evolved from describing physical weight hindering athletes to spiritual encumbrances hindering believers.
4. How Should ὄγκος Be Translated?
Primary Meanings:
- Weight – Physical or metaphorical burden that impedes
- Encumbrance – Something that hinders or restrains
- Hindrance – An obstacle to progress or performance
- Burden – A load that slows or stops forward movement
Translation Tip: Context determines whether to emphasize the athletic metaphor (weight/encumbrance) or the general concept of hindrance, but the athletic background should always inform the translation choice.
ὄγκος Translation Options:
- “Weight” (KJV, NKJV) – Emphasizes the athletic metaphor most directly
- “Encumbrance” (NASB, ESV) – Captures both burden and hindrance concepts
- “Hindrance” (NIV, CSB) – Focuses on the impediment aspect
- “Burden” (some versions) – Emphasizes the oppressive nature
- “Everything that hinders” (NIV) – Interpretive but captures the comprehensive nature
5. How Is ὄγκος Used in the Bible?
The word ὄγκος appears only once in Scripture, in Hebrews 12:1, where it is “used metaphorically in this verse (the only use in Scripture) to refer to that which serves to hinder or prevent someone from doing something – a hindrance, an impediment.” The context immediately follows Hebrews 11’s magnificent catalog of faith heroes and introduces the athletic metaphor that dominates chapter 12.
The “cloud of witnesses” represents the Old Testament saints who “have run the race before us” and whose lives testify that “by faith, you can finish.” Against this backdrop of faithful predecessors, believers are called to remove every ὄγκος that would slow their spiritual progress. The imagery draws from Olympic preparation where “an athlete would strip for action both by the removal of superfluous flesh through rigorous training and by the removal of all clothes.”
The singular biblical usage emphasizes completeness – not some weights, but every weight must be removed for effective Christian living and spiritual maturity.
Usage Summary: ὄγκος appears once in Hebrews 12:1 as part of an athletic metaphor teaching believers to remove all spiritual hindrances for effective faith living.
Cross-Reference Verses:
- “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight [ὄγκος], and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
6. What Cultural Context Surrounds ὄγκος?
Ancient Greek athletic culture was central to social, educational, and religious life. The gymnasium functioned not only as “a training facility for competitors in public games” but also “a place for socializing and engaging in intellectual pursuits.” Athletes understood that achieving “a harmonious balance between body and mind was an important aspect of an individual’s personal development,” making the gymnasium a place where “wrestling matches” occurred alongside “philosophy lectures.”
The athletic body represented the ideal: “Athletes were training naked in gymnasiums (from the Greek gymnos – naked)” because “sports and nudity were elements of the male culture” that connected to “the general anthropocentric nature of both the artistic and religious culture of ancient Greece, which was deifying the ideal body.” This cultural background reveals why the author of Hebrews chose ὄγκος – his readers would immediately understand the necessity of removing every hindrance for peak performance.
The Hebrew background also enriches our understanding. The concept of removing hindrances for spiritual progress echoes throughout Hebrew wisdom literature, where the righteous path requires leaving behind entangling sins and worldly distractions that slow spiritual advancement.
Cultural Context: Greek athletic culture’s emphasis on removing all hindrances for peak performance provided the perfect metaphor for spiritual discipline and Christian maturation.
7. What Does ὄγκος Teach Us About God?
The use of ὄγκος reveals God’s character as the ultimate trainer who desires His children’s peak spiritual performance. Just as no caring athletic coach would allow unnecessary weight to hinder their athlete’s success, our Heavenly Father calls us to identify and remove spiritual encumbrances that prevent us from experiencing His fullness. The concept points us to Jesus as both “the author and finisher of our faith,” who is present at both “the starting line and the finish line and all along the way of the race that He sets before us.”
God’s holiness demands that we approach Him unencumbered by sin and worldly attachments that create spiritual drag in our relationship with Him. His love motivates this call to spiritual fitness – not as legalistic burden-bearing, but as freedom from the very things that steal our joy, peace, and effectiveness in His Kingdom. Like Jesus who “could look past the horror of the cross to enjoy the joy beyond it,” we are called to endure temporary discomfort of removing ὄγκος for eternal spiritual benefit.
The imagery also reveals God’s comprehensive concern for our spiritual health. He doesn’t merely want us to avoid major sins – He desires us to be free from every encumbrance, no matter how small or seemingly innocent, that hinders our intimacy with Him and effectiveness in His service.
Theological Core: ὄγκος reveals God as the loving trainer who calls us to spiritual fitness by removing all hindrances to intimate fellowship with Him.
8. How Can I Apply ὄγκος to My Life?
The call to lay aside every ὄγκος is comprehensive – “note there is no ‘exception clause’ but every ‘ounce’ of superfluous (‘spiritual’) weight is to be cast off and away from ourselves.” This requires honest self-examination to identify what specifically hinders your spiritual progress. These might include unhealthy relationships, time-wasting activities, materialism, unforgiveness, or even good things that become idolatrous when they compete with your devotion to the Messiah.
Like ancient Olympic athletes who understood that “it was just easier to meander in the crowd of life than to run the marathon,” we must choose the harder path of spiritual discipline over spiritual complacency. This means regularly evaluating your priorities, relationships, and activities through the lens of whether they help or hinder your race of faith. The goal isn’t legalistic burden-bearing but joyful freedom to run effectively toward the prize of knowing יהוה (Yahweh) more deeply and serving Him more effectively.
Self-Examination Questions: What specific “weights” in my life slow my spiritual progress? Am I willing to remove even good things that hinder my best spiritual performance? How can I regularly evaluate and remove spiritual encumbrances?
9. What Words Are Similar to ὄγκος?
- βάρος (baros) – BAH-ros – A weight or burden, specifically emphasizing heaviness rather than bulk – See G922
- φορτίον (phortion) – for-TEE-on – A burden that is carried or borne, often lighter than βάρος and can refer to a load assigned by another – See G5413
- ἐμπόδιον (empodion) – em-POD-ee-on – Something that entangles the feet, a stumbling block or impediment – See G1462
- σκάνδαλον (skandalon) – SKAN-da-lon – A trap-stick or snare, metaphorically an occasion of stumbling or offense – See G4625
- ἀγκάλη (agkale) – ang-KAL-ay – An arm or embrace, possibly etymologically related to ὄγκος through the concept of curvature or bending – See G43
10. Did you Know?
- What does ὄγκος mean in modern Greek? Modern Greek retains ὄγκος (óngos) meaning “volume,” “bulk,” or “mass,” particularly in medical contexts (like tumor masses), showing remarkable continuity with its ancient meaning of prominent bulk.
- How did classical authors use ὄγκος? Ancient writers used “cloud” metaphors similarly: “Both the Greeks and Latins frequently use the term cloud, to express a great number of persons or things; so in Euripides… a dense cloud of shields; and Statius… a cloud of spearmen.”
- What’s the difference between ὄγκος and βάρος? While βάρος emphasizes “weight” as heaviness, ὄγκος emphasizes “bulk” as mass – “922 refers to weight, 3591 to bulk, and either may be oppressive.”
- Why does the Bible use ὄγκος only in Hebrews? The author of Hebrews specifically chose this athletic term to communicate with Greek-speaking Jewish believers who would understand both the Olympic imagery and the spiritual application to their faith journey.
- How does ὄγκος relate to sanctification? The concept teaches progressive sanctification – the ongoing process of becoming more like the Messiah by continually identifying and removing spiritual hindrances that impede growth.
- What causes spiritual ὄγκος today? Modern spiritual encumbrances include digital distractions, materialism, busyness, unforgiveness, pride, fear, and even religious activities that become substitutes for genuine relationship with God through Yeshua.
11. Remember This
ὄγκος reminds us that the Christian life is not a casual stroll but an athletic competition requiring the discipline to remove every hindrance – no matter how small or seemingly innocent – that would slow our race toward the prize of knowing our Messiah more deeply and serving Him more effectively.
Note: While this entry strives for accuracy, readers engaged in critical research should verify citations and keyword occurrences in their Bible translation of choice. For Biblical citations, the F.O.G Bible project recommends Logos Bible software.
Strong's g3591
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