2218. zugos
Berean Strong's Lexicon
zugos: Yoke

Original Word: ζυγός
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: zugos
Pronunciation: dzoo-gos'
Phonetic Spelling: (dzoo-gos')
Definition: Yoke
Meaning: a yoke; hence met: (a Jewish idea) of a heavy burden, comparable to the heavy yokes resting on the bullocks' necks; a balance, pair of scales.

Word Origin: From the root of ζεύγνυμι (zeugnumi), meaning "to join" or "to yoke."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - H5923 עֹל (ol): Often translated as "yoke," used in similar contexts to describe burdens or obligations, such as in Jeremiah 28:10.

Usage: The term "zugos" primarily refers to a yoke, a wooden beam used to join two animals, usually oxen, for the purpose of pulling a load or plowing a field. In a broader sense, it symbolizes servitude, burden, or bondage. In the New Testament, it is often used metaphorically to describe the obligations or burdens placed upon individuals, whether by religious law, societal expectations, or spiritual commitments.

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient agrarian societies, the yoke was an essential tool for farming, allowing for efficient plowing and transportation. The imagery of the yoke was well understood by Jesus' audience, as it was a common sight in daily life. The yoke also carried connotations of submission and obedience, as the animals under the yoke were directed by their master. In Jewish tradition, the yoke could symbolize the Law of Moses, which was seen as a guide but also a burden due to its numerous commandments.

HELPS Word-studies

2218 zygós – properly, a yoke; a wooden bar placed over the neck of a pair of animals so they can pull together; (figuratively) what unites (joins) two people to move (work) together as one.

[2218 (zygós) unites two elements to work as one unit, like when two pans (weights) operate together on a balance-scale – or a pair of oxen pulling a single plough.]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from zeugnumi (to yoke)
Definition
a yoke
NASB Translation
pair of scales (1), yoke (5).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2218: ζυγός

ζυγός, ζυγοῦ, , for which in Greek writings before Polybius τό ζυγόν was more common (from ζεύγνυμι);

1. a yoke;

a. properly, such as is put on draught-cattle.

b. metaphorically, used of any burden or bondage: as that of slavery, 1 Timothy 6:1 (Leviticus 26:13), δουλείας, Galatians 5:1 (Sophocles Aj. 944; δουλοσυνης, Demosthenes 322, 12); of troublesome laws imposed on one, especially of the Mosaic law, Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1; hence, the name is so transferred to the commands of Christ as to contrast them with the commands of the Pharisees which were a veritable 'yoke'; yet even Christ's commands must be submitted to, though easier to be kept: Matthew 11:29f (less aptly in Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 16, 17 [ET] Christians are called οἱ ὑπό τόν ζυγόν τῆς χάριτος ἐλθόντες (cf. Harnack at the passage)).

2. a balance, pair of scales: Revelation 6:5 (as in Isaiah 40:12; Leviticus 19:36; Plato, rep. 8, 550 e.; Aelian v. h. 10, 6; others).

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
pair of balances, yoke.

From the root of zeugnumi (to join, especially by a "yoke"); a coupling, i.e. (figuratively) servitude (a law or obligation); also (literally) the beam of the balance (as connecting the scales) -- pair of balances, yoke.

Forms and Transliterations
εζυγωμένα ζυγοί ζυγοίς ζυγον ζυγόν ζυγὸν ζύγον ζυγος ζυγός ζυγού ζυγω ζυγώ ζυγῷ ζύθον zugo zugō zugon zugos zygo zygō zygôi zygō̂i zygon zygón zygòn zygos zygós
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 11:29 N-AMS
GRK: ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ'
NAS: Take My yoke upon you and learn
KJV: Take my yoke upon you,
INT: Take the yoke of me upon

Matthew 11:30 N-NMS
GRK: ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς
NAS: For My yoke is easy and My burden
KJV: For my yoke [is] easy, and
INT: the indeed yoke of me easy

Acts 15:10 N-AMS
GRK: θεόν ἐπιθεῖναι ζυγὸν ἐπὶ τὸν
NAS: of the disciples a yoke which
KJV: God, to put a yoke upon the neck
INT: God to put a yoke upon the

Galatians 5:1 N-DMS
GRK: μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε
NAS: again to a yoke of slavery.
KJV: again with the yoke of bondage.
INT: not again in a yoke of bondage be held

1 Timothy 6:1 N-AMS
GRK: εἰσὶν ὑπὸ ζυγὸν δοῦλοι τοὺς
NAS: are under the yoke as slaves
KJV: are under the yoke count their own
INT: are under a yoke slaves the

Revelation 6:5 N-AMS
GRK: αὐτὸν ἔχων ζυγὸν ἐν τῇ
NAS: on it had a pair of scales in his hand.
KJV: him had a pair of balances in his
INT: it having a pair of scales in the

Strong's Greek 2218
6 Occurrences


ζυγῷ — 1 Occ.
ζυγόν — 4 Occ.
ζυγός — 1 Occ.

















2217
Top of Page
Top of Page