"to dig, excavate, Mt. 21:33; 25:18; Mk. 12:1*"
Definition and meaning
to dig, excavate, Mt. 21:33; 25:18; Mk. 12:1*
In the original Greek the word is written: ὀρύσσω
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of orysso (G3736) across the King James Bible.
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
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Common questions
Strong's G3736 (orysso) is a Greek word that means: to dig, excavate, Mt. 21:33; 25:18; Mk. 12:1* It appears 3 times in the King James Bible.
The word orysso (G3736) appears 3 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G3736 is orysso, a Greek word defined as: to dig, excavate, Mt. 21:33; 25:18; Mk. 12:1*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
orysso is a Greek word found in the New Testament.