"to cause to drink, give drink to, Mt. 10:42; met. 1 Cor. 3:2; Rev. 14:8; to water, irrigate, met. 1 Cor. 3:6, 7, 8"
Definition and meaning
to cause to drink, give drink to, Mt. 10:42; met. 1 Cor. 3:2; Rev. 14:8; to water, irrigate, met. 1 Cor. 3:6, 7, 8
In the original Greek the word is written: ποτίζω
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 potizo (G4222) across the King James Bible.
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
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Common questions
Strong's G4222 (potizo) is a Greek word that means: to cause to drink, give drink to, Mt. 10:42; met. 1 Cor. 3:2; Rev. 14:8; to water, irrigate, met. 1 Cor. 3:6, 7, 8 It appears 15 times in the King James Bible.
The word potizo (G4222) appears 15 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4222 is potizo, a Greek word defined as: to cause to drink, give drink to, Mt. 10:42; met. 1 Cor. 3:2; Rev. 14:8; to water, irrigate, met. 1 Cor. 3:6, 7, 8. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
potizo is a Greek word found in the New Testament.