"a sponge, Mt. 27:48; Mk. 15:36; Jn. 19:29*"
Definition and meaning
a sponge, Mt. 27:48; Mk. 15:36; Jn. 19:29*
In the original Greek the word is written: σπόγγος
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 spongos (G4699) across the King James Bible.
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.
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.
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
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Common questions
Strong's G4699 (spongos) is a Greek word that means: a sponge, Mt. 27:48; Mk. 15:36; Jn. 19:29* It appears 3 times in the King James Bible.
The word spongos (G4699) appears 3 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G4699 is spongos, a Greek word defined as: a sponge, Mt. 27:48; Mk. 15:36; Jn. 19:29*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
spongos is a Greek word found in the New Testament.