1758. enechó
Lexical Summary
enechó: To hold a grudge, to be hostile, to have a quarrel

Original Word: ἐνέχω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: enechó
Pronunciation: en-ekh'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (en-ekh'-o)
KJV: entangle with, have a quarrel against, urge
NASB: grudge against, had a grudge against, hostile, subject
Word Origin: [from G1722 (ἔν - among) and G2192 (ἔχω - have)]

1. to hold in or upon, i.e. ensnare
2. (by implication) to keep a grudge

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
have a quarrel against, hold a grudge

From en and echo; to hold in or upon, i.e. Ensnare; by implication, to keep a grudge -- entangle with, have a quarrel against, urge.

see GREEK en

see GREEK echo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from en and echó
Definition
to hold in or upon, i.e. to ensnare, by impl. to keep a grudge
NASB Translation
grudge against (1), had a grudge against (1), hostile (1), subject (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1758: ἐνέχω

ἐνέχω; imperfect ἐνεῖχον; (present passive ἐνέχομαι); to have within, to hold in;

a. passive to be held, be entangled, be held ensnared, with a dative of the thing in which one is held captive — very often in Greek writings, both literally (as τῇ πάγη, Herodotus 2, 121, 2) and figuratively (as ἀγγελία, Pindar Pythagoras 8, 69; φιλοτιμία, Euripides, Iph. A. 527; κακῷ, Epictetus diss. 3, 22, 93): ζυγῷ δουλείας, Galatians 5:1; (θλίψεσιν, 2 Thessalonians 1:4 WH marginal reading) (ἀσεβείαις, 3Macc. 6:10).

b. ἐνέχω τίνι, to be enraged with, set oneself against, hold a grudge against someone: Mark 6:19; Luke 11:53 (Genesis 49:23); the expression is elliptical, and occurs in full (χόλον τίνι to have anger in oneself against another) in Herodotus 1, 118; 8, 27; 6, 119; see a similar ellipsis under προσέχω. (In this last case the ellipsis supplied is τόν νοῦν, Winers Grammar, 593 (552); Buttmann, 144 (126); Meyer, et al., would supply the same after ἐνέχειν in Mark and Luke the passages cited and render the phrase to have (an eye) on, watch with hostility; but DeWette, Bleek, others, agree with Grimm. Many take the expression in Luke, the passage cited outwardly, to press upon (R. V. text); see Stephanus Thesaurus, under the word; Liddell and Scott, under the word; Hesychius ἐνέχει. μνησικακεῖ. ἔγκειται.)

Topical Lexicon
Overview of the Term in Scripture

Ἐνέχω appears three times in the Greek New Testament and portrays the idea of “holding upon” someone or something—whether as a hostile fixation, as a lingering resentment, or as a constricting burden. While the contexts differ, each occurrence highlights the way an inner attitude can dominate and shape outward actions, either in destructive hostility or in spiritual bondage.

Occurrences in the New Testament

1. Mark 6:19 – “So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable.”
• The verb illuminates Herodias’s settled resentment toward John the Baptist. Her hatred is not momentary irritation but a continual gripping animus that drives her plotting.
2. Luke 11:53 – “As Jesus went on from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently and to question Him about many things.”
• Here the religious leaders “lay in wait” for Jesus. Their interior hostility locks them into an oppositional stance, revealing how a hardened heart can seize on every opportunity to undermine the truth.
3. Galatians 5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.”
• Paul uses the passive imperative to warn believers not to let themselves “be held” again by legalistic bondage. The verb pictures the Law’s yoke gripping and confining those who turn from grace.

Theological Significance

At root, Ἐνέχω depicts an internal clutch that dictates external behavior. When applied to personal animosity (Mark, Luke), it exposes sin’s corrosive power on relationships and the human propensity to cling to offense rather than forgiveness. In Galatians it exposes a spiritual danger: surrendering liberty in Christ to a system that re-enslaves. Together the passages reveal that what the heart “holds” eventually controls the life.

Historical Background and Cultural Context

• First-century Mediterranean honor-shame dynamics often nurtured lingering grudges. A slighted honor could produce the kind of enduring hostility exemplified by Herodias and the Pharisees.
• Rabbinic debates about Torah observance informed the Galatian crisis. Judaizers insisted Gentile converts accept circumcision and ceremonial obligations. Paul’s employment of Ἐνέχω evokes the image of an ox yoked by legalisms that once held Israel in pedagogical custody (Galatians 3:23-25).
• In Hellenistic rhetoric the verb could describe ships held fast by winds or anchors, reinforcing the sense of being impeded from a free course.

Pastoral and Practical Applications

1. Guarding the Heart – Believers are cautioned to refuse the slow poison of grudge-holding. As Ephesians 4:31 commands, “Get rid of all bitterness,” for unresolved anger imprisons both the offended and the offender.
2. Maintaining Gospel Freedom – Churches must resist any teaching that fetters consciences with requirements Christ has fulfilled. Freedom is not libertinism but liberation from coercive systems that cannot justify (Acts 15:10-11).
3. Spiritual Warfare – Luke 11:53 demonstrates how opposition to truth intensifies when hearts are gripped by unbelief. Discernment and prayer are essential when confronting entrenched hostility to the gospel.

Connections with Related Biblical Concepts

• Bitterness (Hebrews 12:15) – A root that “springs up” and defiles parallels Herodias’s abiding vendetta.
• Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35) – The refusal to release a debt exemplifies the negative side of Ἐνέχω; Christ’s call is to relinquish rather than retain offenses.
• Yoke Imagery – Galatians 5:1 links to Matthew 11:29-30, where Jesus offers a “yoke” that is easy. The contrast underscores that every disciple serves some master, yet Christ’s mastery liberates rather than enslaves.

Biblical Theology Trajectory

From Old Covenant to New, Scripture moves from external constraints to internal transformation. The Law could “hold” Israel in pedagogical custody, but grace in Christ releases believers into Spirit-empowered freedom (Galatians 5:13-18). Conversely, the Pharisaic hostility to Jesus and Herodias’s vendetta illustrate how sin binds the unregenerate heart. Redemption therefore involves both objective emancipation (justification) and subjective release (sanctification) from what once held sway.

Summary

Ἐνέχω serves as a concise picture-word of bondage—whether emotional, relational, or legalistic. The term warns against cherishing resentment and against re-embracing systems that Christ has dismissed. By the Spirit’s enabling, Christians are called to live ungripped by grudges and unyoked by slavery, “standing firm” in the liberty for which the Savior died and rose.

Forms and Transliterations
ενειχεν ενείχεν ἐνεῖχεν ενείχον ενεχειν ενέχειν ἐνέχειν ενεχεσθε ενέχεσθε ἐνέχεσθε ενέχεται ένθα enechein enéchein enechesthe enéchesthe eneichen eneîchen
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Englishman's Concordance
Mark 6:19 V-IIA-3S
GRK: δὲ Ἡρῳδιὰς ἐνεῖχεν αὐτῷ καὶ
NAS: Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted
KJV: Herodias had a quarrel against him,
INT: and Herodias held it against him and

Luke 11:53 V-PNA
GRK: Φαρισαῖοι δεινῶς ἐνέχειν καὶ ἀποστοματίζειν
NAS: to be very hostile and to question Him closely
KJV: began to urge [him] vehemently,
INT: Pharisees urgently to press upon [him] and to make speak

Galatians 5:1 V-PMM/P-2P
GRK: ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε
NAS: keep standing firm and do not be subject again
KJV: be not entangled again with the yoke
INT: in a yoke of bondage be held

Strong's Greek 1758
3 Occurrences


ἐνέχειν — 1 Occ.
ἐνέχεσθε — 1 Occ.
ἐνεῖχεν — 1 Occ.

1757
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