Lexical Summary thrauó: To break, to shatter, to crush Original Word: θραύω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance crush, bruise, oppress A primary verb; to crush -- bruise. Compare rhegnumi. see GREEK rhegnumi HELPS Word-studies 2352 thraúō – properly, break in pieces (shatter). 2352 (thraúō) is used only in Lk 4:18. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. verb Definition to break in pieces NASB Translation oppressed (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2352: θραύωθραύω: perfect passive participle τεθραυσμένος; from (Herodotus), Aeschylus down, to break, break in pieces, shatter, smite through (Exodus 15:6; Numbers 24:17, etc.; 2 Macc. 15:16): τεθραύσμενοι, broken by calamity (A. V. bruised), Luke 4:18 (19) from Isaiah 58:6 for רְצוּצִים. (Synonym: see ῤήγνυμι.) Topical Lexicon Context and SettingIn Luke 4:18 Jesus reads from Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth and proclaims: “He has sent Me … to release the oppressed”. The participle translated “the oppressed” carries the idea of those already broken—people whose lives have been shattered by sin, sickness, demonic bondage, social marginalization, or political subjugation. By choosing this passage for His inaugural sermon, Jesus publicly defines His messianic mission in terms of healing and emancipation for the crushed. Old Testament Background 1. Isaiah 61:1 supplies the wording Jesus cites. In the Hebrew text the Servant is sent “to bind up the brokenhearted,” while the Septuagint employs language of release. Both ideas converge in Jesus’ ministry: binding up interior wounds and freeing from external chains. Messianic Fulfillment Jesus embodies the Jubilee motif of Leviticus 25, declaring the “year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:19). The Jubilee released debtors, restored inheritance, and liberated slaves. By invoking the verb of shattering in Luke 4:18, Luke portrays humanity under sin as spiritually bankrupt, dispossessed, and imprisoned until Christ proclaims Jubilee freedom. Spiritual Brokenness and Healing 1. Sin fractures relationship with God (Isaiah 59:2). Christ heals that fracture through His atoning death and resurrection (Romans 5:10). Historical Interpretation • Early Church writers such as Irenaeus viewed Luke 4:18 as a programmatic text proving Jesus to be the promised Liberator who reverses the curse of the fall. Pastoral and Ministerial Applications 1. Preaching: Proclaim Christ as the One who still liberates captives to sin, fear, and addiction. Theological Implications • Christ’s compassion toward the broken is rooted in His incarnation; He knows human frailty from the inside (Hebrews 4:15). Practical Reflections for Today Believers are called to mirror their Lord by: – Refusing to “break a bruised reed” through harsh judgment or indifference. – Speaking the Gospel that alone can reverse spiritual fracture. – Demonstrating Kingdom mercy in tangible ways, anticipating the day when all brokenness is forever healed in the presence of the Lamb. Strong’s Greek 2352 therefore serves as a vivid reminder that the Gospel is God’s answer to every kind of brokenness, and that the ministry of Jesus Christ continues through His body, the Church, until the final restoration of all things. Forms and Transliterations έθραυσε έθραυσεν εθραύσθη θραύειν θραύεσθε θραύσαι θραύσει θραυσθή θραυσθήσεται τεθραυσμένος τεθραυσμενους τεθραυσμένους tethrausmenous tethrausménousLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |