βαρέω (bareō)
bareō
to burden
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb bareō describes the act of weighing down or burdening something, carrying the sense of pressing with heavy weight. In the New Testament, it appears exclusively in the passive voice, focusing on the experience of being oppressed rather than the one doing the oppressing. This grammatical choice highlights a state of being overwhelmed by external pressures, whether physical exhaustion or spiritual heaviness.
Its usage often paints a vivid picture of fatigue or distress. For instance, it describes the disciples’ deep sleep in Luke 9:32 as they were weighed down by drowsiness, and Jesus’ own exhaustion after prayer in Matthew 26:43. Paul also uses it to describe the crushing pressure he faced in Asia (2 Corinthians 1:8), emphasizing a burden so intense that survival seemed impossible.
The word derives from the root for "heavy" (barus), linking it directly to physical mass and gravity. Translators typically render this passive form as "oppressed," "overwhelmed," or "weighed down." It serves as a concrete metaphor for the human condition when facing trials that exceed one’s natural strength, illustrating how external forces can press upon the soul until relief is found.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Greek word bareō paints a vivid picture of being weighed down by external forces. In the New Testament, it appears only in the passive voice, focusing on the experience of being overwhelmed rather than the one doing the oppressing. This grammatical choice highlights a state of being crushed by pressures that exceed our natural strength, whether physical exhaustion or spiritual heaviness.
Jesus used this image to describe His disciples’ deep sleep in Luke 9:32 and His own exhaustion after prayer in Matthew 26:43. Paul later described his affliction in Asia as a burden so intense that survival seemed impossible (2 Corinthians 1:8). These passages remind us that feeling overwhelmed is part of the human condition, not a sign of faith failure.
When you face trials that press upon your soul until relief feels distant, remember that others have walked this path. The Bible does not promise an easy life, but it offers hope in the midst of heavy burdens. You are not alone in your struggle, and there is grace for those who carry weight beyond their capacity.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- wearied.1×
- wearied1×
- we were weighed1×
- should be burdened1×
- may be burdened1×
- being burdened,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐβαρήθημεν1×
- βεβαρημένοι.¶1×
- βεβαρημένοι1×
- βαρούμενοι,1×
- βαρηθῶσιν1×
- βαρείσθω1×
Key Verses
-
II Corinthians 1:8
For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia: that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life.
Paul uses this word to describe an affliction so severe that he despaired of life, showing the extreme depth of human vulnerability.
-
Luke 21:34
“So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly.
Jesus warns that hearts can be loaded down with worldly cares, using this term to illustrate spiritual heaviness that blinds us to His return.
-
II Corinthians 5:4
For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened, not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
Paul describes the mortal body as groaning under this burden, expressing a desire for eternal life to swallow up our present suffering.