ὁρκίζω (horkizō)
horkizō
to adjure
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb horkizō means to compel someone to take a solemn oath or to adjure them with serious urgency. It derives from the noun for "oath," indicating that the speaker is invoking a binding promise, often by God’s name, to ensure compliance. This action carries significant weight, as it moves beyond a simple request into the realm of legal or spiritual obligation.
In the New Testament, this word appears only twice, highlighting its specific use in moments of high tension. In Mark 5:7, an unclean spirit cries out and horkizōs Jesus, demanding He not torment them. Similarly, in Acts 19:13, Jewish exorcists attempt to horkizō evil spirits using the name of Jesus, treating the divine name as a powerful formula for control. These instances show the word used when one party tries to bind another through a sworn command.
Translators typically render horkizō as "adjure" or "command with an oath." While modern English rarely uses adjuration in daily speech, the Greek term emphasizes the seriousness of the appeal. It is not merely a request but a forceful insistence backed by the threat of divine judgment or the power of the name invoked.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word horkizō carries a heavy weight in Scripture, describing a forceful command backed by an oath. It is not a gentle suggestion but a demand that invokes divine authority to bind another party. In the New Testament, this term appears only twice, and both instances involve spiritual conflict where human or demonic forces attempt to control the outcome through urgency.
These occurrences remind us that true authority does not come from manipulating names or demanding compliance. When spirits tried to adjure Jesus in Mark 5:7, they failed because He holds all power. Similarly, when exorcists in Acts 19:13 used the name of Jesus as a magical formula, their attempt was rejected. The passage shows that Jesus cannot be coerced or controlled by human rituals.
This offers comfort to believers facing spiritual opposition. We do not need to force outcomes through anxious demands or empty words. Instead, we rest in the fact that Christ’s authority is absolute and secure. Our peace comes from trusting His sovereignty rather than trying to manipulate circumstances through fear or force.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- I adjure2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ὁρκίζω2×
Key Verses
-
Mark 5:7
and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me.”
This verse shows an unclean spirit attempting to bind Jesus with a solemn oath, highlighting the futility of demonic efforts to control the Son of God.
-
Acts 19:13
But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
Here, itinerant exorcists treat the name of Jesus as a magical formula to compel evil spirits, demonstrating that divine authority cannot be reduced to a human incantation.