verb
sfragizamō
Strong’sG4972
I set a seal upon
stem sfragiz-15 times in the New Testamentin 6 of 27 books9 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
σφραγίζω means to seal – to close, fasten, or stamp something with a seal, as one would do to a document, a container, or a tomb, for security so that it cannot be tampered with 1234. In this literal use it can also mean to authenticate or certify a written document by attaching a seal to it 3.
From this comes a sense of hiding or keeping secret: sealing something so that its contents remain concealed and unknown until later 12.
It is also used of marking someone or something as belonging to another, or distinguishing it from others – the idea of putting a mark of ownership or protection on a person or group 13.
Finally, it carries the sense of confirming, attesting, or guaranteeing something as true or genuine – vouching for the reality or trustworthiness of a person, statement, or outcome 13.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
σφραγίζω
[in LXX chiefly for חתם (De 32:34, al.), also for סתם (Da TH 8:26);]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4972 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidsfrag-id'-zo
to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication, to keep secret, to attest
Fromfrom G4973;
King James(set a, set to) seal up, stop.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Ionic dialect σφρηγίζω, close or enclose with a seal, σφραγίζεις λύεις τ᾽ ὀπίσω.. πεύκην (={δέλτον}) Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ σιτάριον Refs 1st c.AD+:—middle, τὸν θησαυρόν Refs 2nd c.BC+; μόνη δὲ κλῇθρ᾽ ἐγὼ σφραγίζομαι LXX+5th c.BC+; δεῖγμα σφραγισάσθω let him seal up with his seal a sample (of the corn), Refs 3rd c.BC+:—passive, ἐν ᾧ [δώματι] κεραυνός ἐστιν ἐσφραγισμένος LXX+4th c.BC+; οὐ δύναμαι ἀναγνῶναι [τὸ βιβλίον]· ἐσφράγισται γάρLXX+3rd c.BC+; ἐσφραγίσθη γῇ λευκῇ Refs 2nd c.AD+
2 authenticate a document with a seal, Refs 2nd c.BC+ —middle Refs; ἵνα μὴ κυριεύσας (i.e. τῆς σφραγῖδος) κοινὴν ἐπιστολὴν κατὰ πάντων γράψας σφραγίσηται αὐτῇ τῇ σφραγῖδι Refs 3rd c.BC+; ἐξαποστεῖλαι εἰς Ῥόδον τοῦδε τοῦ ψηφίσματος ἀντίγραφον, σφραγισαμένους τῇ δημοσίᾳ σφραγῖδι Refs 2nd c.BC+; τὸ βιβλίον τῆς κτήσεως τὸ ἐσφραγισμένον LXX+2nd c.BC+
3 certify an object after examination by attaching a seal Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπεθεώρησα μόσχον ἕνα.. καὶ δοκιμάσας ἐσφράγισα ὡς ἔστιν καθαρός Wilcken Refs 2nd c.AD+
4 middle, seal an article to show that it is pledged, ἐγγύην σ. Refs 1st c.AD+: absolutely, make an impression with a seal for any purpose, καθάπερ οἱ σφραγιζόμενοι τοῖς δακτυλίοις Refs 4th c.BC+
II metaphorically senses:
II.1 close up as if with a seal, in passive, ἐσφραγισμένην ἀκριβῶς οὐλήν a fully closed cicatrix, Refs 2nd c.AD+ — middle, οὓς.. ἀφθόγγων στομάτων σφρηγίσσατο δεσμῷ, i.e. made them mute, Refs 4th c.AD+
II.2 accredit as an envoy, etc., τινα NT:—middle, ὁ χρίσας ἡμᾶς θεός, καὶ -ισάμενος ἡμᾶς NT
II.3 set a seal of approval upon, confirm, NT+1st c.AD+:—frequently in middle, σ. ποιητικαῖς φωναῖς Refs 2nd c.AD+; σ. αὐτοῖς τὸν καρπόν assure them of it, NT
II.4 generally, mark, ψάμμος.. νῶτον οὐκ ἐσφράγισεν the sand never marked his back, i.e. he never fell in the sand, Refs 1st c.AD+; δεινοῖς.. σημάντροισιν ἐσφραγισμένοι, of wounded persons, Refs 5th c.BC+; σφραγιζομένη γελασίνοις marked with dimples, Refs 2nd c.AD+
II.5 set an end or limit to, σφραγίσαι ἁμαρτίας LXX+2nd c.AD+:—middle, Ῥώμην ἀνερχομένῳ σφράγισαι ἠελίῳRefs (Antip.); πάντα δι᾽ ἀλλήλων ὁ πολὺς σφραγίζεται αἰών, i.e. the death of one creature is the birth of another, Archelaus cited in Refs 3rd c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| sfragizataἐσφράγισεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | sealed | 3× |
| sfragizivaἐσφραγίσθητε | happened · yeaorist passive indicative 2nd person plural | sealed | 2× |
| sfragizaseiaσφραγίσῃς | happened · youaorist active subjunctive 2nd person singular | seal up | 1× |
| sfragizaneiaσφραγίσωμεν | happened · weaorist active subjunctive 1st person plural | sealed | 1× |
| sfragizasarΣφράγισον | happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular | seal up | 1× |
| sfragizarantoisσφραγίσαντες | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative plural masculine | sealing | 1× |
| sfragizerantosσφραγισάμενος | happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine | sealed | 2× |
| sfragizorēntoisἐσφραγισμένοι | has happened · subjectperfect middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine | sealed | 3× |
| sfragizorēntoiuἐσφραγισμένων | has happened · of, belonging toperfect middle or passive participle genitive plural masculine | sealed | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 204, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 5 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizamō | sfragizame | sfragizami | sfragizama | sfragizamē | sfragizamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizasō | sfragizase | sfragizasi | sfragizasa | sfragizasē | sfragizaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizatō | sfragizate | sfragizati | sfragizata3×ἐσφράγισεν | sfragizatē | sfragizatelē |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizanō | sfragizane | sfragizani | sfragizana | sfragizanē | sfragizanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizavō | sfragizave | sfragizavi | sfragizava | sfragizavē | sfragizavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizalō | sfragizale | sfragizali | sfragizala | sfragizalē | sfragizalelē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizomō | sfragizome | sfragizomē | sfragizomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizosō | sfragizose | sfragizosē | sfragizoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizotō | sfragizote | sfragizotē | sfragizotelē |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizonō | sfragizone | sfragizonē | sfragizonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizovō | sfragizove | sfragizovē | sfragizovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizolō | sfragizole | sfragizolē | sfragizolelē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizemi | sfragizema |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizesi | sfragizesa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizeti | sfragizeta |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizeni | sfragizena |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizevi | sfragizeva |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizeli | sfragizela |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizimi | sfragizima |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizisi | sfragizisa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragiziti | sfragizita |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizini | sfragizina |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizivi | sfragiziva2×ἐσφραγίσθητε |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizili | sfragizila |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 2 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizameiō | sfragizameia | sfragizameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizaseiō | sfragizaseia1×σφραγίσῃς | sfragizaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizateiō | sfragizateia | sfragizateiē |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizaneiō | sfragizaneia1×σφραγίσωμεν | sfragizaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizaveiō | sfragizaveia | sfragizaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizaleiō | sfragizaleia | sfragizaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizomeiō | sfragizomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizoseiō | sfragizoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizoteiō | sfragizoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizoneiō | sfragizoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizoveiō | sfragizoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizoleiō | sfragizoleiē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizemeia |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizeseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizeteia |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizeneia |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizeveia |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizeleia |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizimeia |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragiziseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragiziteia |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizineia |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragiziveia |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizileia |
Commands — imperative mood, 1 occurrence
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizasōr | sfragizasar1×Σφράγισον | sfragizasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizatōr | sfragizatar | sfragizatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizavōr | sfragizavar | sfragizavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizalōr | sfragizalar | sfragizalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizosōr | sfragizosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizotōr | sfragizotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizovōr | sfragizovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizolōr | sfragizolēr |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizesar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizetar |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizevar |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizelar |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizisar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizitar |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizivar |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizilar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizamoiō | sfragizamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizasoiō | sfragizasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizatoiō | sfragizatoia |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizanoiō | sfragizanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizavoiō | sfragizavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizaloiō | sfragizaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizoloiō |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizemoia |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizesoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizetoia |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizenoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizevoia |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragizeloia |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | sfragizimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | sfragizisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | sfragizitoia |
| we 1st person plural | sfragizinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | sfragizivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | sfragiziloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, no occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | sfragizarō | sfragizari | sfragizara | sfragizarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | sfragizorō | sfragizorē | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | sfragizeri | sfragizera | ||
| acted on passive voice | sfragiziri | sfragizira |
Used as an adjective — participle, 7 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | sfragizarōntos | sfragizarintos | sfragizarantos1× | sfragizarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | sfragizorōntos | sfragizorēntos4× | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | sfragizerintos | sfragizerantos2×σφραγισάμενος | ||
| acted on passive voice | sfragizirintos | sfragizirantos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
sfragiz is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
15 occurrences, every one of them listed
sfragizata“sealed”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular3×
John 3:33tos labarantos autou tan marturian sfragizata hoti tos theos alēthos atō.Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.
John 6:27… vi dōati, houton gar tos patros sfragizata tos theos.… God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”
Revelation 20:3… eis tan abussan, kai kleiata kai sfragizata epanō autou, hina mē planateia ēti …… into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he …
sfragiziva“sealed”happened · yeaorist passive indicative 2nd person plural2×
Ephesians 1:13… sōtērēau vu, en ho kai pisteuarantois sfragiziva te pneume tau epangeliau te hagie,… gospel of your salvation — you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 4:30… tem hagiem tou theou, en he sfragiziva eis hēmeran apolutrōsiau.… of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
sfragizaseia“seal up”happened · youaorist active subjunctive 2nd person singular1×
Revelation 22:10Kai legatō mi; Mē sfragizaseia toin logoin tau profēteiau teu biblieu …Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this …
sfragizaneia“sealed”happened · weaorist active subjunctive 1st person plural1×
Revelation 7:3“sealed”… tan thalassan mēte teim dendreim, achri sfragizaneia toin douloin tou theou nu epi …… land or sea or trees until we have placed a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
sfragizasar“seal up”happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular1×
Revelation 10:4… akouama fōnan ek tou ouranou legarōntan; Sfragizasar heim lalala tais hepta brontais, kai …… heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said …
sfragizarantois“sealing”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative plural masculine1×
Matthew 27:66tois de poreuirantois asfalizela ton tafon sfragizarantois ton lithon meta tau koustōdiau.… went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.
sfragizerantos“sealed”happened · subjectaorist middle participle nominative singular masculine2×
Romans 15:28“sealed”houtem oun epitelarantos, kai sfragizerantos autoi ton karpon houton, aperchemi dia …… I have completed this service and have safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set off to Spain by way of you.
2 Corinthians 1:22“sealed”tos kai sfragizerantos nin kai dōarantos ton arrabōnon teu …… seal on us, and put His …
sfragizorēntois“sealed”has happened · subjectperfect middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine3×
Revelation 7:4… toiu sfragizorēntoiu, hekaton tesserakonta tessares chiliadais, sfragizorēntois ek pantau fulau huioiu Israēl;… the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:
Revelation 7:5ek fulau Ioudou dōdeka chiliadais sfragizorēntois, ek fulau Roubēn dōdeka chiliadais, ek …From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from …
Revelation 7:8“sealed”… chiliadais, ek fulau Beniamin dōdeka chiliadais sfragizorēntois.… Joseph 12,000, and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
sfragizorēntoiu“sealed”has happened · of, belonging toperfect middle or passive participle genitive plural masculine1×
Revelation 7:4“sealed”Kai akouama ton arithmon toiu sfragizorēntoiu, hekaton tesserakonta tessares chiliadais, sfragizorēntois ek …And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the …