Bible Encyclopedias
Choke

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

chōk ( πνίγω , pnı́gō , and its compounds): Is used in its primary sense of "to strangle," or "to suffocate," in describing the fate of the swine (Luke 8:33 the King James Version). The Revised Version (British and American) has "drowned," but "choked" is the correct rendering of the Greek word.

Figurative: It is used in the sense of "to strangle" "smother," "suffocate," as if by depriving of breath, in describing the fate of the young grain growing in the midst of thorns ( Matthew 13:7 ). The figurative is carried a little farther still in describing the way the word, planted in the heart, is overcome by the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches (Matthew 13:22 ).