Exploring the Meaning of Thaumazo in Greek

θαυμάζω expresses the response of marveling. In the passages below it marks reactions to Jesus’ words, his actions, striking changes in the natural world, and even to his silence under accusation.

Occurrences

“When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, “Most certainly I tell you, I haven’t found so great a faith, not even in Israel.”” (Matthew 8:10)

Here θαυμάζω describes Jesus’ own reaction. The marveling is prompted by what he “heard,” and it leads directly into a public evaluation: he speaks to “those who followed” and contrasts what he has found with what he has not found “even in Israel.” The verb frames his statement as arising from a genuine, observable response rather than a detached verdict.

“The men marveled, saying, “What kind of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”” (Matthew 8:27)

In this scene the marveling belongs to “the men,” and it immediately becomes a question. θαυμάζω highlights their astonished assessment of Jesus’ identity in light of obedience from “the wind and the sea.” The verb signals that what they witness forces them to re-think categories: their marveling turns into speech that tries to name what sort of person could command such obedience.

“When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marveled, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”” (Matthew 9:33)

θαυμάζω here is the crowd’s reaction to a concrete reversal: a mute man speaking after the demon is expelled. Their marveling is expressed as a sweeping claim about unprecedented experience—“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!” The verb thus marks amazement that is not merely personal excitement but a communal judgment about the event’s uniqueness.

“so that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the God of Israel.” (Matthew 15:31)

In this summary statement, θαυμάζω (“wondered”) is tied to repeated observation: “when they saw” multiple kinds of restoration. The marveling is not isolated to a single spectacle; it gathers several healings into one stunned response. Notably, the reaction moves beyond amazement to worshipful acknowledgment—“they glorified the God of Israel”—so the verb contributes the sense of a turning point from seeing to honoring.

“When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree immediately wither away?”” (Matthew 21:20)

θαυμάζω describes the disciples’ reaction to sudden, visible change: the fig tree “immediately” withers. Their marveling again becomes a question, this time focused on mechanism—“How did…?” The verb underscores the immediacy and strangeness of what they see, while their question shows an attempt to understand how such a rapid outcome could occur.

“When they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and went away.” (Matthew 22:22)

Here marveling follows hearing and results in withdrawal. θαυμάζω marks a reaction that does not turn into argument or further engagement; instead, “they… left him.” The verb conveys that the words they heard produced a strong impression—strong enough to end the encounter with departure.

“He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.” (Matthew 27:14)

In this courtroom-like moment, θαυμάζω is provoked not by a display of power but by silence. Jesus’ refusal to answer—“not even one word”—creates the conditions for the governor’s strong reaction: he “marveled greatly.” The verb gives weight to the unusual character of the silence, presenting it as something that arrests the governor’s expectations and elicits wonder.

“He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled.” (Mark 5:20)

θαυμάζω here describes the response of “everyone” to testimony. The marveling is connected to hearing about “great things” Jesus had done for a particular man; it is the communicated story, publicly proclaimed, that spreads wonder. The verb therefore functions in a setting where amazement arises from proclamation and its content, not only from direct sight.

“He marveled because of their unbelief. He went around the villages teaching.” (Mark 6:6)

In this instance Jesus is again the subject, and the cause is explicitly given: “because of their unbelief.” θαυμάζω portrays his reaction to a negative response rather than to faith or miracles. The verb introduces a brief but sharp insight into the encounter’s emotional and evaluative impact, and it stands alongside his continued action: he “went around the villages teaching,” indicating marveling without withdrawal from ministry.

“He got into the boat with them; and the wind ceased, and they were very amazed among themselves, and marveled;” (Mark 6:51)

θαυμάζω appears alongside another strong description of astonishment: “they were very amazed among themselves, and marveled.” The marveling is set in a sequence of events: Jesus enters the boat, “the wind ceased,” and the disciples’ reaction follows. The verb contributes a sense of lingering, internalized wonder (“among themselves”) at the sudden calm and the presence of Jesus in the moment.

“But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate marveled.” (Mark 15:5)

As in Matthew 27:14, marveling arises from Jesus’ silence before authority. θαυμάζω emphasizes Pilate’s reaction to Jesus’ choice to give “no further answer.” The verb portrays the silence as an active factor in the scene—something that produces a noticeable impression on the governor.

“Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long.” (Mark 15:44)

Here θαυμάζω marks surprise at the report of Jesus’ death occurring so quickly—Pilate “marveled if he were already dead.” The marveling leads into verification: he summons the centurion and asks for confirmation about duration (“whether he had been dead long”). The verb thus functions as the hinge between an unexpected claim and a procedural response to establish what is true.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages θαυμάζω consistently signals a response that is triggered by an encounter with something striking—whether heard (“When Jesus heard it…,” “When they heard it…”) or seen (“when they saw…,” “When the disciples saw it…”). The marveling is sometimes voiced immediately as speech, especially in questions that press for understanding (“What kind of man is this…?”; “How did the fig tree immediately wither away?”), and sometimes expressed as an evaluative statement (“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”). In other moments it appears as a reaction that changes the social direction of the scene: listeners “left him, and went away,” while officials take procedural steps, such as Pilate summoning the centurion.

The subject of θαυμάζω varies, and the variation matters for how the verb functions. When crowds or disciples marvel, the verb often highlights the gap between what they expect and what they have just witnessed: wind and sea obeying, a demon expelled with resulting speech, multiple healings, a tree withering immediately, wind ceasing as Jesus enters the boat. When rulers marvel, the verb is tied to courtroom dynamics and public authority: silence where answers are expected, or the surprising timing of death. When Jesus himself marvels, the verb draws attention to his response to human reception—once to exceptional faith and once to unbelief—showing that marveling can be prompted by opposite human postures, depending on the situation described.

Several occurrences also show that marveling can be a turning point rather than an endpoint. In Matthew 15:31 the multitude’s wonder culminates in glorifying “the God of Israel,” linking marveling with an outward act of honor. In Mark 5:20 marveling spreads through a region via proclamation of “great things,” indicating that wonder can be generated and shared through public testimony. In Mark 15:44 Pilate’s marveling leads to inquiry, demonstrating that the reaction can propel a search for confirmation.

Imagery

The scenes attached to θαυμάζω are vivid: wind and sea obeying, a fig tree withering immediately, a mute man speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. Alongside these visible events stands a quieter but equally striking image: a governor confronted with a defendant who “gave him no answer, not even one word.” In these texts marveling is the human and institutional reaction to moments that resist ordinary explanation—sometimes in the natural world, sometimes in bodily restoration, and sometimes in unexpected silence.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).