Lexical Summary
ek or ex: from, out of, by, away from
Original Word:ἐκ or ἐξ
Part of Speech:Preposition
Transliteration:ek or ex
Pronunciation:ek (eck) or ex (ex)
Phonetic Spelling:(ek)
KJV: after, among, X are, at, betwixt(-yond), by (the means of), exceedingly, (+ abundantly above), for(-th), from (among, forth, up), + grudgingly, + heartily, X heavenly, X hereby, + very highly, in, ly, (because, by reason) of, off (from), on, out among (from, of), over, since, X thenceforth, through, X unto, X vehemently, with(-out)
NASB:among, because, based, result, some, basis, after
Word Origin:[a primary preposition denoting origin]
1. from (the point whence action or motion proceeds)
2. out (of place, time, or cause)
{literal or figurative; direct or remote; Often used in composition, with the same general import; often of completion}
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
out of, from, by means of
A primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote) -- after, among, X are, at, betwixt(-yond), by (the means of), exceedingly, (+ abundantly above), for(- th), from (among, forth, up), + grudgingly, + heartily, X heavenly, X hereby, + very highly, in,...ly, (because, by reason) of, off (from), on, out among (from, of), over, since, X thenceforth, through, X unto, X vehemently, with(-out). Often used in composition, with the same general import; often of completion.
HELPS Word-studies
1537ek (a preposition, writteneks before a vowel) – properly, "out from and to" (theoutcome);out from within.1537/ek ("out of") is one of the most under-translated (and therefore mis-translated) Greek propositions – often being confined to the meaning "by."1537 (ek) has a two-layered meaning ("out from andto") which makes itout-come oriented (out of the depths of the source and extending to its impact on the object).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. preposition denoting origin
Definitionfrom, from out of
NASB Translationafter (1), against (1), among (18), based (5), basis (2), because (10), belonged* (1), belonging* (1), depends (1), depends* (1), derived (1), grudgingly* (1), heavenly* (1), inspired (1), means (1), over (1), reason (1), result (4), say* (1), since (1), some (3), through (1), under (1), utterly* (1), way (1), without* (1).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1537: ἐκἐκ, before a vowel
ἐξ, a preposition governing the genitive. Also, it denotes exit or emission out of, as separation from, something with which there has been close connection; opposed to the prepositions
εἰς into and
ἐν in:
from out of, out from, forth from, from, (Latin
e, ex) (cf.
Winers Grammar, 364, 366f (343f);
Buttmann, 326f (281)). It is used
I. of place, and
1. universally, of the place from which; from a surrounding or enclosing place, from the interior of:ἄρτος,ἄγγελος,φῶςἐξοὐρανοῦ,John 6:31;Acts 9:3 (hereRGἀπό);Galatians 1:8;ἀνατολή,δύναμιςἐξὕψους,Luke 1:78;Luke 24:49; especially after verbs of going, fleeing, leading, calling, freeing, removing, releasing, etc.:ἥκεινἐκτῆςἸουδαίαςεἰςτήνΓαλιλαίαν,John 4:47;ἐξέρχεσθαιἐκτίνος out of the body of one (spoken of demons),Mark 1:25;Mark 5:8 (hereL marginal readingἀπό);; of power emanating from the body,Mark 5:30 (cf.Buttmann, 301 (258);Winer's Grammar, 346 (324); Meyer edition Weiss at the passage);ἐκτῶνμνημείων,Matthew 8:28;Matthew 27:53;ἐκπορεύεσθαι,Matthew 15:11, 18f;καταβαίνεινἐκτοῦοὐρανοῦ,Matthew 28:2;John 1:32;John 3:13;John 6:33;ἐξάγειν,Acts 12:17;φεύγειν,Acts 27:30;καλεῖν,Matthew 2:15; metaphorically,ἐκτοῦσκότουςεἰςτόφῶς,1 Peter 2:9;ἐκβάλλειντόκάρφοςἐκτοῦὀφθαλμοῦ,Matthew 7:(4 (RGἀπό)), 5;Luke 6:42 (opposed toἐντῷὀφθαλμῷ);τίἐκτοῦθησαυροῦ,Matthew 12:35 (but see under II. 9 below);;τόδαιμόνιονἐκτίνος, out of the body of one,Mark 7:26;ἀποκυλίειντόνλίθονἐκ (LTr textἀπό; cf.Winer's Grammar, 364 (342) note)τῆςθύρας,Mark 16:3;αἴρειν,John 20:1f;κινέω,Revelation 6:14;σῴζεινἐκγῆςΑἰγύπτου,Jude 1:5;διασώζεινἐκτῆςθαλάσσης,Acts 28:4. Metaph,ἐκτῆςχειρόςτίνος, out of the power of one (cf.Buttmann, 182 (158)): afterἐξέρχεσθαι,John 10:39; afterἀπάγειν,Acts 24:7 (Rec.); afterἁρπάζειν,John 10:28f; afterἐξαιρεῖσθαί,Acts 12:11; afterῤύεσθαι,Luke 1:74; afterσωτηρία,Luke 1:71. afterπίνειν, of the thing out of which one drinks (differently in II. 9 below):ἐκτοῦποτηρίου,Matthew 26:27;Mark 14:23;1 Corinthians 11:28;ἐκπέτρας,1 Corinthians 10:4;ἐκτοῦφρέατος,John 4:12; afterἐσθίειν, of the place whence the food is derived,ἐκτοῦἱεροῦ,1 Corinthians 9:13 (butTTrWH readτάἐκκτλ.). of the place forth from which one does something:διδάσκεινἐκτοῦπλοίου,Luke 5:3 (hereTdf.ἐν etc.). It is joined also to nouns designating not a place, but what is done in a place:ἐγείρεσθαιἐκτοῦδείπνου,John 13:4;ἀναλύεινἐκτῶνγάμων,Luke 12:36.2. from the midst (of a group, number, company, community) of many;
a. after verbs of going, leading, choosing, removing, etc.
a. before collective nouns, asἐξολεθρεύωἐκτοῦλαοῦ,Acts 3:23;προβιβάζω orσυμβιβάζωἐκτοῦὄχλου,Acts 19:33;ἐκλέγεινἐκτοῦκόσμου,John 15:19.μέσουτινωνἀφορίζειν,Matthew 13:49;ἐξέρχεσθαι,Acts 17:33;ἁρπάζειν,Acts 23:10;ἐξαίρειν,1 Corinthians 5:13;πάσηςφυλῆςκαίγλώσσηςἀγοράζειν,Revelation 5:9;ἐκπαντόςγένουςσυνάγειν,Matthew 13:47.β. before plurals:ἀνισταναιτιναἐκτινων,Acts 3:22;ἐκνεκρῶν,Acts 17:31;ἀνίσταταιτίςἐκνεκρῶν,Acts 10:41;Acts 17:3;ἐγείρειντιναἐκνεκρῶν,John 12:1, 9, 17;Acts 3:15;Acts 4:10;Acts 13:30;Hebrews 11:19, etc.;ἡἀνάστασιςἐκνεκρῶν,Luke 20:35;1 Peter 1:3;ἀνάγειντιναἐκνεκρῶν,Romans 10:7;ἐκλέγειν,Acts 1:24;Acts 15:22;καλεῖν,Romans 9:24;ἐγένετοζήτησιςἐκτῶν etc.John 3:25 (but cf. II. 1 b.;Winers Grammar, 368 (345)).
b. before words signifying quantity: afterεἰς, asMatthew 10:29;Matthew 26:21;Luke 17:15, and often;πολλοί,John 11:19, 45, etc.;οἱπλείους (πλείονες),1 Corinthians 15:6;οὐδείς,John 7:19;John 16:5, and elsewhere;χιλιάδεςἐκπάσηςφυλῆς,Revelation 7:4; after the indefiniteτίς,Luke 11:15;Luke 12:13;John 6:64;John 7:48;τίςγυνήἐκτοῦὄχλου,Luke 11:27; withτινες to be added mentally (cf.Winers Grammar, 203 (191);Buttmann, 158 (138)):John 9:40 ((?) better,);;Revelation 11:9, (1 Esdr. 5:45 (44));τινας:Matthew 23:34;Luke 11:49;Luke 21:16;2 John 1:4;Revelation 2:10; cf. Fritzsche, Conjectanea in N. T., p. 36 note; after the intertog.τίς,who?Matthew 6:27;Luke 11:5, etc.;τίςπατήρ,Luke 11:11 (LTTrWH); preceded by a generic noun:ἄνθρωποςἐκτῶν etc.John 3:1.c.εἶναιἐκτινων, to be of the number, company, fellowship, etc., of; seeεἰμί, V. 3 a.
3. from a local surfacc, as sometimes the Latinex forde;down from:καταβαίνεινἐκτοῦὄρους (Homer II. 13, 17;Xenophon, an. 7, 4, 12; theSept.Exodus 19:14;Exodus 32:1;Deuteronomy 9:15;Deuteronomy 10:5;Joshua 2:23),Matthew 17:9 (for the more commonἀπότοῦὄρους ofRec. and the parallel passageMark 9:9 (hereLWH textTr marginal readingἐκ);Luke 9:37; (cf.Matthew 8:1));θρίξἐκτῆςκεφαλῆςἀπόλλυται (unless we prefer to regardἐκ as prompted here by the conception of the hair as fixed in the skin),Luke 21:18;Acts 27:34 (hereLTTrWHἀπό; cf.Winer's Grammar, 364 (342) note);ἐκπίπτεινἐκτῶνχειρῶν, of the chains with which the hands had been bound,Acts 12:7;κρέμασθαιἐκτίνος,Acts 28:4, (1 Macc. 1:61; 2 Macc. 6:10; so the Greeks fromHomer down);φαγεῖνἐκτοῦθυσιαστηρίου, the things laid upon the altar,Hebrews 13:10. Akin to this isἐξελθεῖνἐκτοῦΘεοῦ, from an abode with God (for the more usualἀπότοῦΘεοῦ),John 8:42.
4. of the direction whence;ἐκδεξιῶν, Latina dextra, literally,from i. e. (Germanzu)on the right, seeδεξιός; soἐκδεξιᾶς,ἐξἀριστερᾶς, namely,χώρας (orχειρός which is sometimes expressed;Winers Grammar, 592 cf. 591;Buttmann, 82 (72)) (also in Greek writ, asXenophon, Cyril 8, 5, 15);ἐξἐναντίας, over against,Mark 15:39 (Herodotus 8, 6; Sir. 37:9; 1 Macc. 4:34; Wis. 4:20); metaphorically (Winer's Grammar, § 51, 1 d.)ὁἐξἐναντίας (A. V.he that is of the contrary part), ouropponent, adversary,"Titus 2:8;ἐκῤιζῶν, from the roots, i. e. utterly,Mark 11:20 (Job 28:9;Job 31:12).
5. of the conditon or state out of which one comes or is brought:σῴζεινἐκθανάτουHebrews 5:7;James 5:20;ἔρχεσθαιἐκ (Lachmannἀπό)θλίψεως,Revelation 7:14;μεταβαίνεινἐκτοῦθανάτουεἰςτήνζωήν,John 5:24;1 John 3:14;ἐγερθῆναιἐξὕπνου,Romans 13:11 (cf.Winer's Grammar, 366 (344) note);ζῶντεςἐκνεκρῶν, alive from being dead (i. e. who had been dead and were alive again),Romans 6:13;ζωήἐκνεκρῶν, i. e. of those that had beenνεκροί,Romans 11:15 (ἐλεύθεροςἐκδούλουκαίπλούσιοςἐκπτωχοῦγεγονώς,Demosthenes, p. 270 at the endἐκπλουσίουπένηταγενέσθαικαίἐκβασιλέωςἰδιωτηνφανῆναι,Xenophon, an. 7, 7, 28;γίγνομαιτυφλόςἐκ dedorkotos,Sophocles O. T. 454;ἔλαφονἐξἀνδρόςγενέσθαι,Palaeph. 3, 2; add,Lysias, adv. Ergocl. at the beginning;Tacitus, ann. 1, 74ex pauperibus divites, ex contemtis metuendi). Also of the state out of the midst of which one does something:ἐκπολλῆςθλψεωςγράφειν,2 Corinthians 2:4.
6. of any kind of separation or dissolution of connection with a thing or person (cf.Buttmann, 157 (138)):ἀναπαύεσθαιἐκ (released from)τῶνκόπων,Revelation 14:13;ἀνανήφεινἐκ (set free from)τῆςτοῦδιαβόλουπαγίδος,2 Timothy 2:26;μετανοῶνἐκ etc.Revelation 2:21;Revelation 9:20;Revelation 16:11;ἐπιστρέφειν (LTTrWHὑψτρέφειν)ἐκ ((Lἀπό), by severing their connection with)τῆςἐντολῆς,2 Peter 2:21;τηρεῖντιναἐκ etc. to keep one at a distance from etc. (cf.Buttmann, 327 (281)),John 17:15;Revelation 3:10; alsoδιατήρειν,Acts 15:29νικανἐκτίνος, by conquest to free oneself from the power of one (cf.Buttmann, 147 (128);Winer's Grammar, 367 (344)),Revelation 15:2;ὑψουσθαιἐκτῆςγῆς, to be so lifted up as to dissolve present relations to the earth (`taken out of the sphere of earthly action' Westcott),John 12:32;ἐλεύθεροςἐκπάντων (elsewhere alwaysἀπότίνος),1 Corinthians 9:19.
7. Hebraistically:ἐκδίκειντόαἷματίνοςἐκχειρόςτίνος (מִיָּדדָּםנִקַּם,2 Kings 9:7), to avenge the blood (murder) of one at the hand of (on) the slayer,Revelation 19:2 (Buttmann, 182 (158));κρίνειντόκρίματίνοςἐκτίνος, to judge one's judgment on one, vindicate by vengeance on (cf.Buttmann, as above),Revelation 18:20 (cf. theSept.Psalm 118:84 ().II. of the origin, source, cause;
1. of generation, birth, race, lineage, nativity;
a. after verbs of begetting, being born, etc.:ἐνγαστρίἔχεινἐκτίνος,Matthew 1:18, cf.Matthew 1:20;κοίτηνἔχεινἐκτ.,Romans 9:10;γενναντιναἐκ with the genitive of the woman,Matthew 1:3, 5f, 16;γίνεσθαιἐκγυναικός to be born of a woman,Galatians 4:4 cf.Galatians 4:22f;γέννασθαιἐξαἱμάτων,ἐκθελήματοςσαρκός,John 1:13;ἐκτῆςσαρκός,John 3:6;ἐκπορνείας,John 8:41;ἐγείρειντίνιτέκναἐκ,Matthew 3:9;Luke 3:8; (τίς)ἐκκαρποῦτῆςὀσφύοςαὐτοῦ,Acts 2:30 (Psalm 131:11 ());ἡἐκφύσεωςἀκροβυστία,Romans 2:27. In a supernatural sense:τόπνεῦματόἐκΘεοῦ SC.ὄν, from the divine nature (cf.Winer's Grammar, 193 (182)),1 Corinthians 2:12 cf.Revelation 2:11; men are saidγέννασθαιἐκπνεύματος,John 3:5f, 8;γεγεννήμενοιεἶναιἐκΘεοῦ (seeγεννάω 2 d.), and to the same purportεἶναιἐκΘεοῦ,1 John 4:4, 6;1 John 5:19 (seeεἰμί, V. 3 d. (and cf. 7 below)).b.εἶναι,γενέσθαι,ἔρχεσθαι, etc.,ἐκ with the name of the city, race, people, tribe, family, etc.,to spring or originate from, come from:ἐκΝαζαρέτεἶναι,John 1:46 (47);ἐκπόλεως,John 1:44 (45);ἐξὧν, namely,πατέρων (?),Romans 9:5;ἐξοἴκουτίνος,Luke 1:27;Luke 2:4;ἐκγένους,Philippians 3:5;Acts 4:6;ἙβραῖοςἐξἙβραίων,Philippians 3:5;ἐκφυλῆς,Luke 2:36;Acts 13:21;Romans 11:1;ἐξΙουδα,Hebrews 7:14;ἐκσπέρματοςτίνος,John 7:42;Romans 1:3;Romans 11:1; without a verb:ἐξἐθνῶνἁμαρτωλοί, sinners of Gentile birth,Galatians 2:15; of the country to which anyone belongs:εἶναιἐκτῆςἐξουσίαςἩρῴδου,Luke 23:7;ἐξἐπαρχίας,Acts 23:34;ὁὤνἐκτῆςγῆς,John 3:31.
2. of any other kind of origin:καπνόςἐκτῆςδόξηςτοῦΘεοῦ,Revelation 15:8;ἐκτῶνἸουδαίωνἐστι, comes from the Jews,John 4:22;εἶναιἐκτίνος, to proceed from anyone as the author,Matthew 5:37;John 7:17, 22;Romans 2:29;2 Corinthians 4:7;1 John 2:16, 21, etc.; withἐστιν to be mentally supplied:Romans 11:36;1 Corinthians 8:6 (seeεἰς, B. II. 3 c. a.)1 Corinthians 11:12;2 Corinthians 3:5;2 Corinthians 5:18;Galatians 5:8;ἔργαἐκτοῦπατρόςμου, works of which my father is the author, i. e. which I, endued with my father's power, have wrought,John 10:32;οἰκοδομήἐκΘεοῦ, whose author is God,2 Corinthians 5:1;χάρισμα,1 Corinthians 7:7;δεδομένονἐκτοῦπατρός,John 6:65; add,John 18:3;1 Corinthians 7:7.ἡἐκΘεοῦδικαιοσύνη, that comes from God, i. e. is adjudged by him,Philippians 3:9;ἡἐξὑμῶνἐνἡμῖν (WH textἡμῖνἐνὑμῖνἀγάπη, love preceding from you and taking up its abode in us, i. e. your love the influence of which we feel (Winers Grammar, 193 (181f);Buttmann, 157 (137)),2 Corinthians 8:7;ὁἐξὑμῶνζῆλος, your zeal,2 Corinthians 9:2 (RG; cf.Winers Grammar, as above note;Buttmann, as above);βλασφημίαἐκτίνος, calumny from, i. e. disseminated by,Revelation 2:9 (notRec.);εἶναιἐξοὐρανοῦ,ἐξἀνθρώπων seeεἰμί, V. 3 c.; with the suggested idea of a nature and disposition derived from one's origin:οὐκἐστινἐκτοῦκόσμουτούτου, is not of earthly origin nor of earthly nature,John 18:36;ἐκτῆςγῆςἐστιν, is of an earthly nature,John 3:31;ἐκτῆςγῆςλαλεῖν, to speak as an earthly origin prompts, ibid.; human virtues are saidto be from God, as having their prototype in God and being wrought in the soul by his power,ἡἀγάπηἐκτοῦΘεοῦἐστιν,1 John 4:7.
3. of the material out of which a thing is made, etc.:ἡγυνήἐκτοῦἀνδρός, fromone of his ribs,1 Corinthians 11:12;στέφανονἐξἀκανθῶν,Matthew 27:29;John 19:2; add,John 2:15;John 9:6;Romans 9:21;1 Corinthians 15:47;Revelation 18:12;Revelation 21:21.
4. Its use to note the price is related, because the money is as it were, changed into that which is bought (the simple genitive of price is more common, cf.Winers Grammar, 206 (194); (Buttmann, § 132, 13)):ἀγοράζειντίἐκτίνος,Matthew 27:7 (Baruch 6 (i. e., epistle of Jeremiah);Matthew 27:24);κτᾶσθαιἐκ,Acts 1:18 (ὠνεῖσθαιἐκ,Palaeph. 46, 3f);συμφώνεινἐκδηναρίου (because the agreement comes from the promised denary (cf.Winers Grammar, 368 (345);Buttmann, as above)),Matthew 20:2. Cognate to this is the phraseποιεῖνἑαυτῷφίλουςἐκτοῦμαμωνᾷLuke 16:9.
5. especially after neuter and passive verbs,ἐκ is used of the cause (whether thing or person) by which the act expressed by the accompanying verb is aided, sustained, effected:ὠφελεῖσθαιἐκτίνος,Matthew 15:5;Mark 7:11;ζημιουσθαι,2 Corinthians 7:9;λυπεῖσθαι,2 Corinthians 2:2; especially in the Apocalypse:ἀδικεῖσθαι,Revelation 2:11;ἀποθανεῖν,Revelation 8:11; (ἀποκτείνεσθαι),Revelation 9:18;φωτίζεσθαι,Revelation 18:1;σκοτίζεσθαι (LTWHσκοτουσθαι),Revelation 9:2;πυροῦσθαι,Revelation 3:18;γεμίζεσθαιRevelation 15:8 (cf.Isaiah 6:4);John 6:13;γέμειν,Matthew 23:25 (whereL omits;Tr bracketsἐξ);πληροῦσθαι,John 12:3 (Treg. marginἐπλήσθη);χορτάζεσθαι,Revelation 19:21;πλουτεῖν,Revelation 18:3, 19;μεθύσκεσθαι,μεθύεινRevelation 17:2, 6 (notTreg. margin);ζῆνἐκ,Romans 1:17;1 Corinthians 9:14;Galatians 3:11;αὔξησινποιεῖσθαι,Ephesians 4:16;Colossians 2:19;τελειουσθαι,James 2:22;κεκοπιακώς,John 4:6 (Aelian v. h. 3, 23ἐκτοῦπότουἐκάθευδεν). Also after active verbs:γεμίζειν,John 6:13;Revelation 8:5;ποτίζειν,Revelation 14:8; (onἐκ with the genitive after verbs of fullness, cf.Buttmann, 163 (142f);Winer's Grammar, 201 (189)).
6. of that on which a thing depends, or from which it results:οὐκἐστινἡζωήἐκτῶνὑπαρχόντων, does not depend upon possessions, i. e. possessions cannot secure life,Luke 12:15;εὐπορίαἡμῶνἐστιἐκτῆςἐργασίαςταύτης,Acts 19:25;τόἐξὑμῶν, as far as depends on you,Romans 12:18; in the Pauline phrasesδίκαιος,δικαιοσύνη,δικαιοῦνἐκπίστεως,ἐξἔργων, see (the several words, especially), p. 150;ἐξ (as the result of, in consequence of)ἔργωνλαβεῖντόπνεῦμα,Galatians 3:2, 5;ἐξἀναστάσεωςλαβεῖντούςνεκρούς,Hebrews 11:35;ἐσταυρώθηἐξἀσθενείας,2 Corinthians 13:4; add,Romans 11:6;Galatians 3:18, 21;Ephesians 2:8f.
7. of the power on which anyone depends, by which he is prompted and governed, whose character he reflects:ἐκΘεοῦ (equivalent toθεοπνευστον)λαλεῖν,2 Corinthians 2:17; in the Johannine expressions,εἶναιἐκΘεοῦ,John 8:47 (in a different sense above, II. 1 a.);ἐκτοῦδιαβόλου,ἐκτοῦπονηροῦ,ἐκτοῦκόσμου, seeεἰμί, V. 3 d.;ἐκτῆςἀληθείαςεἶναι, to be led by a desire to know the truth, be a lover of the truth,John 18:37;1 John 3:19;οἱἐκνόμου, the subjects of the law,Romans 4:14;οἱἐξἐριθείας equivalent toοἱἐριθευόμενοι (cf.ἐριθεία),Romans 2:8;ὁἐκπίστεως equivalent toὁπιστεύων,Romans 3:26;Romans 4:16.εἶναιἐκτίνος also meansto be bound to one, connected with him; to have relations with him; seeεἰμί, V. 3 d.; hence, the periphrasisοἱἐκπεριτομῆς,the circumcised:Acts 11:2;Romans 4:12;Galatians 2:12;οἱὄντεςἐκπεριτομῆς,Colossians 4:11;οἱἐκπεριτομῆςπιστοί, Jewish Christians,Acts 10:45.
8. of the cause for which:ἐκτοῦπόνου,for pain,Revelation 16:10; of the reason for (because of) which:Revelation 8:13;Revelation 16:11;ἐκτούτου,John 6:66;John 19:12; cf. Meyer on these passages (who urges thatἐκτούτου used of time denotesthe point of departure of a temporal series (Winers Grammar, 367 (344)):from this time on, thenceforth. This argument seems not to be decisive in the second example (John 19:12), for there the verb is in the imperfect. On the use of the phrase in classic Greek see Liddell and Scott, under the wordἐκ, II. 1;Krüger, § 68, 17, 7. Cf. our Englishupon this, hereupon, in which the temporal sense and the causal often seem to blend. See below, IV. 1 at the end).
9. of the supply out of (from) which a thing is taken, given, received, eaten, drunk, etc. (cf.Winers Grammar, § 30, 7 and 8;Buttmann, 159ff (139ff)):λαμβάνεινἐκ,John 1:16;John 16:14f;διδόναι,διαδιδοναι,Matthew 25:8;John 6:11;1 John 4:13;ἐσθίειν,1 Corinthians 9:7;1 Corinthians 11:28;φαγεῖν,John 6:26, 50;Revelation 2:7;μετέχειν,1 Corinthians 10:17 (but seeμετέχω);πίνειν,Matthew 26:29;Mark 14:25;John 4:13;Revelation 14:10;Revelation 18:3 (differently in I. 1 above);λαλεῖνἐκτῶνἰδίων,John 8:44;ἐκτοῦπερισσεύματοςτῆςκαρδίας,Matthew 12:34;ἐκβάλλειν,Matthew 12:35 (this belongs here only in caseθησαυρός is taken in the sense oftreasure nottreasury (the contents as distinguished from the repository); cf. I. 1 above, and under the wordθησαυρός);βάλλεινἐκ (a part),Mark 12:44;Luke 21:4.
10. of that from which anything is obtained:συλλέγεινἐξἀκανθῶν,τρυγᾶνἐκβάτου,Luke 6:44;θερίζεινἐκ,Galatians 6:8.
11. of the whole of which anything is a part:1 Corinthians 12:15f (cf.Winer's Grammar, 368 (345)).
12. of the source;
a. universally:ἐξἐμαυτοῦοὐκἐλάλησα,John 12:49 (οὐδένἐκσαυτηςλέγεις,Sophocles El. 344).
b. of the source of conduct, as to be found in the state of the soul, its feelings, virtues, vices, etc.:ἐκκαρδίας,Romans 6:17;ἐκψυχῆς,Ephesians 6:6;Colossians 3:23 (1 Macc. 8:27;ἐκτῆςψυχῆςἀσπάζεσθαι,Xenophon, oec. 10, 4);ἐκκαθαρᾶςκαρδίας,1 Timothy 1:5;2 Timothy 2:22;1 Peter 1:22 (LTTrWH omit;καθαρᾶς);ἐξὅληςτῆςκαρδίας ...ψυχῆς ...διανοίαςκτλ.Mark 12:30ff (Wis. 8:21; 4 Macc. 7:18);ἐκπίστεως,Romans 14:23;ἐξεἰλικρινείας,2 Corinthians 2:17;ἐξἐριθείας,Philippians 1:16 (17) (yet seeἐριθεία).
c. of the source of knowledge:κατηχεῖσθαιἐκ,Romans 2:18;ἀκούεινἐκ,John 12:34;γινώσκειν,Matthew 12:33;Luke 6:44;1 John 4:6;ἐποπτεύειν,1 Peter 2:12.δεικνύναι,James 2:18;ὁρίζειν, to declare, prove to be,Romans 1:4 (cf. under the wordὁίρζω, 2 and Meyer at the passage).
13. of that from which a rule of judging or acting is derived;after, according to (cf.Winer's Grammar, 368 (345)):κρίνεινἐκ,Luke 19:22 (A. V.out of thine own mouth, etc.);Revelation 20:12 (Xenophon, Cyril 2, 2, 21ἐκτῶνἔργωνκρίνεσθαι);δικαιοῦν,καταδικάζειν,Matthew 12:37;ὀνομάζεινἐκ,Ephesians 3:15 (Homer, Iliad 10, 68;Sophocles O. T. 1036, etc.);ἐκτοῦἔχειν, according to your ability,2 Corinthians 8:11.
III. By Attraction, common in classic Greek (cf.Winers Grammar, § 66, 6; (Buttmann, 377f (323))), two prepositions coalesce as it were into one, so thatἐκ seems to be used forἐν, thusἆραιτάἐκτῆςοἰκίαςαὐτοῦ concisely forτάἐντῇοἰκίααὐτοῦἐξαὐτῆς,Matthew 24:17;ὁπατήρὁἐξοὐρανοῦδώσει forὁπατήρὁἐνοὐρανῷδώσειἐκτοῦοὐρανοῦ,Luke 11:13;τήνἐκΛαοδικείαςἀπιστολην forτήνεἰςΛαοδικείαςγεγραμμένηνκαίἐκΛαοδικείαςκομιστεαν,Colossians 4:16 (2 Macc. 3:18). (To this construction some would referἐπιγνούςἐνἑαυτῷτήνἐξαὐτοῦδύναμινἐξελθοῦσαν,Mark 5:30, resolvingτήνἐναὐτῷδύναμινἐξελθοῦσανἐξαὐτοῦ; cf. Field, Otium Norvicense, pars 3 at the passage)
IV. of Time (Winer's Grammar, 367 (344));
1. of the (temporal) point from which; Latinex,indea;from, from ... on, since:ἐκχρόνωνἱκανῶν,Luke 8:27 (RGTr marginal reading);ἐκγενετῆς,John 9:1 (Homer, Iliad 24, 535; Odyssey 18, 6);ἐκκοιλίαςμητρός (seeκολια, 4);ἐκνεότητός,Matthew 19:20 (RG);Mark 10:20;Luke 18:21;Acts 26:4 (Homer, Iliad 14, 86);ἐκτοῦαἰῶνος (seeαἰών, 1 b.),John 9:32 (Aelian v. h. 6, 13; 12, 64ἐξαἰῶνος);ἐξἀρχῆς,John 6:64;John 16:4;ἐκγενεῶνἀρχαίων,Acts 15:21;ἐξἐτῶνὀκτώ,Acts 9:33;ἐκπολλῶνἐτῶν,Acts 24:10;ἐξαὐτῆς (namely,ὥρας),forthwith, instantly (seeἐξαυτῆς);ἐξἱκανοῦ ((namely,χρόνου); butLTTrWH hereἐξἱκανῶνχρόνων), of a long time,Luke 23:8 (ἐκπολλοῦ,Thucydides 1, 68; 2, 88); with an adverb:ἐκπαιδιόθεν,Mark 9:21LTTrWH (ἐκπρωίθεν, 1 Macc. 10:80), cf.Winers Grammar, § 65, 2; (Buttmann, 70 (62)). Many interpreters translateἐκτούτου,John 6:66;John 19:12,from this time, but cf. II. 8 above.
2. of succession in time, a temporal series:ἐκδευτέρου (as it were,proceeding from, beginning from the second),a second time (seeδεύτερος);ἐκτρίτου,Matthew 26:44 (LTr marginal reading bracketsἐκτρίτου);ἡμέρανἐξἡμέρας (diemexdie,Cicero, ad Att. 7, 26;Caesar b. g. 1, 16, 4;diemdedie,Livy 5, 48)from day to day, day after day,2 Peter 2:8 (Genesis 39:10;Numbers 30:15; (2 Chronicles 24:11); Sir. 5:7;Euripides, Rhes. 437 (445) etc.;ἔτοςἐξἔτους,Leviticus 25:50;ἐνιαυτόνἐξἐνιαυτοῦ,Deuteronomy 15:20).
V. Adverbial phrases (cf.Winer's Grammar, § 51, 1d.), in which lies the idea
1. of direction whence:ἐξἐναντίας, cf. I. 4 above.
2. of source:ἐκσυμφώνου,by consent, by agreement,1 Corinthians 7:5;ἐξἀνάγκηςof necessity, i. e. by compulsion,2 Corinthians 9:7; necessarily,Hebrews 7:12.
3. of the measure or standard:ἐκμέρους, so that each is a part of the whole, proportionately (R. V. marginal readingeach in his part),1 Corinthians 12:27, cf. Meyer at the passage;in part, partly,1 Corinthians 13:9ff;ἐκμέτρου equivalent toμετρίως,by measure, moderately, sparingly,John 3:34;ἐξἰσότητος,by equality, in equal proportion,2 Corinthians 8:13 (14) (ἐξἴσου,Herodotus 7, 135);ἐκπερισσοῦ, beyond measure,Mark 6:51 (WH omit;Tr. brackets).
VI. In Compositionἐκ denotes
1. egressἐκβαίνω,ἐξέρχομαι.
2. emission, removal, separation:ἐκβάλλω,ἐκπέμπω,ἐξαιρέω.
3. origin:ἔκγονος.
4. publicity:ἐξαγγέλλω.
5. the unfolding, opening out, of something tied together or rolled up:ἐκτείνω,ἐκπετάννυμι.
6. is equivalent toutterly, entirely,παντελῶς (cf. Englishout and out), denoting completion and perfection:ἐκπληρόω,ἐκτελέω. Cf. Fritzsche on Matthew, p. 120f.
STRONGS NT 1537: ἐξἐξ, seeἐκ.
Topical Lexicon
Denoting Origin and Sourceἐκ/ἐξ regularly points to the point or realm from which something proceeds. The opening genealogy, “Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar” (Matthew 1:3), employs ἐκ to mark lineal descent; each successive mention (“of Salmon,” “of Jesse,” etc.) traces Messiah’s royal lineage back to Abraham, underscoring God’s covenant faithfulness. The same preposition conveys heavenly origin: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11), the voice comes ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, confirming Jesus’ divine Sonship. At the consummation it is used again: “I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:2). From Genesis to Revelation, ἐκ signals the unbroken stream of purposeful origin—physical, historical, or divine.
Spatial Separation and Physical Emergence
Frequently ἐκ denotes motion from the interior of a place. “Jesus came up out of the water” (Mark 1:10) frames His baptism; “The stone was rolled away from the tomb” (Matthew 28:2) highlights resurrection victory; demons come “out of the man” (Mark 5:8) declaring Christ’s authority over darkness. In Acts, Paul and his companions are rescued “out of the sea” (Acts 27:44), illustrating God’s providential hand in peril.
Moral and Spiritual Emanation
Jesus teaches that words and deeds emerge ἐκ καρδίας—“out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). The heart, therefore, is the fountainhead of purity or defilement (Matthew 15:19). Sanctification begins there, for the believer’s new life is “born of God” (John 1:13;1 John 3:9).
New Birth and Regeneration
John binds ἐκ closely to regeneration: believers are “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). Repetition in 1 John (“Everyone who loves has been born of God,” 4:7) stresses that new life’s very source is God Himself, not human effort. This preposition guards the doctrine of monergistic grace.
Justification and Faith-Righteousness
Paul contrasts two principles—law and faith—by repeated ἐκ phrases. Habakkuk’s maxim re-echoes: “The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:17;Galatians 3:11). Salvation is “by grace…through faith, and this not from yourselves” (Ephesians 2:8-9). “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 3:28). The believer’s righteousness flows ἐκ πίστεως, never ἐκ ἔργων.
Resurrection Power and Eschatological Hope
Jesus is declared Son of God “with power…by His resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). Believers share this hope: “He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). The resurrection is consistently described as ἐκ νεκρῶν—out from among the dead—highlighting the separation of the risen from the unraised. Paul aspires to “attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:11), anchoring future hope.
Separation from the World
Jesus tells His disciples, “You are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world” (John 15:19). Sanctified believers are delivered “from the domain of darkness” (Colossians 1:13) and wait “for His Son from heaven…Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). ἐκ identifies the believer’s new sphere, distinct from the world’s values.
Authority and Mission
Christ’s own commission is grounded in origin: “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world” (John 16:28). Apostles are similarly “sent out from Jerusalem” (Acts 13:3-4) and minister “not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:1). Authentic ministry flows ἐκ θεοῦ, not merely from human initiative.
Offering and Worship
Generous giving in the early church is described as “out of their poverty they gave” (Mark 12:44;2 Corinthians 8:2), demonstrating that genuine worship arises from willing hearts. In heavenly liturgy “flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder came out from the throne” (Revelation 4:5), depicting glory proceeding from God.
Warnings and Ethical Exhortations
James cautions: “Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening?” (James 3:11). Believers must ensure that speech and conduct issuing ἐκ τοῦ στόματος align with their new nature. Paul exhorts, “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths” (Ephesians 4:29).
Consummation and Final Triumph
Judgment scenes resound with ἐκ: bowls poured “out of the temple” (Revelation 16:1), fire coming “out of heaven” (Revelation 20:9), and the Lamb leading saints to life-giving water “flowing from the throne of God” (Revelation 22:1). God is at once the source of blessing and the One who issues righteous judgment.
Practical Ministry Applications
1. Preaching should underscore the divine origin of Scripture: every promise, command, and historical act comes ἐκ θεοῦ.
2. Counseling must address the heart, for behavior proceeds ἐκ καρδίας.
3. Evangelism invites sinners out of darkness into light, mirroring1 Peter 2:9.
4. Giving and service should spring ἐκ ἁπλότητος (out of sincerity), reflecting2 Corinthians 9:7.
Summary
Whether marking physical emergence, spiritual regeneration, ethical derivation, or eschatological descent, ἐκ/ἐξ consistently directs attention to origin and source. It invites readers to trace every good gift, every saving act, and every future hope back to God Himself, “for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things” (Romans 11:36).
Forms and Transliterations
εκ ἐκ εν εξ ἐξ παρὰ ek ex para paràLinks
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