Lexical Summary
heós: until, till, as far as, up to
Original Word:ἕως
Part of Speech:Adverb
Transliteration:heós
Pronunciation:heh-os'
Phonetic Spelling:(heh'-oce)
KJV: even (until, unto), (as) far (as), how long, (un-)til(-l), (hither-, un-, up) to, while(-s)
NASB:until, how, even, far, while, down, point
Word Origin:[of uncertain affinity]
1. a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
even, as far as, how long, until, while.
Of uncertain affinity; a conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until (of time and place) -- even (until, unto), (as) far (as), how long, (un-)til(-l), (hither-, un-, up) to, while(-s).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. particle used as a preposition, adverb and conjunction
Definitiontill, until
NASB Translationdown (2), even (5), far (5), how (7), long (1), long* (7), no more (1), point (2), right (1), until (83), while (5).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2193: ἕωςἕως, a particle marking a limit, and
I. as a conjunction signifying
1. the temporal terminus ad quem,till, until (Latindonee,usquedum); as in the best writings a. with an preterite indicative, where something is spoken of which continued up to a certain time:Matthew 2:9 (ἕως ...ἔστη (ἐστάθηLTTrWH)); (1 Macc. 10:50; Wis. 10:14, etc.).b. withἄν and the aorist subjunctive (equivalent to the Latin future perfect), where it is left doubtful when that will take place till which it is said a thing will continue (cf.Winer's Grammar, § 42, 5):ἴσθιἐκεῖ,ἕωςἄνεἴπωσοι,Matthew 2:13; add,;Mark 6:10;Mark 12:36;Luke 17:8;Luke 20:43;Acts 2:55;Hebrews 1:13; after a negative sentence:Matthew 5:18, 26;Matthew 10:23 (TWH omitἄν);;Mark 9:1;Luke 9:27;Luke 21:32;1 Corinthians 4:5; with the aorist subjunctive without the addition ofἄν:Mark 6:45RG; (hereTr marginal reading future);Luke 15:4; (TTrWH;LTTrWH);2 Thessalonians 2:7;Hebrews 10:13;Revelation 6:11 (Rec.ἕωςοὗ);οὐκἀνἔζησανἕωςτελεσθῇτάχίλιαἔτη, did not live again till the thousand years had been finished (elapsi fuerint),Revelation 20:5Rec. Cf.Winers Grammar, § 41 b. 3.c. more rarely used with the present indicative where the aorist subjunctive might have been expected (Winers Grammar, as above;Buttmann, 231 (199)): so four timesἕωςἔρχομαι,Luke 19:13 (whereLTTrWHἐνᾧ forἕως, but cf. Bleek at the passage);John 21:22;1 Timothy 4:13;ἕωςἀπολύει,Mark 6:45LTTrWH, forRGἀπολύσῃ (the indicative being due to a blending of direct and indirect discourse; as inPlutarch,Lycurgus 29, 3δεῖνοὖνἐκείνουςἐμμένειντοῖςκαθεστωσινόμοις ...ἕωςἐπανεισιν).
d. once with the future indicative, according to an improbable reading inLuke 13:35:ἕωςἥξειTdf.,ἕωςἄνἥξει Lachmann, forRGἕωςἄνἥξῃ; (butWH (omittingἄνἥξῃὅτε) readἕωςεἴπητε;Tr omitsἄν and bracketsἥξῃὅτε; cf.Buttmann, 231f (199f)).
2. as in Greek writings fromHomer down,as long as, while, followed by the indicative in all tenses — in the N. T. only in the present:ἕωςἡμέραἐστιν,John 9:4 (Tr marginal readingWH marginal readingὡς);ἕως (LTTrWHὡς)τόφῶςἔχετε,John 12:35f (ἕωςἔτιφῶςἐστιν,Plato, Phaedo, p. 89 c.); (Mark 6:45 (cf.
c. above)).
II. By a usage chiefly later it gets the force of an adverb, Latinusquead; and
1. used of a temporal terminus ad quem,until (unto);
a. like a preposition, with a genitive of time (Winers Grammar, § 54, 6;Buttmann, 319 (274)):ἕωςαἰῶνος,Luke 1:55 Griesbach (Ezekiel 25:15Alex.;1 Chronicles 17:16; Sir. 16:26, Fritzsche;, etc.);τῆςἡμέρας,Matthew 26:29;Matthew 27:64:Luke 1:80;Acts 1:22 (Tdf.ἄχρι);Romans 11:8, etc.;ὥρας,Matthew 27:45;Mark 15:33;Luke 23:44;τῆςπεντηκοστῆς,1 Corinthians 16:8;τέλους,1 Corinthians 1:8;2 Corinthians 1:13;τῆςσήμερον namely,ἡμέρας,Matthew 27:8;τοῦνῦν,Matthew 24:21;Mark 13:19 (1 Macc. 2:33);χήραἕωςἐτῶνὀγδοήκοντατεσσάρων a widow (who had attained) even unto eighty-four years,Luke 2:37LTTrWH; before the names of illustrious men by which a period of time is marked:Matthew 1:17;Matthew 11:13;Luke 16:16 (whereTTrWHμέχρι);Acts 13:20; before the names of events:Matthew 1:17 (ἕωςμετοικεσίαςΒαβυλῶνος);;Luke 11:51;James 5:7;ἕωςτοῦἐλθεῖν,Acts 8:40 (Buttmann, 266 (228); cf.Winer's Grammar, § 44, 6; Judith 1:10 Judith 11:19, etc.).b. with the genitive of the neuter relative pronounοὗ orὅτου it gets the force of a conjunction,until, till (the time when);α.ἕωςοὗ (first inHerodotus 2, 143; but after that only in later authors, asPlutarch, et al. (Winers Grammar, 296 (278) note;Buttmann, 230f (199))): followed by the indicative,Matthew 1:25 (WH bracketsοὗ);;Luke 13:21;Acts 21:26 (seeButtmann); followed by the subjunctive aorist, equivalent to Latin future perfect,Matthew 14:22;Matthew 26:36 (whereWH bracketsοὗ and Lachmann hasἕωςοὗἄν);Luke 12:50 (Rec.;Luke 15:8TrWH);Luke 24:49;Acts 25:21;2 Peter 1:19; after a negative sentence,Matthew 17:9;Luke 12:59 (RGL;Luke 22:18TrWH);John 13:38;Acts 23:12, 14, 21.β.ἕωςὅτου,αα.until, till (the time when): followed by the indicative,John 9:18; followed by the subjunctive (withoutἄν),Luke 13:8;Luke 15:8 (RGLT); after a negation,Luke 22:16, 18 (RGLT).ββ.as long as, whilst (Song of Solomon 1:12), followed by the present indicative,Matthew 5:25 (seeἄχρι, 1 d. at the end).c. before adverbs of time (rarely so in the earlier and more elegant writings, asἕωςὀψέ,Thucydides 3, 108; (cf.Winers Grammar, § 54, 6 at the end;Buttmann, 320 (275))):ἕωςἄρτι, up to this time,until now (Vig. ed. Herm., p. 388),Matthew 11:12;John 2:10;John 5:17;John 16:24;1 John 2:9;1 Corinthians 4:13;1 Corinthians 8:7;1 Corinthians 15:6;ἕωςπότε;how long?Matthew 17:17;Mark 9:19;Luke 9:41;John 10:24;Revelation 6:10 (Psalm 12:2f (f);2 Samuel 2:26; 1 Macc. 6:22);ἕωςσήμερον,2 Corinthians 3:15.2. according to a usage dating fromAristotle down, employed of the localterminus ad quem,unto, as far as, even to;
a. like a preposition, with a genitive of place (Winers Grammar, § 54, 6;Buttmann, 319 (274)):ἕωςᾅδου,ἕωςτοῦοὐρανοῦ,Matthew 11:23;Luke 10:15; add,Matthew 24:31;Matthew 26:58;Mark 13:27;Luke 2:15;Luke 4:29;Acts 1:8;Acts 11:19, 22;Acts 17:15;Acts 23:23;2 Corinthians 12:2; with the genitive of person,to the place where one is:Luke 4:42;Acts 9:38 (ἕωςὑπερβορεων,Aelian v. h. 3, 18).
b. with adverbs of place (Winers Grammar, andButtmann, as in c. above):ἕωςἄνω,John 2:7;ἕωςἔσω,Mark 14:54;ἕωςκάτω,Matthew 27:51;Mark 15:38;ἕωςὧδε,Luke 23:5 (cf.Winers Grammar, § 66, 1 c.).
c. with prepositions:ἕωςἔξωτῆςπόλεως,Acts 21:5;ἕωςεἰς,Luke 24:50 (RGL marginal reading, butL textTTrWHἕωςπρόςas far as to (Polybius 3, 82, 6; 12, 17, 4;Genesis 38:1));Polybius 1:11, 14;Aelian v. h. 12, 22.
3. of the limit (terminus)of quantity; with an adverb of number:ἕωςἑπτάκις,Matthew 18:21; with numerals:Matthew 22:26 (ἕωςτῶνἑπτά); cf.Matthew 20:8;John 8:9 (Rec.);Acts 8:10;Hebrews 8:11;οὐκἐστινἕωςἑνός, there is not so much as one,Romans 3:12 fromPsalm 13:1 ().4. of the limit of measurement:ἕωςἡμίσους,Mark 6:23;Esther 5:3, 6Alex.
5. of the end or limit in acting and suffering:ἕωςτούτου,Luke 22:51 (seeἐάω, 2);ἕωςτοῦθερισμοῦ,Matthew 13:30LTrWH text;ἕωςθανάτου, even to death, so that I almost die,Mark 14:34;Matthew 26:38 (Sir. 4:28 Sir. 31:13 (Sir. 34:13);; 4 Macc. 14:19).STRONGS NT 2193a: ζ [ζ Zeta, on its substitution for sigmaς see Sigma.]
Topical Lexicon
OverviewἝως delineates a limit—whether of time, space, goal, or condition—marking the point up to which an action, promise, judgment, or hope extends. Scripture employs the word to trace the unfolding of redemptive history, to frame eschatological expectation, and to encourage steadfast obedience.
Temporal Boundaries in Narrative
Narrators frequently use ἕως to move events forward:
•Matthew 2:9 “They went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was.”
•Luke 24:49 “But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
•John 2:10 records the steward’s surprise that the best wine was kept “until now.”
Such markers highlight God’s providential timing—every episode advances precisely to its appointed limit.
Eschatological Horizons
The term anchors prophetic assurance:
•Matthew 24:27,34,39 speak of events “until the Son of Man comes,” fixing hope on His visible return.
•James 5:7 “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the Lord’s coming.”
•Revelation 6:10-11 records the martyrs crying, “How long, O Lord…?” and they are told to rest “a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants…is complete.”
By fastening faith to a divinely set “until,” believers endure with confidence that history is moving toward Christ’s consummation.
Christological Applications
1. Incarnation:Matthew 1:25 notes that Joseph “did not know her until she gave birth to a Son,” safeguarding both the virgin birth and marital honor.
2. Present Session of Christ:Hebrews 10:13 quotesPsalm 110:1, “until His enemies are made a footstool,” lifting eyes to the ongoing reign of the risen Lord.
3. Communion Hope:Matthew 26:29 “I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom,” linking the Supper to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Covenantal Continuity and Fulfillment
Matthew 5:18 affirms Scripture’s permanence: “Until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot or stroke of a pen will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” The double use stresses both the certainty of present authority and the inevitability of complete fulfillment in Christ.
Perseverance and Mission
•Matthew 10:22 “He who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
•Matthew 28:20 “And surely I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
•Acts 1:8 “You will be My witnesses…unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Here ἕως broadens the Church’s field and duration of service: worldwide, lifelong, age-long.
Pastoral and Ethical Exhortation
•1 Timothy 4:13 “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.”
•1 Corinthians 4:5 “Judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.”
•2 Corinthians 3:15 describes Israel: “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts,” encouraging prayer for enlightenment that lasts “until” the veil is removed.
Spatial Extension in Storytelling
Ἕως can mark distance as well as duration:
•Luke 4:29 records an angry crowd driving Jesus “to the edge of the hill.”
•Acts 8:40 shows Philip preaching “until he came to Caesarea.”
Such usage enriches the realism of the narratives and underscores God’s guiding hand over physical movements.
Genealogies and Salvation History
Matthew 1:17 arranges Israel’s account “from Abraham to David…to the exile…to the Christ,” each segment labelled with ἕως to demonstrate divine orderliness leading inexorably to Messiah.
Parabolic and Didactic Scenes
• The unrighteous judge delays “until” he avenges the widow (Luke 18).
• In the Parable of the Weeds the wheat and tares grow “until the harvest” (Matthew 13:30).
• The mustard seed grows “until it becomes a tree” (Luke 13:19 implied through parallel).
These accounts teach patience and trust in God’s timing.
Historical-Theological Significance
From Genesis onward God sets boundaries: day and night, floodwaters, appointed seasons. In the New Testament ἕως verbalizes that principle, tying every promise to a fixed limit known to the Lord. Eschatology is thus not open-ended: there is an “until” after which faith becomes sight, injustice ends, and the kingdom is fully manifest.
Practical Ministry Takeaways
1. Steadfastness: Saints are called to labour, watch, and suffer until God’s purpose reaches its goal.
2. Sacramental Expectation: Each Lord’s Supper looks forward to the feast “until He comes.”
3. Scriptural Confidence: No word of God falls short; every stroke remains in force until fulfilled.
4. Missional Urgency: Witness continues to the ends of the earth and “until the end of the age,” assuring the Church of Christ’s presence throughout her task.
Selected References Categorized
Temporal completion:Matthew 18:34;Luke 12:59;Acts 28:23;1 Corinthians 1:8.
Eschatological climax:Matthew 24:27;Mark 13:27;2 Peter 1:19;Revelation 6:11.
Christological focus:Hebrews 1:13;Hebrews 10:13;Matthew 26:29.
Pastoral command:1 Timothy 4:13;James 5:7;1 Corinthians 4:5.
Missional scope:Acts 1:8;Acts 13:47;Romans 11:25 (conceptually);Matthew 28:20.
Through ἕως Scripture traces the line from promise to performance, from present toil to coming glory, assuring believers that every “until” set by God will be honored in His perfect time.
Forms and Transliterations
εως εώς έως ἕως Εωσφόρον Εωσφόρος εωσφόρου ς eos eōs heos heōs héos héōsLinks
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