Lexical Summary
agorazó: To buy, purchase, redeem
Original Word:ἀγοράζω
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:agorazó
Pronunciation:ag-or-AD-zo
Phonetic Spelling:(ag-or-ad'-zo)
KJV: buy, redeem
NASB:buy, bought, buying, purchased, buys, make the purchase, spend
Word Origin:[fromG58 (ἀγορά - market places)]
1. (properly) to go to market
2. (by implication) to purchase
3. (specially) to redeem
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
buy, redeem.
Fromagora; properly, to go to market, i.e. (by implication) to purchase; specially, to redeem -- buy, redeem.
see GREEKagora
HELPS Word-studies
59agorázō (from58/agorá, "the ancient marketplace, town-center") – properly, to makepurchases in the marketplace ("agora"), i.e. asownership transfers from seller to buyer.
59/agorázō ("acquire by purchasing") stressestransfer – i.e. where something becomesanother's belonging (possession). In salvation-contexts,59 (agorázō) isnot redeeming ("buying back"), but rather focuses on how the believer now belongs to the Lord as His unique possession (J. Thayer). Indeed, Christ purchases all the privileges and responsibilities that go withbelonging to Him (beingin Christ).
[See also the intensified, compound (1805/eksagorázō).]
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
agoraDefinitionto buy in the marketplace, purchase
NASB Translationbought (9), buy (11), buying (3), buys (2), make the purchase (1), purchased (3), spend (1).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 59: ἀγοράζωἀγοράζω; (imperfect
ἠγόραζον; future
ἀγοράσω); 1 aorist
ἠγόρασα; passive, perfect participle
ἠγορασμένος; 1 aorist
ἠγοράσθην; (
ἀγορά);
1.to frequent the marketplace.
2.to buy (properly, in the marketplace) (Aristophanes,Xenophon, others); used
a. literally: absolutely,Matthew 21:12;Mark 11:15;Luke 19:45 (notGTTrWH);τί,Matthew 13:44, 46;Matthew 14:15 and parallel passage,John 4:8;John 6:5; withπαρά and the genitive of the person from whom,Revelation 3:18 (theSept.,Polybius);ἐκ and the genitive of price,Matthew 27:7; simple genitive of price,Mark 6:37.
b. figuratively: Christ is said to have purchased his disciples i. e. made them, as it were, his private property,1 Corinthians 6:20 (this is commonly understood of God; but cf.John 17:9, 10);1 Corinthians 7:23 (with the genitive of price added; seeτιμή, 1);2 Peter 2:1. He is also said to have bought them for Godἐντῷαἵματιαὐτοῦ, by shedding his blood,Revelation 5:9; they, too, are spoken of as purchasedἀπότῆςγῆς,Revelation 14:3, andἀπότῶνἀνθρώπων,Revelation 14:4, so that they are withdrawn from the earth (and its miseries) and from (wicked) men. Butἀγοράζω does not meanredeem (ἐξαγοράζω) — as is commonly said. (Compare:ἐξαγοράζω.)
Topical Lexicon
OverviewStrong’s number 59 gathers thirty New Testament occurrences that speak of ordinary purchasing in the market and of the extraordinary purchase accomplished by Jesus Christ. The term moves from the public square of daily commerce to the spiritual economy of redemption, establishing a seamless biblical theme: the One who owns all things stepped into human history and paid the highest price to make sinners His own.
Commercial Usage in the Gospel Narratives
The Synoptic writers and John employ the verb for straightforward buying:
• Daily provisions: “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” (John 6:5). The disciples view purchasing as the natural solution to hunger (Mark 6:37;Luke 9:13).
• Household supplies: The disciples went into the city “to buy food” (John 4:8).
• Burial necessities: Joseph of Arimathea “bought a linen cloth” for Jesus’ body (Mark 15:46).
• Temple commerce: Jesus drove out those “buying and selling” in the courts (Matthew 21:12;Mark 11:15), exposing a misuse of worship space.
• Parables of priority: Men excuse themselves from the great banquet because they have “bought a field” or “five yoke of oxen” (Luke 14:18-19), while others in Lot’s day “were buying” until judgment fell (Luke 17:28).
These mundane scenes ground the audience in familiar economics before the writers transition to spiritual transactions.
Parabolic and Instructional Contexts
Several parables hinge on purposeful purchasing:
• Treasure and Pearl (Matthew 13:44-46). Joy impels the man who finds treasure and the merchant who discovers the pearl to sell all and buy. The kingdom is worth any earthly cost.
• Wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:9-10). Readiness is pictured by those who secure oil beforehand; last-minute buyers are shut out.
• Two-sword instruction (Luke 22:36). Jesus’ words, “let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one,” anticipate coming opposition and underscore sober preparation.
• Laodicean counsel (Revelation 3:18). The risen Christ urges a self-sufficient church to “buy from Me gold refined by fire,” exchanging worldly wealth for true riches.
Each setting teaches that eternal realities outweigh temporal expenditures.
Metaphorical Usage for Redemption
The verb rises to its highest meaning when Scripture speaks of people purchased for God:
• “You were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20; see also 7:23).
• “You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
• The redeemed on Mount Zion are those “who had been redeemed from the earth” (Revelation 14:3-4).
• Even false teachers are said to be “denying the Master who bought them” (2 Peter 2:1), highlighting the objective sufficiency of the purchase even where faith proves spurious.
Here the marketplace metaphor points to the cross. The price is Christ’s blood, the object is sinners, and the result is ownership that establishes both belonging and obligation.
Eschatological and Prophetic Applications
Revelation employs the commercial motif to reveal the climax of history:
• Economic control: None may “buy or sell” without the beast’s mark (Revelation 13:17).
• Collapse of Babylon: “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more” (Revelation 18:11).
End-time prophecy shows that commerce itself becomes a battleground of allegiance, yet Christ’s prior purchase guarantees the safety of His people.
Historical Background of First-Century Buying
The Greek agora was more than a market; it was the civic heart of a city. Monetary exchange used silver and copper coinage, and land transactions required witnesses. The Temple itself contained stalls for sacrificial animals and money changers. Against this backdrop, Jesus’ cleansing of the courts condemned corrupted worship, and His redemptive purchase offered a holy alternative to the commercialized religion of the day.
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Identity: Believers belong to Christ; ministry springs from His ownership.
2. Stewardship: Purchasers expect return; Christians manage gifts and resources for the Lord who bought them.
3. Purity: The price paid calls for holiness—“glorify God with your body.”
4. Urgency: Like the wise virgins, disciples prepare now, not later.
5. Discernment: Economic systems may challenge faithfulness; the church must resist idolatrous trade practices and remain loyal to Christ.
Summary of Theological Themes
Strong’s 59 links the cash exchange of bread, linen, fields, and animals to the incomparable transaction on Calvary. Purchases made in bustling marketplaces fade beside the blood-bought redemption of sinners. The verb therefore invites worship: He who needed nothing chose to buy us, and because we are His, every coin we handle, every decision we make, and every hope we cherish ought to reflect the worth of the One who paid the price.
Forms and Transliterations
αγοραζει αγοράζει ἀγοράζει αγοράζειν αγοραζοντας αγοράζοντας ἀγοράζοντας αγοραζοντες αγοράζοντες ἀγοράζοντες αγοράζων αγορασαι αγοράσαι ἀγοράσαι αγορασαντα αγοράσαντα ἀγοράσαντα αγορασας αγοράσας ἀγοράσας αγορασατε αγοράσατε ἀγοράσατε αγορασατω ἀγορασάτω αγοράσει αγοράσομεν αγοράσομέν Αγορασον αγόρασον Ἀγόρασον αγοράσω αγορασωμεν αγοράσωμεν ἀγοράσωμεν αγοράσωσι αγορασωσιν αγοράσωσιν ἀγοράσωσιν ηγοραζον ηγόραζον ἠγόραζον ηγορασα ηγόρασα ἠγόρασα ηγορασαν ηγόρασαν ἠγόρασαν ηγορασας ηγόρασας ἠγόρασας ηγορασεν ηγόρασεν ἠγόρασεν ηγορασθησαν ηγοράσθησαν ἠγοράσθησαν ηγορασθητε ηγοράσθητε ἠγοράσθητε ηγορασμενοι ηγορασμένοι ἠγορασμένοι agorasai agorásai agorasanta agorásanta agorasas agorásas agorasate agorásate agorasato agorasatō agorasáto agorasátō agorasomen agorasōmen agorásomen agorásōmen Agorason Agórason agorasosin agorasōsin agorásosin agorásōsin agorazei agorázei agorazontas agorázontas agorazontes agorázontes egorasa egórasa ēgorasa ēgórasa egorasan egórasan ēgorasan ēgórasan egorasas egórasas ēgorasas ēgórasas egorasen egórasen ēgorasen ēgórasen egorasmenoi egorasménoi ēgorasmenoi ēgorasménoi egorasthesan egorásthesan ēgorasthēsan ēgorásthēsan egorasthete egorásthete ēgorasthēte ēgorásthēte egorazon egórazon ēgorazon ēgórazon
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