1454. egersis
Lexical Summary
egersis: Resurrection, awakening

Original Word: ἔγερσις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: egersis
Pronunciation: EH-ger-sis
Phonetic Spelling: (eg'-er-sis)
KJV: resurrection
NASB: resurrection
Word Origin: [from G1453 (ἐγείρω - raised)]

1. a resurgence (from death)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
resurrection.

From egeiro; a resurgence (from death) -- resurrection.

see GREEK egeiro

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from egeiró
Definition
a rousing, a rising (from death)
NASB Translation
resurrection (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1454: ἔγερσις

ἔγερσις, ἐγερσεως, (ἐγείρω "a rousing, excitation:" τοῦ θυμοῦ, Plato, Tim., p. 70 c.; a rising up, Psalm 138:2 (); resurrection from death; Matthew 27:58.

Topical Lexicon
Overview of the Term

ἔγερσις conveys the event of being raised from death to life. While the idea of resurrection pervades Scripture, this noun appears only once, underscoring its special link to the climactic events that surround the passion narrative.

Biblical Occurrence

Matthew 27:53 records the word’s sole New Testament appearance: “After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.”

Literary Context in Matthew

Matthew 27:51-54 depicts three supernatural signs: the torn temple veil, the quaking earth, and opened tombs. The evangelist uses ἔγερσις to mark the moment when the crucified Messiah’s victory bursts into history. The saints who “appeared to many” authenticate Jesus’ own resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10) and preview the universal resurrection promised to all who belong to Him (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

Theological Significance

1. Divine Validation: The raising of the holy ones testifies that God has accepted the Son’s atoning work (Romans 1:4).
2. Firstfruits Motif: The mini-resurrection anticipates the fuller harvest at Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).
3. Inaugurated Eschatology: Life from the graves shows that the age to come has already broken in (John 5:24-29).

Christological Dimensions

Jesus’ own ἔγερσις fulfills His repeated predictions (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19). It proves His supremacy over death (Revelation 1:18) and secures justification for believers (Romans 4:25). The accompanying resurrection of the saints underlines that His victory is not isolated but corporate; His life becomes theirs (John 14:19).

Eschatological Hope for Believers

Because Jesus was “raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25), the same power that brought Him from the grave will raise all who are united to Him (Romans 8:11). The term thus anchors Christian hope in a bodily, historical, and future resurrection, not a mere spiritual survival (Job 19:25-27; Philippians 3:20-21).

Old Testament Foreshadowing and Jewish Expectations

Prophetic passages such as Isaiah 26:19 and Daniel 12:2 anticipated a general resurrection. Jewish intertestamental literature elaborated on this expectation. Matthew’s use of ἔγερσις signals that what was long foretold has begun in Jesus of Nazareth.

Historical Reception in the Early Church

Early Christian writers appealed to Matthew 27:53 to defend the reality of bodily resurrection against docetism and Gnostic denial of the flesh. The clause “appeared to many” supplied eyewitness corroboration for apologists such as Ignatius and Irenaeus, who linked the saints’ rising to the certainty of the final resurrection.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

• Comfort in Bereavement: Mourning believers can declare with Paul, “We do not grieve like the rest, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
• Motivation for Holiness: Resurrection power enables sanctified living (Romans 6:4).
• Boldness in Witness: The same God who raised Jesus equips His people to proclaim the gospel fearlessly (Acts 4:33).
• Assurance in Persecution: Suffering loses its terror when life beyond the grave is secure (2 Corinthians 4:14-17).

Conclusion

Though occurring only once, ἔγερσις encapsulates the heartbeat of the gospel: death conquered, life inaugurated, and a future guaranteed. It binds the historical resurrection of Jesus to the experiential resurrection of believers, affirming the unbreakable promise, “Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19)

Forms and Transliterations
εγέρσει εγερσιν έγερσιν έγερσίν ἔγερσιν egersin égersin
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 27:53 N-AFS
GRK: μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ εἰσῆλθον
NAS: after His resurrection they entered
KJV: after his resurrection, and went into
INT: after the resurrection of him they entered

Strong's Greek 1454
1 Occurrence


ἔγερσιν — 1 Occ.

1453
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