1562. ekduó
Lexical Summary
ekduó: To strip off, to take off, to unclothe

Original Word: ἐκδύω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ekduó
Pronunciation: ek-doo'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-doo'-o)
KJV: strip, take off from, unclothe
NASB: stripped, took off, unclothed
Word Origin: [from G1537 (ἐκ - among) and the base of G1416 (δύνω - set)]

1. to cause to sink out of
2. (specially as of clothing) to divest

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
strip, take off from, unclothe.

From ek and the base of duno; to cause to sink out of, i.e. (specially as of clothing) to divest -- strip, take off from, unclothe.

see GREEK ek

see GREEK duno

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from ek and the same as dunó
Definition
to take off, to put off
NASB Translation
stripped (2), took...off (2), unclothed (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1562: ἐκδύω

ἐκδύω: 1 aorist ἐξεδυσα; 1 aorist middle ἐξεδυσάμην; (δύω); to take off: τινα, to strip one of his garments, Matthew 27:28 (L WH marginal reading ἐνδυς.); Luke 10:30; τινα τί (as in Greek from Homer down) (a thing from a person): Matthew 27:31; Mark 15:20; middle, to take off from oneself, to put off one's raiment (Xenophon, Ag. 1, 28; Hell. 3, 4, 19); figuratively, to put off the body, the clothing of the soul (A. V. be unclothed): 2 Corinthians 5:4; the reading ἐκδυσάμενοι, adopted in 2 Corinthians 5:3 by certain critics (e. g. Mill, Tdf. 7, Reiche, others), is due to a correction by the copyists; see γυμνός, 1 d. (Compare: ἀπεκδύομαι.)

Topical Lexicon
Overview of Usage in Scripture

The verb translated “to strip off, unclothe, divest” appears six times in the New Testament, distributed across the Passion narratives, a parable, and a Pauline discussion of resurrection. These occurrences fall naturally into two categories: literal removal of clothing (Matthew 27:28; Matthew 27:31; Mark 15:20; Luke 10:30) and figurative removal of the mortal body (2 Corinthians 5:3–4).

Literal Sense: Stripping in the Gospels

1. Roman soldiers “stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him” (Matthew 27:28), publicly humiliating Jesus before the crucifixion.
2. After their mock homage, they “took off the robe” (Matthew 27:31) and again clothed Him in His own garments, underscoring the deliberate cruelty of the proceedings.
3. Mark’s parallel emphasizes the same shameful treatment (Mark 15:20).
4. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, bandits “stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away” (Luke 10:30), illustrating the depth of helplessness into which sin and violence can plunge a person.

These texts highlight the vulnerability and degradation associated with being forcibly disrobed. They further magnify Christ’s voluntary identification with human shame and suffering, fulfilling prophetic foreshadowings such as Psalm 22:18.

Figurative Sense: Mortality and Immortality in 2 Corinthians

Paul writes, “For indeed, we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life” (2 Corinthians 5:4). Here the verb shifts from physical garments to the “tent” of the earthly body. The apostle is not yearning for naked disembodiment but for the resurrection body that surpasses present mortality. The language evokes Genesis 3, where nakedness became a symbol of vulnerability after the fall; by contrast, the believer’s future “clothing” with immortality answers that vulnerability forever.

Historical Background

Public stripping was a known tool of Roman punishment, intensifying the disgrace of flogging and crucifixion. Garments also served as indicators of status; to remove them was to erase dignity. In Jewish thought, the cloak could even serve as collateral for a loan (Exodus 22:26–27), highlighting its essential role in personal identity. Against this backdrop, the Gospel accounts deliberately emphasize that Jesus endured the uttermost shame on behalf of sinners.

Intertextual Connections

Isaiah 50:6 pictures the Servant giving His back to those who strike and His cheeks to those who pluck the beard—an anticipation of messianic humiliation.
Zechariah 3 portrays filthy garments exchanged for clean ones, prefiguring the believer’s justification in Christ.
Revelation 3:18 exhorts the church to “buy white garments,” completing the scriptural arc from enforced stripping to gracious clothing.

Doctrinal Significance

1. Atonement: The mocked, unclothed Messiah bears the shame of human rebellion, turning dishonor into redemptive glory.
2. Resurrection Hope: Paul’s imagery affirms that believers will not remain naked souls but will receive glorified bodies, safeguarding both continuity and transformation.
3. Anthropology: The body is integral to personhood; salvation ultimately rehabilitates, not discards, physical existence.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

• Suffering believers can take comfort that Christ Himself endured exposure and humiliation; He is a sympathetic High Priest.
• Ministry to the poor and persecuted should mirror the Good Samaritan, replacing loss and shame with practical care and dignity.
• Funeral teaching may employ 2 Corinthians 5 to reassure mourners that the departed in Christ are not longing spirits but are destined for resurrection clothing.

Illustrative Applications

• A communion meditation might contrast the soldiers stripping Jesus with His provision of “garments of salvation” (Isaiah 61:10).
• Counseling sessions addressing shame can point to Christ’s experience as the ultimate answer to disgrace.

Summary

Whether narrating brutality, illustrating compassion, or unveiling eschatological hope, the verb translated “strip off” carries a consistent theological thread: Christ bore our shame, humanity’s enemies strip and wound, but God ultimately reclothes His people with eternal honor.

Forms and Transliterations
εκδύνει έκδυσαι εκδυσαντες εκδύσαντες ἐκδύσαντες εκδυσασθαι εκδύσασθαι ἐκδύσασθαι εκδύσασθε εκδύσεται εκδύση έκδυσον εκδύσονται εκδύσουσί εκδύσω εξεδυσάμην εξεδυσαν εξέδυσαν ἐξέδυσαν εξεδύσατο εξέδυσε εξέδυσεν ekdusantes ekdusasthai ekdysantes ekdýsantes ekdysasthai ekdýsasthai exedusan exedysan exédysan
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 27:28 V-APA-NMP
GRK: καὶ ἐκδύσαντες αὐτὸν χλαμύδα
NAS: They stripped Him and put a scarlet
KJV: And they stripped him,
INT: and having stripped him a robe

Matthew 27:31 V-AIA-3P
GRK: ἐνέπαιξαν αὐτῷ ἐξέδυσαν αὐτὸν τὴν
NAS: they had mocked Him, they took the [scarlet] robe
KJV: they took the robe off from him, and
INT: they had mocked him they took off him the

Mark 15:20 V-AIA-3P
GRK: ἐνέπαιξαν αὐτῷ ἐξέδυσαν αὐτὸν τὴν
NAS: they had mocked Him, they took the purple robe
KJV: him, they took off the purple
INT: they had mocked him they took off him the

Luke 10:30 V-APA-NMP
GRK: οἳ καὶ ἐκδύσαντες αὐτὸν καὶ
NAS: robbers, and they stripped him and beat
KJV: him of his raiment, and
INT: who both having stripped him and

2 Corinthians 5:3 V-APM-NMP
GRK: γε καὶ ἐκδυσάμενοι οὐ γυμνοὶ
INT: besides also having been clothed not naked

2 Corinthians 5:4 V-ANM
GRK: οὐ θέλομεν ἐκδύσασθαι ἀλλ' ἐπενδύσασθαι
NAS: we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed,
KJV: we would be unclothed, but
INT: not we do wish to be unclothed but to be clothed upon

Strong's Greek 1562
6 Occurrences


ἐκδυσάμενοι — 1 Occ.
ἐκδύσαντες — 2 Occ.
ἐκδύσασθαι — 1 Occ.
ἐξέδυσαν — 2 Occ.

1561
Top of Page
Top of Page