1582. ekkremannumi

Lexical Summary

ekkremannumi: To hang out, to suspend

Original Word: ἐκκρεμάννυμι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ekkremannumi
Pronunciation: ek-kreh-MAN-noo-mee
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-krem'-am-ahee)
KJV: be very attentive
NASB: hanging
Word Origin: [middle voice from G1537 (ἐκ - among) and G2910 (κρεμάννυμι - hanging)]

1. to hang upon the lips of a speaker, i.e. listen closely

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

be very attentive.

Middle voice from ek and kremannumi; to hang upon the lips of a speaker, i.e. Listen closely -- be very attentive.

see GREEK ek

see GREEK kremannumi

HELPS Word-studies

1582 ekkrémamai (from 1537 /ek, "out from and to" and 2910 /kremánnymi, "to hang, hinge") – properly, out from (one's own perspective) and to (the new focus), i.e. with the outcome of being totally captivated by someone's every word; "spellbound" – hanging on to each word as a listener is "suspended in rapt attention" (used only in Lk 19:48).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from ek and kremannumi
Definition
to hang from, hang upon (the lips of a speaker), i.e. to listen closely
NASB Translation
hanging (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1582: ἐκκρέμαμαι

ἐκκρέμαμαι (middle of ἐκκρεμάννυμι, cf. Alexander Buttmann (1873) Ausf. Spr. 2:224f; (Veitch, under the word, κρέμαμαι); Buttmann, 61 (53)): (imperfect ἐξεκρεμαμην); to hang from: ἐξεκρέματο αὐτοῦ ἀκούων, hung upon his lips (Vergil Aen. 4, 79), Luke 19:48, where T WH ἐξεκρεμετο, after manuscripts א B, a form which T conjectures "avulgariusuhaudalienumfuisse;" (cf. Buttmann, as above; WHs Appendix, p. 168). (Plato, Philo, Plutarch, others.)

STRONGS NT 1582: ἐκκρέμομαιἐκκρέμομαι, see the preceding word.

Topical Lexicon

Central Picture

Strong’s Greek 1582 portrays people so absorbed in Jesus’ speech that they are figuratively “hanging from” His every word. The single New Testament instance (Luke 19:48) depicts a crowd whose spiritual hunger renders them immovable until every syllable has been received.

Biblical Context: Luke 19:45–48

1. Jesus cleanses the temple (verses 45-46), asserting messianic authority.
2. Chief priests, scribes, and leading men plot His death (verse 47).
3. Their schemes stall because “all the people hung on His words” (Berean Standard Bible, verse 48).

The verb underlines the suspense: as long as the populace clings to Christ’s teaching, hostile leaders dare not act. The scene highlights the power of truth to restrain evil and protect the Teacher until His appointed hour (John 7:30; John 8:20).

Links to Old Testament Imagery

• Israel was commanded to “bind” God’s words on heart and hand (Deuteronomy 11:18).
• Joshua’s success depended on never letting the Book of the Law “depart from your mouth” (Joshua 1:8).
• In Proverbs, wisdom calls for hearers to “keep my words” as the pupil of the eye (Proverbs 7:2).

Luke’s picture fulfills this heritage: the people of God literally cling to incarnate Wisdom as He teaches in His Father’s house.

Christological Emphasis

By describing the audience’s dependence, Luke spotlights Jesus as:

1. Final Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15), whose words carry divine weight.
2. True Temple (John 2:19-21), making the physical courts holy by His presence.
3. Shepherd whose sheep “know His voice” (John 10:27).

The leaders’ impotence contrasts with Christ’s unassailable authority derived from the very Word He embodies (John 1:14).

Dynamics of Faith and Resistance

• Crowd: Expectant faith; willingness to rearrange schedules, endure scrutiny, and face possible censure in order to listen.
• Authorities: Fear of popular opinion; recognition that the living Word possesses more persuasive power than institutional position.

This tension anticipates Acts, where apostolic preaching repeatedly silences opposition (Acts 4:13-14; Acts 6:10).

Pattern for Discipleship

To “hang upon” Christ’s words implies:

1. Undivided attention—setting aside distractions (Luke 10:39).
2. Humble receptivity—meekness that “receives the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).
3. Immediate obedience—building on rock, not sand (Matthew 7:24-25).

Such posture fuels vibrant devotion, doctrinal fidelity, and moral transformation (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Historical Reception

Early church writers echo the image:
• Tertullian notes crowds “suspend themselves upon His lips.”
• Chrysostom urges believers to “hang upon the reading of Scripture” with the same zeal shown in the temple.

Reformers applied the concept to vernacular Bible translation, arguing that believers must access every word of Scripture for themselves.

Pastoral and Homiletical Uses

1. Encourages congregations to value exposition over entertainment.
2. Affirms the preacher’s duty to present Christ’s words clearly, trusting their inherent authority.
3. Warns leaders that manipulation and coercion cannot prevail where people cling to biblical truth.

Devotional Implications

Meditative listening—lingering over a passage until its meaning rules thought and action—mirrors the crowd’s stance in Luke 19:48. Modern believers “hang upon” Christ’s words whenever Scripture reading, preaching, and personal study are approached with expectancy, dependence, and resolve to obey.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 1582 crystallizes a moment when human hearts latched onto the living Word, thwarting evil schemes and showcasing the supremacy of divine truth. The verb calls every generation to that same wholehearted, life-shaping attachment to everything Jesus says.

Forms and Transliterations

εκκέκυφεν εκκρέμαται εκκρουσθή εκκύπτουσα εκκύπτων εξεκρέματο ἐξεκρέματο εξεκρεμετο ἐξεκρέμετο εξέκυψεν exekremato exekrémato

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 19:48 V-IIM-3S
GRK: γὰρ ἅπας ἐξεκρέματο αὐτοῦ ἀκούων
NAS: the people were hanging on to every
KJV: the people were very attentive to hear
INT: indeed all were hanging on him listening

Strong's Greek 1582
1 Occurrence

ἐξεκρέματο — 1 Occ.