Lexical Summary emballó: To throw in, to cast into, to put in Original Word: ἐμβάλλω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cast into. From en and ballo; to throw on, i.e. (figuratively) subject to (eternal punishment) -- cast into. see GREEK en see GREEK ballo NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom en and balló Definition to cast into, subject to NASB Translation cast (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1685: ἐμβάλλωἐμβάλλω (see ἐν, III. 3): 2 aorist infinitive ἐμβαλεῖν; to throw in, cast into: εἰς, Luke 12:5. (From Homer down. Compare: παρεμβάλλω.) Topical Lexicon Background and Nuance ἐμβάλλω combines the preposition ἐν (“in/into”) with βάλλω (“to throw”), forming an intensified picture of a decisive, forceful insertion. Classical writers used it of tossing weapons into battle or hurling a body into the sea. In essence, the word conveys both motion and intent: not merely dropping something, but consigning it to a specific place, with authority over its destination. Only New Testament Occurrence Luke 12:5: “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has power to throw you into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!” Here ἐμβάλλω underscores the Sovereign’s right to consign body and soul to final judgment. The verb heightens the warning: divine judgment is not passive but an active placement of the unrepentant where justice is executed. Old Testament and Jewish Background 1. Gehenna itself, derived from the Valley of Hinnom (Joshua 15:8; 2 Chronicles 28:3), was infamous for child sacrifice and later became Jerusalem’s refuse fire—an apt metaphor for final punishment. Theological Significance • Divine Authority: ἐμβάλλω highlights that God alone, not man, determines the soul’s eternal destiny (cf. Matthew 10:28, which uses ἀπολέσαι/ἀπολέσαι instead of ἐμβάλλω yet conveys the same prerogative). Pastoral and Homiletical Implications 1. Evangelistic Urgency—Luke 12:5 compels proclamation of both God’s love and His righteous wrath (Acts 20:27). Mission and Ministry Application • Counseling the Persecuted: ἐμβάλλω assures suffering saints that human oppressors cannot determine eternal outcomes. Liturgical Echoes Historic creeds (“He shall come to judge the living and the dead”) reflect the decisive action captured by ἐμβάλλω. Hymn writers likewise mirror the verb’s force in lines such as “cast their idols down.” Eschatological Perspective The single usage in Luke anticipates Revelation’s fuller depiction of the final “lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). The step from ἐμβάλλω to βάλλω in Revelation is seamless: both stress active placement under God’s jurisdiction. Summary Strong’s Greek 1685, ἐμβάλλω, appears once in the New Testament, but that single occasion carries immense weight. Employed by Jesus, it crystallizes the reality of divine judgment: an authoritative, irreversible consignment of the unrepentant to Gehenna. This forceful verb strengthens the call to fear God above all, embrace the gospel, and walk in holiness—truths that remain central to faithful life and ministry today. Forms and Transliterations έμβαλε εμβαλεί εμβαλειν εμβαλείν ἐμβαλεῖν εμβαλείς εμβαλείτε εμβάλετε εμβάλη εμβάλης εμβάλληται εμβαλλώ εμβαλούσιν εμβαλώ εμβάλωμεν εμβαλών εμβληθείη εμβληθήσεσθε εμβληθήσεται ενέβαλε ενέβαλεν ενεβάλλετε ενέβαλλον ενέβαλον ενεβάλοσαν ενεβλήθησαν embalein embaleînLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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