Lexical Summary exó: Outside, without, out Original Word: ἔξω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance away, forth, without, strange. Adverb from ek; out(-side, of doors), literally or figuratively -- away, forth, (with-)out (of, -ward), strange. see GREEK ek NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ek Definition outside, without NASB Translation away (2), foreign (1), forth (1), outer (1), outside (20), outsiders* (3). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1854: ἔξωἔξω, adverb (from ἐξ, as ἔσω and εἴσω from ἐς and εἰς); 1. without, out of doors; a. adverbially: Mark 11:4; joined with verbs: ἑστάναι, Matthew 12:46, 47 (WH text omit the verse); Mark 3:31; Luke 8:20; Luke 13:25; John 18:16; John 20:11 (Lachmann omits); καθῆσθαι, Matthew 26:69; or with some other verb declaring that the person without is doing something, Mark 3:31. Preceded by the article ὁ ἔξω, absolutely, he who is without, properly, of place; metaphorically, in plural, those who do not belong to the Christian church (cf. Lightfoot on Col. as below; Meyer on Mark as below): 1 Corinthians 5:12, 13; Colossians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:12; those who are not of the number of the apostles, Mark 4:11 ((cf. Meyer) WH marginal reading ἔξωθεν, which see). With a noun added: αἱ ἔξω πόλεις, foreign, Acts 26:11; ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος, the outer man, i. e. the body (see ἄνθρωπος, 1 e.), 2 Corinthians 4:16. b. it takes the place of a preposition and is joined with the genitive, without i. e. out of, outside of (Winer's Grammar, § 54, 6): Luke 13:33; Acts 21:5; Hebrews 13:11, 12. 2. after the verbs of going, sending, placing, leading, drawing, etc., which commonly take prepositions or adverbs signifying rest in a place rather than those expressive of motion toward a place, ἔξω has the force of the Latinforas (German hinaus,heraus), forth out, out of; a. adverbially, after the verbs ἐξέρχομαι, Matthew 26:75; Mark 14:68; Luke 22:62; John 19:4, 5; Revelation 3:12; ἄγω, John 19:4, 13; προάγω, Acts 16:30; ἐξάγω, Luke 24:50 (R G L brackets); βάλλω and ἐκβάλλω, Matthew 5:13; Matthew 13:48; Luke 8:54 R G; b. as a preposition with the genitive: after ἀπελθεῖν, Acts 4:15; ἀποστέλλειν, Mark 5:10; ἐκβάλλειν, Mark 12:8; Luke 4:29; Luke 20:15; Acts 7:58; ἐξέρχεσθαι, Matthew 21:17; Acts 16:13; Hebrews 13:13; ἐκπορεύεσθαι, Mark 11:19; ἐξάγειν, Mark 8:23 (R G L Tr marginal reading); σύρειν τινα, Acts 14:19; έ῾λκειν τινα, Acts 21:30. Across the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation, ἔξω marks the line between what is within and what is without—whether that line is a city wall, a house door, a synagogue threshold, or the covenant community itself. It describes ordinary movements (Matthew 12:46; Acts 16:13), arrest procedures (John 18:16), and commercial activities (Colossians 4:5). Yet the same term becomes a theological marker, indicating exclusion, separation, and even final judgment. Worthlessness and Discarding Jesus’ first use of the word occurs in the Sermon on the Mount: “It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men” (Matthew 5:13). The image of salt cast outside sets a pattern: that which fails in purpose is expelled from useful fellowship. Similarly, in parabolic form, the bad fish are “thrown away” (Matthew 13:48), and the vinedresser casts fruitless branches “into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6). ἔξω therefore announces the destiny of the unproductive and unfaithful. Rejection of the Righteous Israel’s long habit of casting prophets beyond the camp culminates in the Son Himself. “And they took Him and killed Him and threw Him out of the vineyard” (Mark 12:8; Luke 20:15). Stephen’s martyrdom repeats the pattern: “They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him” (Acts 7:58). The locus of rejection is always ἔξω; righteousness is expelled by unrighteous men. Christ Sanctifying His People Outside the Camp Hebrews draws a deliberate parallel with the Levitical sin offering (Hebrews 13:11) and Christ’s crucifixion “outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood” (Hebrews 13:12). Believers are then urged, “Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore” (Hebrews 13:13). Ministry significance: Christian service often unfolds beyond familiar, comfortable boundaries as believers identify with a rejected but victorious Messiah. Mission Beyond the Walls Luke repeatedly notes prayer and proclamation occurring outside official structures: the crowd prays “outside” while Zechariah ministers in the temple (Luke 1:10); Paul meets worshipers “outside the city gate at a river” (Acts 16:13). Evangelism in Acts frequently moves from inside to outside—synagogues to marketplaces, councils to public squares—displaying an outward-facing gospel. Community Discipline and Evangelistic Witness Paul distinguishes those “inside” the church from “those outside” (1 Corinthians 5:12). Expulsion serves both purity and restoration, mirroring Jesus’ own teaching on worthless salt. Yet the church’s posture toward outsiders is missional: “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5); living “properly before outsiders” (1 Thessalonians 4:12) adorns the gospel. Inside and Outside in Johannine Theology In John, ἔξω separates allegiance and unbelief. The man born blind is “thrown out” of the synagogue (John 9:34); Jesus immediately seeks him “outside” (John 9:35), revealing Himself as the One who receives the outcast. Conversely, the one who comes to Jesus will “never be driven away” (John 6:37). Fear “has to do with punishment,” and perfect love “drives out fear” (1 John 4:18)—a reversal of exclusion for those abiding in Christ. Eschatological Finality ἔξω reaches its climax in Revelation. To the overcomer in Philadelphia Jesus promises, “Never again will he leave it” (Revelation 3:12), securing eternal residence within God’s temple-city. By contrast, at history’s end “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and the murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Revelation 22:15). The temporal casting out of the wicked prefigures a final, irrevocable exclusion. Pastoral and Missional Implications 1. Holiness: The church must guard its internal purity, recognizing that persistent sin may necessitate removal ἔξω, yet always with a view toward redemption. Thus ἔξω serves Scripture as a vivid index of separation and belonging, warning of judgment, inviting participation in Christ’s sufferings, and promising secure inclusion for all who come to Him. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 5:13 AdvGRK: μὴ βληθὲν ἔξω καταπατεῖσθαι ὑπὸ KJV: to be cast out, and INT: not having been cast out to be trampled upon by Matthew 10:14 Adv Matthew 12:46 Adv Matthew 12:47 Adv Matthew 13:48 Adv Matthew 21:17 Adv Matthew 21:39 Adv Matthew 26:69 Adv Matthew 26:75 Adv Mark 1:45 Adv Mark 3:31 Adv Mark 3:32 Adv Mark 4:11 Adv Mark 5:10 Adv Mark 8:23 Adv Mark 11:4 Adv Mark 11:19 Adv Mark 12:8 Adv Mark 14:68 Adv Luke 1:10 Adv Luke 4:29 Adv Luke 8:20 Adv Luke 13:25 Adv Luke 13:28 Adv Luke 13:33 Adv |
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