Lexical Summary xulon: Wood, tree, staff, cross Original Word: ξύλον Strong's Exhaustive Concordance staff, stocks, tree, wood. From another form of the base of xestes; timber (as fuel or material); by implication, a stick, club or tree or other wooden article or substance -- staff, stocks, tree, wood. see GREEK xestes NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. word Definition wood NASB Translation clubs (5), cross (4), stocks (1), tree (7), wood (3). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3586: ξύλονξύλον, ξύλου, τό (from ξύω to scrape, plane), from Homer down; the Sept. for עֵץ; 1. wood: universally, 1 Corinthians 3:12; ξύλον θύϊνον, Revelation 18:12; that which is made of wood, as a beam from which anyone is suspended, a gibbet, a cross (A. V. tree, which see in B. D. American edition), Acts 5:30; Acts 10:39; Acts 13:29; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24 (עֵץ, Genesis 40:19; Deuteronomy 21:23; Joshua 10:26; Esther 5:14) — a use not found in the classics (cf. Liddell and Scott, under II. 4). A log or timber with holes in which the feet, bands, neck, of prisoners were inserted and fastened with thongs (Gr. καλόν, ξυλοπεδη, ποδοκάκη, ποδοστράβη, Latinnervus, by which the Latin renders the Hebrew סַד, a fetter, or shackle for the feet, Job (Job 13:27); 2. a tree: Luke 23:31 (Genesis 1:29; Genesis 2:9; Genesis 3:1; Isaiah 14:8, etc.); ξυλος τῆς ζωῆς, see ζωή, 2 b., p. 274{a}. Strong’s Greek 3586, ξύλον, is used twenty times in the New Testament for a variety of wooden objects. The contexts cluster around five principal ideas: ordinary timber, improvised weapons, instruments of restraint, the cross as the place of Christ’s atoning death, and the tree of life in the consummated kingdom of God. Together these meanings trace a redemptive movement from fallen creation to new creation. Ordinary Timber and Building Material The most prosaic sense appears in passages that contrast perishable wood with enduring materials. Paul lists “wood, hay, or straw” among the combustible elements of human workmanship when tested by fire (1 Corinthians 3:12). The merchants of Babylon trade in “all kinds of citron wood” (Revelation 18:12), underscoring the economic value yet ultimate transience of earthly splendor. Luke 23:31 also uses a literal‐metaphorical overlap: “For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Jesus warns that if such injustice is done under comparatively favorable conditions (green wood), far worse will come when judgment ripens (dry wood). Improvised Weapons in the Arrest of Jesus Six occurrences describe the clubs carried by the temple guard at Gethsemane (Matthew 26:47, Matthew 26:55, Mark 14:43, Mark 14:48, Luke 22:52). These crude wooden cudgels highlight the irony of armed force against the Prince of Peace. “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw?” (Mark 14:48). The term exposes human hostility and the futility of physical power against divine purpose. Stocks and Other Instruments of Restraint In Acts 16:24 the Philippian jailer “fastened their feet in the stocks.” The wooden device intended to immobilize Paul and Silas instead became the stage for midnight praise and a miraculous earthquake. The narrative demonstrates how the gospel overturns earthly confinement and brings spiritual liberation, turning ξύλον from a tool of oppression into a backdrop for salvation. The Tree of the Curse and the Cross of Christ Nine texts employ ξύλον for the cross: Acts 5:30 – “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree.” Acts 10:39 – “They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree.” Acts 13:29 – “They took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.” Galatians 3:13 – “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” 1 Peter 2:24 – “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” The wording deliberately recalls Deuteronomy 21:22-23, where a corpse exposed on a tree signified covenant curse. By bearing that curse, Jesus exhausted the Law’s penalty and secured redemption for Jew and Gentile alike. Luke’s emphasis on “hanging” underscores public humiliation; Paul stresses the forensic exchange; Peter draws out sanctification and healing (“that we might die to sin and live to righteousness”). Historically, Roman crucifixion involved a wooden stipes and patibulum, yet the apostolic preaching prefers the term “tree.” This choice links Calvary to Scripture’s storyline: the forbidden tree in Eden, the cursed tree in Deuteronomy, and the promise of a restored tree in Revelation. Thus ξύλον becomes a theological hinge between fall and restoration. The Tree of Life and Eschatological Blessing Revelation reclaims the word for paradise regained: Revelation 2:7 – “To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.” Revelation 22:2 – The tree of life straddles the river of the new Jerusalem, “bearing twelve kinds of fruit… and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:14 – “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life.” Revelation 22:19 – A solemn warning not to forfeit that right by tampering with the word of God. What Adam forfeited, Christ restores. The ξύλον of shame becomes the gateway to the ξύλον of eternal life, and the healing leaves anticipate complete reversal of the curse. Ministry Implications 1. Foundation Inspection: Believers must build on Christ with durable materials, not “wood” that cannot survive testing (1 Corinthians 3:12). Sound doctrine and godly works prove fire-resistant. 2. Evangelistic Message: Apostolic preaching highlights the cross as the ξύλον where Jesus bore the curse. Proclamation must keep the substitutionary death central. 3. Suffering and Endurance: When unjustly confined like Paul and Silas, the righteous can still sing; God can transform a wooden stock into a platform for deliverance. 4. Eschatological Hope: Participation in the tree of life motivates holiness; tampering with revelation forfeits that privilege (Revelation 22:19). Fidelity to Scripture safeguards eternal reward. Summary From the garden to Gethsemane, from Roman timber to the river of life, ξύλον threads through Scripture as a tangible witness to divine sovereignty. It reveals human hostility, the depths of the Savior’s humiliation, and the heights of redeemed glory, calling the church to cherish both the cross of the present age and the tree of life in the age to come. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 26:47 N-GNPGRK: μαχαιρῶν καὶ ξύλων ἀπὸ τῶν NAS: with swords and clubs, [who came] from the chief priests KJV: and staves, from INT: swords and clubs from the Matthew 26:55 N-GNP Mark 14:43 N-GNP Mark 14:48 N-GNP Luke 22:52 N-GNP Luke 23:31 N-DNS Acts 5:30 N-GNS Acts 10:39 N-GNS Acts 13:29 N-GNS Acts 16:24 N-ANS 1 Corinthians 3:12 N-ANP Galatians 3:13 N-GNS 1 Peter 2:24 N-ANS Revelation 2:7 N-GNS Revelation 18:12 N-ANS Revelation 18:12 N-GNS Revelation 22:2 N-NNS Revelation 22:2 N-GNS Revelation 22:14 N-ANS Revelation 22:19 N-GNS Strong's Greek 3586 |
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