Bible Lexicons

ἔρχομαι, imperative ἔρχου, ἔρχεσθε (for the Attic ἴθι, ἰτε from εἰμί); imperfect ἠρχόμην (for ἐηιν and ἦα more common in Attic); future ἐλεύσομαι; — (on these forms cf. (especially Rutherford, New Phryn., p. 103ff; Veitch, under the word); Matthiae, § 234; Alexander Buttmann (1873) Ausf. Spr. ii. 182f; Krüger, § 40 under the word; Kühner, § 343; Winers Grammar, § 15 under the word; (Buttmann, 58 (50))); perfect ἐλήλυθα; pluperfect ἐληλύθειν; 2 aorist ἦλθον and (occasionally by L T Tr WH (together or severally) — as Matthew 6:10; (Matthew 7:25, 27; Matthew 10:13; Matthew 14:34; Matthew 25:36; Mark 1:29; Mark 6:29; Luke 1:59; Luke 2:16; Luke 5:7; Luke 6:17; Luke 8:35; Luke 11:2; Luke 23:33; Luke 24:1, 23); John (John 1:39 (); ); ; (John 12:9); Acts 12:10; (Acts 14:24); f etc.) in the Alexandrian form ἦλθα (see ἀπέρχομαι at the beginning for references); the Sept. for בּוא, rarely for אָתָה and יָלַך; (from Homer down);

I. to come;

1. properly,

a. of persons; α. universally, to come from one place into another, and used both of persons arriving — as in Matthew 8:9; Matthew 22:3; Luke 7:8; Luke 14:17 (here WH marginal reading read the infinitive, see their Introductory § 404), 20; John 5:7; Acts 10:29; Revelation 22:7, and very often; οἱ ἐρχόμενοι καί οἱ ὑπάγοντες, Mark 6:31; — and of those returning, as in John 4:27; John 9:7; Romans 9:9. Constructions: followed by ἀπό with the genitive of place, Mark 7:1; Mark 15:21; Acts 18:2; 2 Corinthians 11:9; with the genitive of person, Mark 5:35; John 3:2; Galatians 2:12, etc.; followed by ἐκ with the genitive of place, Luke 5:17 (L text συνέρχομαι); John 3:31, etc.; followed by εἰς with the accusative of place, to come into: as εἰς τήν οἰκίαν, τόν οἶκον, Matthew 2:11; Matthew 8:14; Mark 1:29; Mark 5:38, etc.; εἰς τήν πόλιν, Matthew 9:1, and many other examples; followed by εἰς to, toward, John 20:3f; εἰς τό πέραν, of persons going in a boat, Matthew 8:28; of persons departing ἐκ ... εἰς, John 4:54; διά with the genitive of place followed by εἰς (Rec. πρός) to, Mark 7:31; εἰς τήν ἑορτήν, to celebrate the feast, John 4:45; John 11:56; ἐν with the dative of the thing with which one is equipped, Romans 15:29; 1 Corinthians 4:21; followed by ἐπί with the accusative of place (German über, over), Matthew 14:28; (German auf), Mark 6:53; (German an), Luke 19:5; (Luke 23:33 L Tr); Acts 12:10, 12; to with the accusative of the thing, Matthew 3:7; Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:13; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; with the accusative of person, John 19:33; to one's tribunal, Acts 24:8 Rec.; against one, of a military leader, Luke 14:31; κατά with the accusative, Luke 10:33; Acts 16:7; παρά with the genitive of person, Luke 8:49 (Lachmann ἀπό); with the accusative of place, to (the side of), Matthew 15:29; πρός to, with the accusative of person, Matthew 3:14; Matthew 7:15; (Matthew 14:25 L T Tr WH); Mark 9:14; Luke 1:43; John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 13:1, and very often, especially in the Gospels; ἀπό τίνος (the genitive of person) πρός τινα, 1 Thessalonians 3:6; with a simple dative of person (properly, dative commodi or incommodi (cf. Winers Grammar, § 22, 7 N. 2; Buttmann, 179 (155))): Matthew 21:5; Revelation 2:5, 16 (examples from Greek authors in Passow, under the word, p. 1184a bottom; (Liddell and Scott, under II. 4)). with adverbs of place: πόθεν, John 3:8; John 8:14; Revelation 7:13; ἄνωθεν, John 3:31; ὄπισθεν, Mark 5:27; ὧδε, Matthew 8:29; Acts 9:21; ἐνθάδε, John 4:15 (R G L Tr), 16; ἐκεῖ, John 18:3 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 472 (440)); ποῦ, Hebrews 11:8; ἕως τίνος, Luke 4:42; ἄχρι τίνος, Acts 11:5. The purpose for which one comes is indicated — either by an infinitive, Mark (Mark 5:14 L T Tr WH); ; Luke 1:59; Luke 3:12; John 4:15 (T WH διέρχωμαι), and very often; or by a future participle, Matthew 27:49; Acts 8:27; or by a following ἵνα, John 12:9; εἰς τοῦτο, ἵνα, Acts 9:21; or by διά τινα, John 12:9. As one who is about to do something in a place must necessarily come thither, in the popular narrative style the phrases ἔρχεται καί, ἦλθε καί, etc., are usually placed before verbs of action: Matthew 13:19, 25; Mark 2:18; Mark 4:15; Mark 5:33; Mark 6:29; Mark 12:9; Mark 14:37; Luke 8:12, 47; John 6:15; John 11:48; John 12:22; John 19:38; John 20:19, 26; John 21:13; 3 John 1:3; Revelation 5:7; Revelation 17:1; Revelation 21:9; ἔρχου καί ἴδε (or βλέπε), John 1:46 (); ; (and Rec. in) Revelation 6:1, 3, 5, 7 (also Griesbach except in Revelation 6:3); plural John 1:39 () ((T Tr WH ὄψεσθε), see εἰδῶ, I. 1 e); — or ἐλθών is used, followed by a finite verb: Matthew 2:8; Matthew 8:7; Matthew 9:10, 18; Matthew 12:44; Matthew 14:12, 33 (R G L); ; Mark 7:25 (Tdf. εἰσελθεῖν); ; Acts 16:37, 39; — or ἐρχόμενος, followed by a finite verb: Luke 13:14; Luke 16:21; Luke 18:5. in other places ἐλθών must be rendered when I (thou, he, etc.) am come: John 16:8; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Philippians 1:27 (opposed to ἀπών). β. to come i. e. to appear, make one's appearance, come before the public: so κατ' ἐξοχήν of the Messiah, Luke 3:16; John 4:25; John 7:27, 31; Hebrews 10:37, who is styled preeminently ὁ ἐρχόμενος, i. e. he that cometh (i. e. is about to come) according to prophetic promise and universal expectation, the coming one (Winers Grammar, 341 (320); Buttmann, 204 (176f)): Matthew 11:3; Luke 7:19f; with εἰς τόν κόσμον added, John 6:14; John 11:27; ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου, he who is already coming clothed with divine authority i. e. the Messiah — the shout of the people joyfully welcoming Jesus as he was entering Jerusalem — taken from Psalm 117:25f (f): Matthew 21:9; Matthew 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; Luke 19:38 (Tdf. omits ἐρχόμενος (so WH in their first marginal reading)); John 12:13. ἔρχεσθαι used of Elijah who was to return from heaven as the forerunner of the Messiah: Matthew 11:14; Matthew 17:10; Mark 9:11-13; of John the Baptist, Matthew 11:18; Luke 7:33; John 1:31; with εἰς μαρτυρίαν added, John 1:7; of Antichrist, 1 John 2:18; of false Christs and other deceivers, false teachers, etc.: Matthew 24:5; Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8 (in these passages with the addition ἐπί τῷ ὀνόματι μου, relying on my name, i. e. arrogating to themselves and simulating my Messianic dignity); John 10:8; 2 Corinthians 11:4; 2 Peter 3:3; Revelation 17:10; with the addition ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τῷ ἰδίῳ in his own authority and of his own free-will, John 5:43. of the Holy Spirit, who is represented as a person coming to be the invisible helper of Christ's disciples after his departure from the world: John 15:26; John 16:7, 13. of the appearance of Jesus among men, as a religious teacher and the author of salvation: Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34; John 5:43; John 7:28; John 8:42; with the addition of εἰς τόν κόσμον followed by ἵνα, John 12:46; John 18:37; εἰς κρίμα, ἵνα, John 9:39; followed by a telic infinitive 1 Timothy 1:15; ἔρχεσθαι ὀπίσω τίνος, after one, Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:7; John 1:15, 27, 30; ὁ ἐλθών δἰ ὕδατος καί αἵματος, a terse expression for, 'he that publicly appeared and approved himself (to be God's son and ambassador) by accomplishing expiation through the ordinance of baptism and the bloody death which he underwent' (compare p. 210a bottom), 1 John 5:6; ἔρχεσθαι followed by a telic infinitive, Matthew 5:17; Matthew 10:34; Luke 19:10; followed by ἵνα, John 10:10; ἐληλυθεναι and ἔρχεσθαι ἐν σαρκί are used of the form in which Christ as the divine λόγος appeared among men: 1 John 4:2, 3 (Rec.); 2 John 1:7. of the return of Jesus hereafter from heaven in majesty: Matthew 10:23; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 11:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; with ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ added, Matthew 16:27; Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; ἐπί τῶν νεφελῶν (borne on the clouds) μετά δυνάμεως καί δόξης, Matthew 24:30; ἐν νεφέλαις, ἐν νεφέλη κτλ., Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27; ἐν τῇ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ (see ἐν, I. 5 c., p. 210b top), Matthew 16:28; Luke 23:42 (εἰς τήν βασιλείαν L marginal reading Tr marginal reading WH text)

b. of time. like the Latinvenio: with nouns of time, as ἔρχονται ἡμέραι, in a future sense, will come (cf. Buttmann, 204 (176f); Winer's Grammar, § 40, 2 a.), Luke 23:29; Hebrews 8:8 from Jeremiah 38:31 (); ἐλεύσονται ἡμέραι, Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:20; Luke 5:35; Luke 17:22; Luke 21:6; ἦλθεν ἡ ἡμέρα, Luke 22:7; Revelation 6:17; ἔρχεται ὥρα, ὅτε, John 4:21, 23; John 5:25; John 16:25; followed by ἵνα, John 16:2, 32; ἦλθεν, is come, i. e. is present, John 16:4, 21; Revelation 14:7, 15; ἐλήλυθε ἡ ὥρα, ἵνα, John 12:23; John 13:1 (L T Tr WH ἦλθεν); ; ἐληλύθει ἡ ὥρα αὐτοῦ, had come (Latinaderat), John 7:30; John 8:20; ἔρχεται νύξ, John 9:4; ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου, 1 Thessalonians 5:2; καιροί, Acts 3:19. with names of events that occur at a definite time: ὁ θερισμός, John 4:35; ὁ γάμος τοῦ ἀρνίου, Revelation 19:7; ἦλθεν ἡ κρίσις, Revelation 18:10. in imitation of the Hebrew הַבָּא, ὁ, ἡ, τό ἐρχόμενος, ἐρχομένη, ἐρχόμενον, is equivalent to to come, future (cf. Buttmanns Grammar and Winer's Grammar, as above): ὁ αἰών, Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; ἡ ἑορτή, Acts 18:21 (Rec.); ἡ ὀργή, 1 Thessalonians 1:10; τά ἐρχόμενα, things to come, John 16:13 (הַבָּאִים the times to come, Isaiah 27:6); in the periphrasis of the name of Jehovah, ὁ ὤν καί ὁ ἦν καί ὁ ἐρχόμενος, it is equivalent to ἐσόμενος, Revelation 1:4; Revelation 4:8.

c. of things and events (so very often in Greek authors also); of the advent of natural events: ποταμοί, Matthew 7:25 (R G); κατακλυσμός, Luke 17:27; λιμός, Acts 7:11; of the rain coming down ἐπί τῆς γῆς, Hebrews 6:7; of alighting birds, Matthew 13:4, 32; Mark 4:4; of a voice that is heard (Homer, Iliad 10, 139), followed by ἐκ with the genitive of place, Matthew 3:17 (?); Mark 9:7 (T WH Tr marginal reading ἐγένετο); John 12:28; of things that are brought: ὁ λύχνος, Mark 4:21 (ἐπιστολή, Libanius, epistle 458; other examples from Greek writings are given in Kypke, Kuinoel, others, on Mark, the passage cited).

2. metaphorically,

a. of Christ's invisible return from heaven, i. e. of the power which through the Holy Spirit he will exert in the souls of his disciples: John 14:18, 23; of his invisible advent in the death of believers, by which be takes them to himself into heaven, John 14:3.

b. equivalent to to come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence: τά σκάνδαλα, Matthew 18:7; Luke 17:1; τά ἀγαθά Romans 3:8 (Jeremiah 17:6); τό τέλειον, 1 Corinthians 13:10; ἡ πίστις, Galatians 3:23, 25; ἡ ἀποστασία, 2 Thessalonians 2:3; ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, equivalent to be established, Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2; Luke 17:20, etc.; ἡ ἐντολή, equivalent to became known, Romans 7:9.

c. with prepositions: ἐκ τῆς (Lachmann ἀπό) θλίψεως, suffered tribulation, Revelation 7:14. followed by εἰς, to come (fall) into or unto: εἰς τό χεῖρον, into a worse condition, Mark 5:26; εἰς πειρασμόν, Mark 14:38 T WH; εἰς ἀπελεγμόν (see ἀπελεγμός), Acts 19:27; εἰς τήν ὥραν ταύτην, John 12:27; εἰς κρίσιν, to become liable to judgment, John 5:24; εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν, to attain to knowledge, 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Timothy 3:7; εἰς τό φανερόν, to come to light, Mark 4:22; εἰς προκοπήν ἐλήλυθε, has turned out for the advancement, Philippians 1:12; ἔρχεσθαι εἰς τί, to come to a thing, is used of a writer who after discussing other matters passes on to a new topic, 2 Corinthians 12:1; εἰς ἑαυτόν, to come to one's senses, return to a healthy state of mind, Luke 15:17 (Epictetus diss. 3, 1, 15; Test xii. Patr., test. Jos. § 3, p. 702, Fabric edition.). ἔρχεσθαι ἐπί τινα to come upon one: in a bad sense, of calamities, John 18:4; in a good sense, of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 3:16; Acts 19:6; to devolve upon one, of the guilt and punishment of murder, Matthew 23:35. ἔρχεσθαι πρός τόν Ἰησοῦν, to commit oneself to the instruction of Jesus and enter into fellowship with him, John 5:40; John 6:35, 37, 44, 45, 65; πρός τό φῶς, to submit oneself to the power of the light, John 3:20f.

II. to go: ὀπίσω τίνος (אַחֲרֵי הָלַך), to follow one, Matthew 16:24; (Mark 8:34 R L Tr marginal reading WH); Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27 (Genesis 24:5, 8; Genesis 37:17, and elsewhere); πρός τινα, Luke 15:20; σύν τίνι, to accompany one, John 21:3 (cf. Buttmann, 210 (182)); ὁδόν ἔρχεσθαι, Luke 2:44 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 226 (212)). (Compare: ἀνέρχομαι, ἐπανέρχομαι, ἀπέρχομαι, διέρχομαι, εἰσέρχομαι, ἐπεισέρχομαι, παρεισέρχομαι, συνεισέρχομαι, ἐξέρχομαι, διεξέρχομαι, ἐπέρχομαι, κατέρχομαι, παρέρχομαι, ἀντιπαρέρχομαι, περιέρχομαι, προέρχομαι, προσέρχομαι, συνέρχομαι.) [SYNONYMS: ἔρχεσθαι (βαίνειν) πορεύεσθαι, χωρεῖν with the N. T. use of these verbs and their compounds it may be interesting to compare the distinctions ordinarily recognized in classic Greek, where ἔρχεσθαι denotes motion or progress generally, and of any sort, hence, to come and (especially ἐλθεῖν) arrive at, as well as to go (βαίνειν). βαίνειν primarily signifies to walk, take steps, picturing the mode of motion; to go away. πορεύεσθαι expresses motion in general — often confined within certain limits, or giving prominence to the bearing; hence, the regular word for the march of an army χωρεῖν always emphasizes the idea of separation, change of place, and does not, like e. g. πορεύεσθαι, note the external and perceptible motion — (a man may be recognized by his πορεία). Cf. Schmidt, chapter xxvii.]