Near (literally or figuratively, of place or time)
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Ἐγγύς means near, close by, or close at hand in space, time, relationship, or accessibility. Jesus uses the fig tree's approaching summer to teach recognition of nearness, and Luke says visible events signal that God's kingdom is near.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐγγύς (G1451) · Open the biblical lexicon
Ἐγγύς means near, close by, or close at hand in space, time, relationship, or accessibility. Jesus uses the fig tree's approaching summer to teach recognition of nearness, and Luke says visible events signal that God's kingdom is near.
The BSB source-word alignment has 30 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include near (23), [is] near (2), . . . (1), [who were] near (1), is imminent (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 24:32. Its strongest book concentrations include John (11), Acts (3), Luke (3), Matthew (3).
Ἐγγύς means near, close by, or close at hand in space, time, relationship, or accessibility. Jesus uses the fig tree's approaching summer to teach recognition of nearness, and Luke says visible events signal that God's kingdom is near. John places Ephraim near the wilderness as a simple geographic description. Paul proclaims that the word of faith is near, in mouth and heart, rejecting the idea that saving righteousness requires an impossible ascent or descent.
Revelation says the appointed time is near and therefore the prophecy must remain open. Nearness does not always mean immediate chronology; the thing near, dimension of distance, signs, and demanded response determine its force.
Ἐγγύς marks spatial, temporal, or relational nearness. Approaching seasons, kingdom signs, geographic location, accessible gospel proclamation, and prophetic urgency each narrow the sense.
Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near.
Tender branches and leaves make summer's nearness recognizable, giving disciples an ordinary analogy for attentive reading of the signs Jesus names.
So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
The kingdom's nearness amid upheaval directs disciples toward hope and endurance rather than panic, speculation, or withdrawal from faithful witness.
As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.
Ephraim lies near the wilderness, a straightforward spatial detail locating Jesus' prudent withdrawal as the plot against Him intensifies.
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
The word is near in proclaimed confession and heart-level faith because Christ has come and risen; hearers need not accomplish impossible redemptive journeys.
Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.
The prophecy remains unsealed because the time is near, making the book a present call to worship, endurance, and holiness rather than hidden chronology.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Proximity metaphor spanning literal space and imminent time, especially kingdom's nearness in eschatological contexts.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 30 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
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Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 2 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 30 lexical occurrence verses.
ἐγγύς is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Nearness makes response urgent without granting mastery of dates. Fig-tree growth teaches recognition within the signs Jesus actually gives, while Luke directs threatened disciples to lift their heads toward God's kingdom. Jesus' withdrawal near the wilderness shows that spatial nearness can be an ordinary narrative fact and that prudent distance from danger is compatible with obedience.
Romans places the gospel wonderfully close: Christ has accomplished what no hearer could achieve by ascending or descending, and the proclaimed word calls for heart faith and open confession. Revelation likewise keeps prophecy unsealed for present obedience. Churches should announce Christ accessibly, cultivate watchful endurance, and refuse calendars or secret systems that turn nearness into speculative control.
Matt.24.32
Ἐγγύς functions as an adverb or predicate meaning near. A genitive, locative phrase, temporal subject, or discourse context identifies the kind of proximity.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, His word is near His people, and the day of judgment draws near. Jesus brings God's reign personally near.