What does εἰσάγω (eiságō) mean in the Bible?
Εἰσάγω (eiságō) means to bring or lead someone into a place or setting. In John 18:16 the disciple known to the high priest speaks to the doorkeeper and brings Peter into the courtyard.
Greek · G1521
εἰσάγω
To introduce (literally or figuratively)
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εἰσάγω G1521
Pronunciation eiságō
What does εἰσάγω (eiságō) mean in the Bible?
Εἰσάγω (eiságō) means to bring or lead someone into a place or setting. In John 18:16 the disciple known to the high priest speaks to the doorkeeper and brings Peter into the courtyard.
Reader summary
Full entry for εἰσάγω (G1521) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1521?
The BSB source-word alignment has 11 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (1), [God] brings (1), be brought (1), bring in (1), brought (1).
Where does εἰσάγω (eiságō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 2:27. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (6), Luke (3), Hebrews (1), John (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Εἰσάγω (eiságō) means to bring or lead someone into a place or setting. In John 18:16 the disciple known to the high priest speaks to the doorkeeper and brings Peter into the courtyard. The movement seems ordinary, yet it places Peter inside the setting where he will warm himself, face questions, and deny Jesus. The verb itself does not imply moral causation; John's narrative shows how Peter's choices unfold after he enters.
Luke uses the word when Jesus' parents bring Him into the temple (Luke 2:27) and when Jesus is taken into the high priest's house (Luke 22:54). Saul is led by the hand into Damascus after encountering the risen Christ (Acts 9:8). Hebrews uses the verb for God bringing the Firstborn into the world and commanding the angels to worship Him (Heb. 1:6). The same movement verb therefore serves worship, trial, helplessness, and divine revelation.
Faithful teaching attends to thresholds without inventing spiritual meanings for every doorway. Places and relationships can expose loyalties, fears, and dependencies, but entry alone does not determine faithfulness. Churches should welcome people wisely, protect access to vulnerable spaces, and help disciples recognize environments of temptation without treating ordinary movement as fate.
Book contextCanonical parallelEditorial synthesis
How the Bible Uses It
The verb describes entry into temple, trial, courtyard, Damascus, and the world, with meaning supplied by each narrative setting.
- Luke.2.27
Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what was customary under the Law,
Jesus is brought into the temple where Simeon receives Him and bears Spirit-guided witness.
- Luke.22.54
Then they seized Jesus, led Him away, and took Him into the house of the high priest. And Peter followed at a distance.
Jesus is brought into the setting of examination while Peter's distant following leads toward denial.
- John.18.16
But Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
Peter crosses into the courtyard where the pressure of identification with Jesus will become immediate.
- Acts.9.8
Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could not see a thing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
The former persecutor enters Damascus dependent and blind, awaiting God's commissioned servant.
- Heb.1.6
And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”
The movement language serves Hebrews' proclamation of the Son's supremacy and angelic worship.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It . . . 1× Acts 9:8
[God] brings 1× Hebrews 1:6
be brought 1× Acts 22:24
bring in 1× Luke 14:21
brought 1× John 18:16
brought [it in] 1× Acts 7:45
brought in 1× Luke 2:27
had brought 1× Acts 21:29
he has brought 1× Acts 21:28
to take 1× Acts 21:37
took [Him] 1× Luke 22:54
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 2:27 εἰσαγαγεῖν to brought in Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active Luke 14:21 εἰσάγαγε to bring in Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular Luke 22:54 εἰσήγαγον to took [Him] Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural John 18:16 εἰσήγαγεν to brought Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 7:45 εἰσήγαγον to brought [it in] Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Acts 9:8 εἰσήγαγον to . . . Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Acts 21:28 εἰσήγαγεν to he has brought Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 21:29 εἰσήγαγεν to had brought Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Acts 21:37 εἰσάγεσθαι to to take Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive Acts 22:24 εἰσάγεσθαι to be brought Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 2:27
Aligned rows 11
Books represented 4
Luke 3 John 1 Acts 6 Hebrews 1
Source forms
εἰσήγαγεν 3x eisēgagen John 18:16, Acts 21:28, Acts 21:29
εἰσήγαγον 3x eisēgagon Luke 22:54, Acts 7:45, Acts 9:8
εἰσάγεσθαι 2x eisagesthai Acts 21:37, Acts 22:24
εἰσάγαγε 1x eisagage Luke 14:21
εἰσαγαγεῖν 1x eisagagein Luke 2:27
εἰσαγάγῃ 1x eisagagē Hebrews 1:6
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 3x Luke 22:54, Acts 7:45, Acts 9:8
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 3x John 18:16, Acts 21:28, Acts 21:29
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive 2x Acts 21:37, Acts 22:24
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular 1x Luke 14:21
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active 1x Luke 2:27
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Hebrews 1:6
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use threshold scenes to examine preparedness, pressure, and community care without treating locations as fate or assigning hidden meaning to ordinary movement.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that being brought into the courtyard forced Peter to deny Jesus. John narrates a setting in which Peter's fear and choices are exposed.
- Do not claim that εἰσάγω always signals spiritual access or conversion. It also describes ordinary physical entry into houses, cities, and courts.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to introduce (literally or figuratively)
Strong's G1521
Lexical occurrences 11 verses Greek text appearances 10 times Word forms 4 forms 11 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to introduce (literally or figuratively)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
10 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 2:27 Verb Second Aorist Active Infinitive
εἰσαγαγεῖν eisagagein
I lead in, bring in
Read verse Luke 14:21 Verb Second Person Singular Second Aorist Active Imperative
εἰσάγαγε eisagage
I lead in, bring in
Read verse Luke 22:54 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Active Indicative
εἰσήγαγον eishgagon
I lead in, bring in
Read verse John 18:16 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Indicative
εἰσήγαγε eishgagen
I lead in, bring in
Read verse Acts 7:45 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Active Indicative
εἰσήγαγον eishgagon
I lead in, bring in
Read verse Acts 9:8 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Active Indicative
εἰσήγαγον eishgagon
I lead in, bring in
Read verse Acts 21:28 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Indicative
εἰσήγαγεν eishgagen
I lead in, bring in
Read verse Acts 21:29 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Indicative
εἰσήγαγεν eishgagen
I lead in, bring in
Read verse Acts 21:37 Verb Present Passive Infinitive
εἰσάγεσθαι eisagesqai
I lead in, bring in
Read verse Hebrews 1:6 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Subjunctive
εἰσαγάγῃ eisagagh
I lead in, bring in
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.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 11 Tenses Aorist, Present Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 6×
Aorist Active Luke 22:54 · Acts 7:45 · Acts 9:8 · John 18:16 · Acts 21:28 · Acts 21:29 6×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 3×
Present Passive Acts 21:37 · Acts 22:24 2×
Aorist Active Luke 2:27 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Aorist Active Luke 14:21 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active Heb 1:6 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 11 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 9 present 2
Voice
active 9 passive 2
Mood
indicative 6 infinitive 3 subjunctive 1 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
Luke 2:27 εἰσαγαγεῖν aorist active infinitive infinitive Luke 14:21 εἰσάγαγε aorist active imperative imperative Luke 22:54 εἰσήγαγον aorist active indicative completed John 18:16 εἰσήγαγεν aorist active indicative completed Acts 7:45 εἰσήγαγον aorist active indicative completed Acts 9:8 εἰσήγαγον aorist active indicative completed Acts 21:28 εἰσήγαγεν aorist active indicative completed Acts 21:29 εἰσήγαγεν aorist active indicative completed Acts 21:37 εἰσάγεσθαι present passive infinitive infinitive Acts 22:24 εἰσάγεσθαι present passive infinitive infinitive Hebrews 1:6 εἰσαγάγῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
εἰσάγω is built from these roots:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Being brought into a place can become a moment of revelation. The infant Jesus enters the temple and is recognized by Simeon. Jesus enters the high priest's house under arrest. Peter enters the courtyard and encounters the cost of association with his Lord. Saul enters Damascus blind and dependent after meeting the risen Christ. These scenes should not turn doors or locations into mystical symbols.
They show that disciples live their allegiance in real places under real pressure. Faithful formation prepares believers before the testing environment arrives, supports them when fear exposes weakness, and restores them after failure. Christ remains Lord of every threshold, but personal responsibility and communal care are not erased.
Anchor passage
John.18.16
Doctrinal connections
- John 18:15-27 - courtyard entry and Peter's denial
- Luke 2:22-38 - Jesus brought to the temple
- Acts 9:1-19 - Saul brought into Damascus
- Hebrews 1:1-14 - the Firstborn and angelic worship
The compound combines movement with entry. It identifies bringing in, while agency, consent, purpose, and moral significance come from context.
From Old to New Testament
Temple entry, royal presentation, exile return, and access to God's presence provide wider motifs, but εἰσάγω itself remains an ordinary movement verb used in varied contexts.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain