What does ἐκεῖ (ekeî) mean in the Bible?
Ekei is the ordinary adverb there, pointing to a place, location, or scene already named or about to be understood from context. Its importance is not that the word carries deep theology by itself.
Greek · G1563
ἐκεῖ
There; by extension, thither
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ἐκεῖ G1563
Pronunciation ekeî
What does ἐκεῖ (ekeî) mean in the Bible?
Ekei is the ordinary adverb there, pointing to a place, location, or scene already named or about to be understood from context. Its importance is not that the word carries deep theology by itself.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐκεῖ (G1563) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1563?
The BSB source-word alignment has 95 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include there (58), - (9), [where] there (6), . . . (3), [where] (3).
Where does ἐκεῖ (ekeî) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 2:13. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (28), John (22), Luke (16), Mark (11).
What This Word Actually Means
Ekei is the ordinary adverb there, pointing to a place, location, or scene already named or about to be understood from context. Its importance is not that the word carries deep theology by itself. Rather, it quietly fixes attention on where something happens. In the New Testament, there can mark the place where treasure reveals the heart, where gathered disciples receive Christ's promised presence, where the risen Jesus will meet His followers, where the crucifixion takes place, where Jesus is absent for Lazarus's death, and where His body is laid in the nearby tomb.
Ekei helps readers notice that biblical truth is not abstract. God acts in places, people gather in places, hearts are exposed in relation to treasured places and aims, and the saving work of Christ occurs in real history.
How the Bible Uses It
Ekei usually means there. It anchors speech, action, presence, absence, judgment, burial, and hope to particular locations rather than leaving them as vague ideas.
- Matt.6.21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus uses there to connect the heart's location with the treasure it loves.
- Matt.18.20
For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”
The gathered disciples are not promised a vague feeling but Christ's presence there among them.
- Mark.16.7
But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”
The resurrection announcement sends the disciples to Galilee, where they will see Jesus.
- Luke.23.33
When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.
Luke uses there to locate the crucifixion at the place called The Skull.
- John.11.15
And for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Jesus names His absence there at Lazarus's death as part of a larger purpose for belief.
- John.19.42
And because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there.
John places Jesus' body there in the nearby tomb because of the Preparation Day.
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 there 58× Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:22, Matthew 5:24, Matthew 6:21
- 9× Matthew 22:11, Mark 6:33, John 6:3, John 12:26
[where] there 6× Matthew 8:12, Matthew 13:42, Matthew 13:50, Matthew 22:13
. . . 3× Matthew 21:17, John 4:40, Acts 25:14
[where] 3× Luke 15:13, John 3:22, Acts 16:1
[at the garden] 1× John 18:3
[for my journey] 1× Romans 15:24
[in Berea] 1× Acts 17:14
[or] ‘There 1× Mark 13:21
[some] 1× Revelation 2:14
down 1× Matthew 15:29
in 1× Luke 21:2
in that place 1× John 10:42
in the case [of Melchizedek] 1× Hebrews 7:8
over there 1× Matthew 26:36
there [ will be ] 1× James 3:16
there [He is] 1× Luke 17:23
There [it is] 1× Luke 17:21
to there 1× Matthew 17:20
vvv 1× James 2:3
where 1× Matthew 2:15
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 2:13 ἐκεῖ to there Adverb Matthew 2:15 ἐκεῖ to where Adverb Matthew 2:22 ἐκεῖ to there Adverb Matthew 5:24 ἐκεῖ to there Adverb Matthew 6:21 ἐκεῖ to there Adverb Matthew 8:12 ἐκεῖ to [where] there Adverb Matthew 12:45 ἐκεῖ to there Adverb Matthew 13:42 ἐκεῖ to [where] there Adverb Matthew 13:50 ἐκεῖ to [where] there Adverb Matthew 13:58 ἐκεῖ to there Adverb
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 2:13
Aligned rows 95
Books represented 10
Matthew 28 Mark 11 Luke 16 John 22 Acts 6 Romans 2 Titus 1 Hebrews 1 James 3 Revelation 5
Source forms
ἐκεῖ 93x ekei Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:15, Matthew 2:22, Matthew 5:24
Ἐκεῖ 2x Ekei Luke 13:28, Luke 17:21
Parsing patterns
Adverb 95x Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:15, Matthew 2:22, Matthew 5:24
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not build doctrine from the adverb alone. Let ekei serve the sentence and scene.
- Do not rush past place markers when they help the passage show where faith, fear, witness, or hope is being located.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that every use of ekei signals sacred space.
- Do not claim that Christ's presence in Matthew 18:20 removes the need to read the whole passage about humble gathered life.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Locative adverb denoting place; extends to direction when used with motion verbs, replacing ἐκεῖσε.
Strong's G1563
Lexical occurrences 95 verses Greek text appearances 98 times 16 shown below Word forms 1 form 95 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 12:22-34 Source Gloss
there; by extension, thither
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 98 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 2:13 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 2:15 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 2:22 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 5:24 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 6:21 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 8:12 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 12:45 Adverb
ἐκεῖ· ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 13:42 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 13:50 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 13:58 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 14:23 Adverb
ἐκεῖ. ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 15:29 Adverb
ἐκεῖ. ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 17:20 Adverb
ἐκεῖ, ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 18:20 Adverb
ἐκεῖ ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 19:2 Adverb
ἐκεῖ. ekei
there, yonder, thither
Read verse Matthew 21:17 Adverb
ἐκεῖ. ekei
there, yonder, thither
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 this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 95
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Matt 2:13 · Matt 2:15 · Matt 2:22 · Matt 5:24 · Matt 6:21 · Matt 8:12 · Matt 12:45 · Matt 13:42 · Matt 13:50 · Matt 13:58 · Matt 14:23 · Matt 15:29 · Matt 17:20 · Matt 18:20 · Matt 19:2 · Matt 21:17 95×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Locative adverb indicating the place where treasure is stored, correlating with heart's location
Demonstrative locative for the gathering place of eagles over a corpse, emphasizing spatial presence
Directional usage with verb of motion, indicating movement toward the location of the gathering
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 95 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἐκεῖ is of uncertain origin - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Ekei reminds teachers that Scripture's events and promises are not floating abstractions. The heart is there with its treasure. Christ is there among gathered disciples. The risen Lord will be seen there in Galilee. Jesus is crucified there at The Skull and laid there in a nearby tomb. In John 11, His not being there when Lazarus dies becomes part of a purposeful revelation that leads to belief.
The word is small, but it keeps readers in the scene. It prevents teaching from dissolving into detached principles before the passage has shown where people stand, gather, fear, hope, bury, or behold. Ekei therefore serves close reading: locate the action, follow the movement, and then draw theological and pastoral application from the text's own place-bound witness.
Anchor passage
Matt.6.21
Doctrinal connections
- G2344 Thesauros: Treasure language in Matthew 6 gives ekei moral force by locating the heart's allegiance.
- G2588 Kardia: The heart is not abstract in Matthew 6; it follows what it treasures there.
- G4863 Synago: Matthew 18 connects gathered disciples with Christ's promised presence in that place.
- G1453 Egeiro: Mark 16 uses there within the resurrection announcement that directs the disciples toward meeting the risen Jesus.
- G4717 Stauroo: Luke 23 locates the crucifixion there at the place called The Skull.
- G5028 taphos: John 19 uses there to locate Jesus' burial in the nearby tomb.
Ekei is an adverb of place. It may be translated there, where, or to that place depending on English flow, but its basic function is to anchor the scene's location.
From Old to New Testament
Across Scripture, place often matters: Eden, altars, wilderness, tabernacle, temple, exile, return, cross, tomb, and gathered church. Ekei does not carry that whole theology by itself, but it trains readers to notice where a passage places the action before drawing meaning from it.
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