ἐκλέγομαι
To select
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What does ἐκλέγομαι (eklégomai) mean in the Bible?
ἐκλέγομαι (eklégomai) is a Greek word meaning "to select". ἐκ-λέγω [in LXX chiefly for בָּחַר ;] to pick out, choose. Expresses sovereign selection. This term runs through the canonical themes of Messiah.
Full entry for ἐκλέγομαι (G1586) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Divine selection of persons or things for a specific purpose, especially Christ choosing disciples
to pick out, choose. In NT always mid. (exc. Luk.9:35, ἐκλελεγμένος, WH, ἀγαπητός, R, mg.), to pick out for oneself, choose (cf. M, Pr., 157 f.): with accusative of thing(s), Luk.10:42 14:7; with accusative of person(s), Act.6:5 15:22, 25; of Christ (see supr.), Luk.9:35; of Christ's choice of disciples, Luk.6:13, Jhn.6:70 13:18 15:16, 19 Act.1:2; of the Divine choice: of persons, Mrk.13:20, Act.1:24 13:17 15:7, Eph.1:4, Jas.2:5; of things, 1Co.1:27-28 (Cremer, 402, 773).
Why This Word Matters
Expresses sovereign selection. Luke 6:12–16
Affirms Jesus as the divinely appointed Messiah. Luke 9:28–36
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Indicative states a fact or reality 18×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 4×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 22 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
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)
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain