ἐξαιρέω
Actively, to tear out; middle voice, to select; figuratively, to release
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does ἐξαιρέω (exairéō) mean in the Bible?
ἐξαιρέω (exairéō) is a Greek word meaning "actively, to tear out; middle voice, to select; figuratively, to release". ἐξ-αιρέω -ῶ [in LXX chiefly for נָצַל hi. Affirms that deliverance originates in the Lord’s action. This term runs through the canonical themes of Messiah.
Full entry for ἐξαιρέω (G1807) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Active voice tears out; middle voice claims for oneself; figuratively means divine rescue or deliverance
to take out: with accusative, ὀφθαλμόν, Mat.5:29 18:9; mid.
Why This Word Matters
Affirms that deliverance originates in the Lord’s action. Acts 12:6-19
God’s commission to Moses prefigures the greater deliverance accomplished in Christ. Acts 7:17-34
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Imperative command or strong request 2×
Indicative states a fact or reality 3×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 8 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