ἀλλογενής (allogenēs)
allogenēs
foreign
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective allogeneōs describes someone who is of a different race or nation, essentially marking them as a foreigner. Its meaning comes from combining words for "other" and "race" or "kind," creating a clear distinction between the insider and the outsider. In the New Testament, this term appears only once, in Luke 17:18, where it identifies the Samaritan leper who returns to give thanks.
While Greek had other words for stranger or alien, allogeneōs carries a specific weight of ethnic difference. The sources note that its usage parallels Hebrew terms used in the Old Testament for foreigners or those from a strange land. By using this word, Luke emphasizes that the man was not just a religious outsider but an ethnic one, highlighting the breadth of Jesus’ mercy across cultural boundaries.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word allogeneōs marks someone as belonging to a different nation or race, creating a clear line between insiders and outsiders. In Luke’s Gospel, it appears just once to describe the Samaritan leper who returns to thank Jesus after being healed. This single adjective carries heavy cultural weight, reminding us that Jesus’ mercy does not stop at ethnic or social boundaries.
For your faith, this offers a gentle reminder that God’s grace reaches those we might overlook or consider strangers. When you feel like an outsider, or when you encounter someone who seems far from your own community, this verse invites you to see Christ’s work in unexpected places. It challenges us to widen our circle of compassion.
May this truth encourage you to look beyond surface differences and recognize the shared humanity in everyone you meet. Let it inspire a heart that is open to God’s surprising movements among those who are different from you.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- foreigner1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἀλλογενὴς1×
Key Verses
-
Luke 17:18
Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”
This occurrence uses the term to specifically identify the Samaritan as an ethnic outsider, highlighting that Jesus’ gratitude and healing extended beyond Jewish borders.