εἰσπορεύω (eisporeuō)
eisporeuō
to enter
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 18 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb eisporeuō simply means to go into or enter a place. It combines the prefix eis, meaning "into," with poreuomai, meaning "to go." This straightforward combination gives the word a clear physical sense of movement from outside to inside, appearing frequently in the Gospels and Acts to describe people entering houses, cities, or rooms.
While primarily literal, the sources note it can apply to things being carried in, such as food entering the mouth. More significantly, it is used metaphorically for internal states. In Mark 4:19 and Luke 18:24, Jesus describes how cares, wealth, and pleasures "enter into" the heart or soul, crowding out spiritual growth. This usage highlights how external influences can penetrate a person's inner life.
Translators typically render this word as "enter," maintaining its simple, direct force. The sources highlight its use in Acts 28:30, where Paul welcomes visitors into his rented house, and Acts 9:28, where he moved freely among the disciples in Jerusalem. The word captures the physical reality of access and presence without adding extra emotional weight.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Greek word eisporeuō simply means to enter or go into. It describes the physical movement of moving from one space into another. In the Gospels, this word appears often when Jesus or his followers move through towns, enter homes, or step into synagogues. It captures a basic human experience: crossing a threshold and becoming present in a new place.
Yet this simple action carries deep spiritual weight. Jesus uses it to describe how external things can penetrate our inner lives. In Mark 4:19, he warns that the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches enter into us, choking out spiritual growth. This reminds us that what we allow into our hearts matters greatly. We are not passive; we choose what enters.
Consider how Jesus entered spaces to bring healing and truth. He went into homes, into cities, and even into the inner chambers of human hearts. His presence changed everything he touched. You can invite similar transformation by being mindful of what you let in—whether it is worry, distraction, or the quiet voice of God. What enters your mind and heart shapes who you become.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 18 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- entering5×
- entering in3×
- were going1×
- they go1×
- they enter.1×
- it enters1×
- he enters;1×
- enters in1×
- entering,1×
- coming in1×
- coming1×
- He was entering1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- εἰσπορευόμενοι4×
- εἰσπορευόμενον3×
- εἰσπορεύεται2×
- εἰσπορεύονται.1×
- εἰσπορεύονται1×
- εἰσπορεύεται·1×
- εἰσπορευόμενος,1×
- εἰσπορευόμενος1×
- εἰσπορευόμεναι1×
- εἰσπορευομένων1×
- εἰσπορευομένους1×
- εἰσεπορεύετο1×
Key Verses
-
Mark 4:19
and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
This verse shows how external distractions like wealth and anxiety actively penetrate the human heart, blocking spiritual fruitfulness.
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Luke 18:24
Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!
Here Jesus uses the word to describe the difficulty for those attached to riches to enter God's Kingdom, highlighting a barrier to salvation.
-
Acts 9:28
He was with them entering into Jerusalem,
This occurrence illustrates Paul’s active integration into the Christian community in Jerusalem after his conversion.
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Mark 7:15
There is nothing from outside of the man that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man.
Jesus uses this concept to teach that external things entering a person do not defile them, shifting focus to internal motives.