ἔκθετος (ekthetos)
ekthetos
exposed
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective ekthetos describes someone who has been cast out or left exposed to the elements. It carries the heavy weight of abandonment, referring specifically to an infant who was discarded and left without care. In ancient contexts, this was a stark reality for unwanted children, leaving them vulnerable and dependent on chance survival.
Its root combines ek ("out") with a form meaning "to place" or "put," literally painting the image of being put out into the open. The sources highlight its single New Testament appearance in Acts 7:19, where Stephen recounts how Pharaoh’s rulers made their people expose their newborn sons. This usage anchors the word in a historical moment of systemic cruelty, emphasizing not just physical exposure but the deliberate rejection of life.
Translators often render ekthetos as "exposed" or "cast out," capturing both the physical state and the social reality. The term serves as a grim backdrop to the biblical narrative of deliverance, contrasting human cruelty with divine preservation. It reminds readers that even in moments of total abandonment, the story of faith often continues through unexpected means.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ekthetos paints a stark picture of being cast out and left exposed to the elements. In Acts 7:19, Stephen describes how Pharaoh’s rulers forced parents to abandon their newborn sons, leaving them vulnerable and dependent on chance for survival. This term captures not just physical exposure but the deep pain of rejection and systemic cruelty.
Yet, even in such darkness, God’s story often continues through unexpected means. The biblical narrative reminds us that human cruelty cannot extinguish divine purpose. Where people try to discard life, God frequently preserves it, turning moments of abandonment into opportunities for deliverance and hope.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- abandon1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἔκθετα1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 7:19
The same took advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to abandon their babies, so that they wouldn’t stay alive.
This is the only New Testament occurrence, where Stephen uses ekthetos to describe how Pharaoh’s rulers forced Hebrew parents to abandon their newborn sons, highlighting systemic cruelty and rejection.