ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA GRIEGA
Erchomai — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
Erchomai (ἔρχομαι, G2064) is a fundamental Greek verb meaning 'to come' or 'to go,' used widely in the New Testament for travel, arrival, and figurative arrival such as Christ's coming.
Significado de la palabra
Erchomai (ἔρχομαι, transliterated érchomai) is defined as 'to come or go' across a wide variety of literal and figurative uses. It appears as a deponent-style verb in the indicative, and it covers both arrival and departure in one word, so the context determines whether the writer means 'come' or 'go.' The KJV usage list captures this breadth: accompany, appear, bring, come, enter, fall out, go, grow, light, next, pass, resort, be set.
The verb takes many prepositions to describe motion: ἀπό (from), ἐκ (out of), εἰς (into), διά (through), ἐν (in), ἐπί (upon), κατά (down to), and παρά (beside or from). It also combines with adverbs of place: πόθεν (from where), ἄνωθεν (from above), ὧδε (here), ἐκεῖ (there). Often the verb appears with another verb of action, producing phrases like 'came and saw,' and the participle ἐλθών or ἐρχόμενος can be redundant, simply emphasizing the action that follows.
Uso en las Escrituras
In Matthew's infancy narrative, erchomai tracks the Magi's movements and their arrival at the house in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:1 has them 'came' (ἤλθομεν) to Jerusalem; Matthew 2:9 records the star 'came' (ἐλθὼν) and stood over the child; and Matthew 2:11 says they 'came into the house' (ἐλθόντες). The same verb frames John the Baptist's ministry: the Pharisees and Sadducees are 'coming to his baptism' (ἐρχομένους, Matthew 3:7), and John speaks of 'he that cometh after me' (ἐρχόμενος, Matthew 3:11), an expression that becomes a messianic title elsewhere.
Beyond travel, erchomai serves Jesus' teaching. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says, 'I came not to destroy, but to fulfil' (ἦλθον), presenting his mission in terms of purposeful arrival. Matthew 7:15 warns of false prophets 'who come to you' (ἔρχονται), and Matthew 7:25 pictures floods that 'came' (ἦλθον) against the house—using physical arrival to picture testing. Across these passages, erchomai is the simple, everyday workhorse verb of motion and arrival that the Gospels and Epistles rely on.
La palabra en detalle
- G2064 Lemma: ἔρχομαι (érchomai). Core gloss: 'to come or go,' applied literally to travel and figuratively to arrival. In the New Testament it is one of the most frequent motion verbs and pairs with prepositions (ἀπό, ἐκ, εἰς, ἐπί, παρά, etc.) to specify direction and source. It is used for everyday arrival (Matthew 2:1, 2:11), for the messianic title 'the Coming One' (Matthew 3:11), and for Jesus' own purposeful coming to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17).
Versículos de ejemplo
- Matthew 2:1 ἤλθομεν ('we came') opens the Magi narrative; erchomai here is simple physical arrival at Jerusalem.
- Matthew 2:11 ἐλθόντες ('having come') describes the Magi entering the house; the participle stresses the action that follows—worship.
- Matthew 3:11 ἐρχόμενος ('the one coming') introduces a messianic expression used by John the Baptist for the stronger one who follows him.
- Matthew 5:17 ἦλθον ('I came') frames Jesus' mission as a deliberate arrival to fulfill, not to destroy, the Law and the Prophets.
Preguntas frecuentes
Is erchomai 'to come' or 'to go'?
Both. Erchomai covers motion in either direction, so translators choose 'come' or 'go' based on the speaker's perspective. The verse itself contains no directional bias.
How is erchomai used as a title for the Messiah?
The participle 'the Coming One' (ὁ ἐρχόμενος) identifies the promised Messiah. John the Baptist uses it in Matthew 3:11 for the stronger one who follows him.
Does erchomai have non-literal uses?
Yes. Beyond travel, the New Testament uses erchomai for the arrival of times, events, and conditions—e.g., 'the days will come'—and for Christ's redemptive 'coming' to fulfill the Law, as in Matthew 5:17.