Word Study for G1599 (ἐκπέμπω)

ekpémpō /ek-pem'-po/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom ἐκ and πέμπω

Meaningto despatch

KJV usagesend away (forth).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ekpémpō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word ekpémpō, represented by G1599, means to despatch and is used to describe the act to send away or send forth. It appears 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. This term specifically refers to the deliberate act of sending someone out for a particular purpose or destination.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the book of Acts, G1599 is used to describe key moments in the apostolic ministry. The brethren in Berea sent away Paul and Silas by night, indicating a planned and purposeful departure Acts 17:10. Similarly, after being commissioned by the Holy Ghost, they were sent forth to Seleucia to continue their work Acts 13:4. Both occurrences involve the active dispatching of individuals for the sake of the ministry.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words clarify the context surrounding the act of being sent away.

G2112 euthéōs (immediately): This adverb, meaning "at once or soon," highlights the urgency of the action. In Acts 17:10, the brethren immediately sent the apostles away.
G2718 katérchomai (departed): Meaning "to come (or go) down," this word describes the action that follows being sent forth. After being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, the apostles departed to Seleucia Acts 13:4.
G80 adelphós (brother): This term, meaning brother, identifies who performs the action of sending. In Acts 17:10, it is "the brethren" who sent away Paul and Silas, showing the community's role in the mission.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G1599 is connected to the expansion of the early church.

Divine Commission: Being sent forth is not merely a human act but is initiated by the Holy Ghost, establishing the divine authority behind the mission Acts 13:4.
Purposeful Mission: The word emphasizes that the movement of the apostles was not random but a deliberate dispatch to specific locations for the purpose of ministry, such as going to the synagogue in Berea Acts 17:10.
Community Action: The act of sending away is performed by the "brethren," highlighting the role of the church community in facilitating and supporting the apostolic mission Acts 17:10.

Summary

In summary, G1599 is more than a simple term for departure. Though it appears only twice, it captures a crucial dynamic in the early church: the purposeful and divinely-ordained dispatching of ministers to spread the gospel. It illustrates how believers, under the direction of the Holy Ghost, actively participated in sending forth key figures to new fields of ministry.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Aorist Passive Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

2 verses, all in Acts — and none of the other 26 New Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.