Understanding the Meaning of Eggizo in Greek

ἐγγίζω expresses the idea of coming near, whether in space, time, or relational posture. In the passages below it marks nearness that calls for a response, nearness to a place, and nearness of events that are about to break into the present.

Occurrences

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2)

Here ἐγγίζω presents the Kingdom of Heaven as close enough to press upon the hearer’s present. The command “Repent” is grounded in that nearness: what is near is not treated as distant expectation but as an immediate reality demanding moral and spiritual turning.

From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

The verb again frames the Kingdom of Heaven as near, and it anchors the beginning of Jesus’ preaching in the same claim of proximity. The nearness is not described with measurements or signs in the quotation; instead, it functions rhetorically as the reason the imperative “Repent!” is urgent.

As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ (Matthew 10:7)

In this instruction, ἐγγίζω becomes part of a message to be proclaimed “as you go.” The nearness of the Kingdom is not only a private conviction but the content of public announcement; it is to be carried into new places as a declaration that what God is doing is close at hand.

‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. (Matthew 15:8)

Here ἐγγίζω describes a kind of approach that is verbal and outward: people “draw near” with “mouth” and “lips.” The line immediately contrasts this nearness with distance at the level of the “heart,” so the word contributes to the sharp distinction between external approach and inward remoteness within the same person.

When they came near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethsphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, (Matthew 21:1)

In this travel notice ἐγγίζω marks arrival into the vicinity of Jerusalem. The narrative uses the moment of coming near as a hinge: once near—specified by the places named—Jesus acts by sending two disciples, so nearness becomes the threshold for the next step.

When the season for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruit. (Matthew 21:34)

In the parable’s timeline ἐγγίζω attaches to “the season for the fruit,” expressing temporal approach rather than spatial movement. The approaching season triggers action—“he sent his servants”—so the verb supplies the sense of a due time drawing close and producing a rightful expectation of return.

Then he came to his disciples, and said to them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. (Matthew 26:45)

Two kinds of nearness are set side by side: Jesus “came to his disciples” (physical approach), and “the hour is at hand” (the time is close). The second nearness interprets the first: he approaches them with an announcement that betrayal is no longer remote; the decisive hour has moved into immediate reach.

Arise, let’s be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.” (Matthew 26:46)

Here ἐγγίζω locates the betrayer as near. The exhortation “Arise, let’s be going” matches the claim of proximity: because the betrayer is close, delay is no longer fitting, and the scene tightens from watchfulness to imminent encounter.

and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.” (Mark 1:15)

In this proclamation ἐγγίζω is paired with “The time is fulfilled,” so nearness is framed as the arrival of a ripe moment. The nearness of God’s Kingdom grounds a double response—“Repent, and believe”—so the verb functions as the bridge between an announced reality and the demanded human posture.

When they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethsphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, (Mark 11:1)

The verb again signals approach to Jerusalem, this time with Bethsphage and Bethany named alongside the Mount of Olives. As in the parallel travel report, the coming near marks readiness for purposeful action: Jesus sends two disciples at the point the group has drawn close to the city.

Arise! Let’s get going. Behold: he who betrays me is at hand.” (Mark 14:42)

As in Matthew’s wording, ἐγγίζω brings the betrayer into immediate proximity. The command to move—“Let’s get going”—fits a situation where the threat is no longer approaching in the distance but already near enough to require prompt movement.

Now when he came near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her. (Luke 7:12)

In this narrative setting ἐγγίζω marks Jesus’ approach to “the gate of the city.” The nearness positions him at the point of encounter with a funeral procession: as he comes near, the scene reveals the dead man being carried out and the presence of “many people,” so the verb helps frame the meeting of paths at a city entrance.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages ἐγγίζω consistently works as a marker of proximity, but that proximity takes different shapes within the stories and sayings. In proclamations about the Kingdom, the nearness is presented as an immediate pressure on the present: the word places the Kingdom “at hand” and thereby supports imperatives like “Repent” and, in Mark’s phrasing, “believe in the Good News.” The verb’s contribution is not to define what the Kingdom is, but to situate it as close enough that the hearer must treat it as an urgent reality rather than a distant idea.

In the travel and setting notices, ἐγγίζω functions in a straightforward spatial sense: coming near to Jerusalem, coming near to a city gate. Yet even there, nearness is rarely a mere geographical footnote. The approach to Jerusalem becomes the narrative hinge for sending disciples, and the approach to a gate becomes the point where Jesus’ path intersects with a crowd and a bereaved mother. In these scenes, the verb emphasizes threshold moments—drawing near to a place where the next action will unfold.

In the parable about fruit season and in the passion sayings about “the hour” and the betrayer, ἐγγίζω expresses temporal and situational nearness. “When the season for the fruit came near” uses nearness to convey a due moment closing in, and the sending of servants follows as the natural consequence of that approaching time. “The hour is at hand” similarly compresses time: the hour is close, and betrayal is described as present and operative (“is betrayed into the hands of sinners”), not merely anticipated. Finally, “he who betrays me is at hand” brings nearness into the realm of impending confrontation; the verb turns threat into immediate proximity and makes the command to rise and go correspond to the closeness of the betrayer.

Matthew 15:8 shows a distinctive application: nearness can be performed with “mouth” and “lips” while the “heart” remains “far.” Here the verb highlights that coming near may be superficial. The contrast within the single sentence sharpens the idea that proximity in one sphere (speech and honor) can coexist with distance in another (the inner person).

Imagery

The repeated “at hand” language gives ἐγγίζω a vivid sense of something closing the gap: a Kingdom announced as near, an hour that has moved into reach, a betrayer already close, a season drawing near, and travelers arriving at the edge of a city. Even where the word is used in critique—drawing near with the mouth—the imagery still depends on the same basic picture of approach, now set against the stark counter-image of a heart kept far away.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).