Ekeithen marks movement or origin in relation to a prior location, expressing departure “from there.” In the passages gathered here (all from Matthew), it regularly functions as a narrative hinge, carrying the reader from one scene to the next while keeping the previous setting in view.
Occurrences
“Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them.” (Matthew 4:21)
Here the adverb links Jesus’ forward movement with an immediate new encounter. The call of James and John is framed as the next event that arises out of leaving the previous place: the narrative does not reset; it advances from one point along the way to another.
“Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny.” (Matthew 5:26)
In this saying, “out of there” describes exit from a bounded situation. The force lies in the impossibility of leaving that place until a condition is met (“until you have paid the last penny”), so the word helps picture confinement and release in concrete spatial terms.
“As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9)
“From there” again functions as a connective: Jesus’ passing by from a prior location is the circumstance in which he notices Matthew. The call (“Follow me”) is tied to Jesus’ movement; it happens along the route that begins at the earlier point.
“As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!”” (Matthew 9:27)
The adverb places the beginning of this pursuit in the preceding locale. The blind men’s following is narrated as arising directly out of Jesus’ departure; their cry accompanies him as he goes, so the word helps set the scene of an appeal carried along the road from one place to another.
“When Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.” (Matthew 11:1)
Here “from there” points back to the setting of Jesus’ instruction to the twelve and marks a transition into a new phase of activity. The departure establishes the shift from directing disciples to itinerant ministry (“to teach and preach in their cities”).
“He departed from there, and went into their synagogue.” (Matthew 12:9)
The adverb briefly but firmly connects two locations: the prior place and “their synagogue.” The movement is immediate and purposeful; “from there” signals continuity in Jesus’ actions while changing the physical setting to a synagogue environment.
“Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Great multitudes followed him; and he healed them all,” (Matthew 12:15)
“From there” locates the point of withdrawal as the place where Jesus “perceiv[es] that.” The word supports the narrative logic: perception leads to withdrawal from that specific setting, and the crowd’s response is to follow him from the point he leaves.
“When Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there.” (Matthew 13:53)
After teaching, “from there” signals a clean break in location while keeping the teaching context as the reference point. The adverb closes a section: the parables end, and Jesus’ departure is measured from the place where they were delivered.
“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat, to a deserted place apart. When the multitudes heard it, they followed him on foot from the cities.” (Matthew 14:13)
“From there” anchors the start of a deliberate retreat, now specified by means (“in a boat”) and destination (“to a deserted place apart”). The verse contrasts modes of movement: Jesus withdraws from that starting point by boat, while the multitudes respond by traveling on foot, creating a vivid sense of pursuit that begins at the place he leaves behind.
“Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.” (Matthew 15:21)
Here the adverb introduces a geographic shift by describing Jesus’ exit from one area and his withdrawal into another (“the region of Tyre and Sidon”). “From there” identifies the point of departure, and the following phrase names the new region, so the movement is presented as a transition from a known prior setting to a specified destination.
“Jesus departed from there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there.” (Matthew 15:29)
“From there” marks the initial step in a chain of movements: departing, coming near the sea, going up the mountain, and then sitting. The adverb establishes the starting location for this sequence, while the verse itself traces Jesus’ path across distinct places.
“He laid his hands on them, and departed from there.” (Matthew 19:15)
In this brief notice, “from there” ties Jesus’ departure to the immediately preceding action of blessing (“He laid his hands on them”). The word functions as a closing marker: the scene ends with departure from the place where the laying on of hands occurred.
Sense and Usage
Across these passages, ekeithen consistently orients the reader to a previous point in space and uses that point as the reference for movement. The effect is often transitional: it supplies a simple but precise hinge that moves the narrative forward without losing contact with what just happened. In Matthew 4:21, 9:9, and 9:27, it accompanies “passed by” or “going on,” presenting travel as the setting for encounters and calls; the next event occurs because Jesus has moved on from a definite prior place. In Matthew 11:1 and 13:53, the word stands at the seam between teaching and travel, measuring departure from the location of instruction and thus framing the next ministry activity as proceeding out of that completed moment.
Several occurrences pair “from there” with verbs of withdrawal or departure that carry a strategic feel within the immediate context. Matthew 12:15 connects withdrawal to Jesus’ perception (“perceiving that”), locating the withdrawal as a response that begins at that point. Matthew 14:13 similarly attaches withdrawal to hearing news (“when Jesus heard this”), and then elaborates on the withdrawal with a boat journey toward “a deserted place apart.” In these cases, the adverb does not merely report travel; it points to the origin of a purposeful change of setting, and the narrative emphasizes what flows from that change—crowds following and healing, or crowds traveling in response.
In Matthew 5:26, the spatial sense is turned inward to the image of confinement: “get out of there” treats “there” as a place one can be kept within until a final payment is made. The force of the statement depends on the concreteness of exiting “from there,” so the adverb helps make the warning feel like leaving a locked space rather than merely moving on from a neutral location.
The clustering of the term around verbs like “departed,” “withdrew,” “went out,” and “passed by” shows how it supports narrative continuity. “From there” presumes a known prior scene; it invites the reader to carry that scene forward as the origin-point for what follows. Even when destinations are specified—“into their synagogue” (Matthew 12:9), “to a deserted place apart” (Matthew 14:13), “into the region of Tyre and Sidon” (Matthew 15:21), “near to the sea of Galilee,” and “into the mountain” (Matthew 15:29)—the adverb keeps the departure-point in view, so the journey is narrated as a connected line rather than a series of unrelated settings.
Imagery
In these scenes, ekeithen repeatedly evokes the simple picture of leaving one place and entering another: a shoreline or road where fishermen mend nets and are called (Matthew 4:21), a public space where a tax collector is seen and summoned (Matthew 9:9), a route where blind men follow with their plea (Matthew 9:27), and a boat pushing off toward a solitary destination while crowds set out overland (Matthew 14:13). The word’s steady reference to “there” gives each new moment a visible starting-point, so that the story moves by departures—each one carrying the prior scene as the place left behind.
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).
