Understanding the Meaning of Eggus in Greek

ἐγγύς expresses nearness, used in the New Testament both for proximity in space and for the approach of a time or event. In the passages below it marks what is close at hand—summer, a decisive moment, a city, a festival, a kingdom, or even a boat on the water.

Occurrences

“Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near.” (Matthew 24:32)

Here ἐγγύς ties an observable sign (“produces its leaves”) to an inference about seasonal timing: the visible change in the fig tree indicates that “the summer” has moved into close reach. Nearness is presented as something recognizable from patterns in the natural world.

“Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” (Matthew 24:33)

Nearness is intensified by the added phrase “even at the doors,” which frames ἐγγύς as imminent approach. The statement calls for discernment: seeing “all these things” leads to knowledge that “it” has come close enough to be pictured as just outside an entrance.

He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.” ’ ” (Matthew 26:18)

In this setting ἐγγύς locates “My time” as approaching, and that nearness drives practical action: the disciples are to go “into the city,” speak to “a certain person,” and arrange a place to “keep the Passover.” Nearness here shapes planning and hospitality, not merely prediction.

“Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near;” (Mark 13:28)

The same fig-tree reasoning appears again: ἐγγύς connects the present, visible state of the branch to the conclusion that summer has drawn close. Nearness is treated as a knowable threshold that can be recognized by attentive observation.

“even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors.” (Mark 13:29)

Here ἐγγύς again is paired with “at the doors,” casting nearness in concrete, spatial imagery. What is near is not named in the verse itself, but the instruction focuses on the response: when the signs are “coming to pass,” the correct assessment is that the anticipated reality has moved into immediate proximity.

As they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately. (Luke 19:11)

In Luke 19:11 ἐγγύς marks geographical nearness: “he was near Jerusalem.” That physical closeness affects the crowd’s expectations; they “supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately.” The verse uses nearness of place as a narrative trigger for misunderstanding about timing.

“When they are already budding, you see it and know by your own selves that the summer is already near.” (Luke 21:30)

Again a natural sign—the budding of plants—supports recognition that summer has come close. Luke’s wording highlights ordinary judgment (“you see it and know by your own selves”), presenting ἐγγύς as a conclusion people readily draw from what is in front of them.

“Even so you also, when you see these things happening, know that God’s Kingdom is near.” (Luke 21:31)

Here ἐγγύς qualifies “God’s Kingdom,” describing it as near in connection with observable events (“these things happening”). The verse frames nearness not as a vague feeling but as something tied to concrete happenings that lead to a specific recognition.

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (John 2:13)

In John 2:13 ἐγγύς places a festival on the calendar as close approaching: “The Passover of the Jews was at hand.” That temporal nearness motivates movement—“Jesus went up to Jerusalem”—showing how approaching time can govern travel and public action.

John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came, and were baptized; (John 3:23)

Here ἐγγύς again describes spatial relationship: “Enon near Salim.” The note “because there was much water there” explains why that nearby location suited baptizing activity. Nearness functions descriptively, situating ministry in relation to a known place-name.

Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. (John 6:4)

As in John 2:13, ἐγγύς signals that Passover is approaching. By stating the feast is near, the verse provides temporal setting for what follows in the narrative, anchoring events in a moment when pilgrimage and heightened religious attention would be expected.

When therefore they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid. (John 6:19)

In this vivid scene ἐγγύς expresses motion into proximity: Jesus is “drawing near to the boat.” The nearness is not neutral; it provokes an emotional reaction—“they were afraid”—so the word helps trace the moment when what they see moves from distant sight to immediate presence.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages ἐγγύς consistently marks closeness, but the kind of closeness varies with the scene. Several texts use it for time approaching: summer becoming near (Matthew 24:32; Mark 13:28; Luke 21:30), a decisive “time” being at hand (Matthew 26:18), and Passover being near (John 2:13; John 6:4). In these cases nearness compresses the interval between present observation and the anticipated moment, prompting readiness—learning from signs, making arrangements, or traveling.

Other texts show nearness in space. Luke 19:11 uses proximity to Jerusalem to explain why people expected immediate revelation; the closeness of a destination influences assumptions about what will happen next. John 3:23 locates a ministry site by relation to another place (“Enon near Salim”), where nearness serves simple orientation. John 6:19 depicts nearness dynamically as approach toward the boat, so that closeness can be felt as threat or astonishment when what is approaching is unexpected.

The repeated fig-tree imagery (Matthew 24:32–33; Mark 13:28–29; Luke 21:30–31) shows an important feature of ἐγγύς in discourse: nearness is presented as a conclusion drawn from signs rather than as hidden knowledge. Tender branches, leaves, and budding are everyday indicators that allow the hearer to move from what is seen to what is near. The same reasoning is then applied beyond seasons to larger expectations: “know that it is near, even at the doors” and “know that God’s Kingdom is near.” In this way, ἐγγύς functions as a hinge between observation and interpretation—between the present state of things and the recognition that a boundary has been crossed into closeness.

When paired with phrases like “at hand” and “at the doors,” ἐγγύς carries an intensified sense of closeness. “At the doors” (Matthew 24:33; Mark 13:29) adds a spatial metaphor of immediate adjacency: the near reality is pictured as already at an entryway, no longer distant. “At hand” (Matthew 26:18; John 2:13; John 6:4) similarly frames nearness as a time that has come up close to the present. These expressions work with ἐγγύς to place the audience at a threshold point—close enough that response, preparation, or re-evaluation is demanded by the moment.

Imagery

The passages cluster around concrete pictures of nearness: tender branches and new leaves signaling summer, a door suggesting immediate arrival, a road nearing Jerusalem, a feast day approaching, and a figure on the sea coming close to a small boat. Together they give ἐγγύς a tactile feel—nearness you can see in a tree, measure in travel, mark on a calendar, or fear when it comes toward you on dark water.

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).