Exploring the Meaning of Eisphero in Greek

Eisphero means “to bring in,” describing movement into a place, setting, or sphere. In the passages where it appears, it ranges from physical bringing (a man into a house, bodies into a holy place) to being brought before authorities, and even the prayerful request that one not be brought into temptation.

Occurrences

“Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’” (Matthew 6:13)

Here Eisphero frames temptation as something into which a person might be brought. The petition is not merely about facing temptation; it portrays temptation as a destination or condition that one could enter, and asks that this “bringing in” not occur, paired with a second request for deliverance “from the evil one.” The verb thus helps the prayer speak in terms of entry and rescue—being kept from being brought into a threatening sphere and being delivered out of harm.

“Behold, men brought a paralyzed man on a cot, and they sought to bring him in to lay before Jesus.” (Luke 5:18)

In this scene Eisphero is tied to determined, practical action. The men already “brought a paralyzed man on a cot,” and their aim narrows to “bring him in” with a specific purpose: “to lay before Jesus.” The word highlights the transition from public approach to gaining access to the interior space where Jesus is. It marks the crucial step of entry that would place the man within reach of Jesus’ attention.

“Not finding a way to bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop, and let him down through the tiles with his cot into the middle before Jesus.” (Luke 5:19)

Eisphero again focuses on entry, but now the entry is obstructed: “because of the multitude.” The narrative tension turns on the inability “to bring him in,” which drives an extraordinary solution. The men “went up to the housetop” and lower the man “through the tiles,” so that he ends up “into the middle before Jesus.” The verb’s sense of bringing in is sharpened by contrast with resistance and ingenuity: the act is not casual carrying but overcoming barriers to place someone inside a crowded, inaccessible setting.

“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ ” (Luke 11:4)

As in Matthew, Eisphero is used in prayer with a negative request: “Bring us not into temptation.” The surrounding petitions place this request among relational and moral concerns (“Forgive us our sins… we ourselves also forgive…”). In that context, being “brought into temptation” is treated as a peril relevant to daily life and community relationships, not merely an abstract idea. The verb keeps the imagery concrete: it asks that the worshiper not be led into a situation characterized by temptation, and again connects that with deliverance “from the evil one.”

“When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don’t be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say;” (Luke 12:11)

Here Eisphero describes compelled movement into a formal setting: being brought “before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities.” The verb conveys that the person is not self-directing the entrance; others are bringing them. The emphasis falls on exposure—being ushered into public scrutiny and judgment—and the instruction attached to that moment (“don’t be anxious…”) assumes that this “bringing in” can be intimidating. Eisphero thus marks the transition from ordinary life to an official hearing-like environment.

“For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.” (Acts 17:20)

In this line Eisphero is applied to communication as a kind of bringing in. The object is not a person or body but “certain strange things,” and the destination is “our ears.” The verb depicts hearing as reception, as though ideas are carried into an auditory space. This usage remains consistent with the definition “to bring in,” but shifts it to the arrival of unfamiliar content, creating the response: “We want to know therefore what these things mean.” Eisphero underlines the felt intrusion of novelty—something has been brought in that demands explanation.

“For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out.” (1 Timothy 6:7)

Eisphero here is set on the grandest stage: entrance “into the world.” The statement draws a boundary around human beginnings—“we brought nothing into the world”—and immediately contrasts it with the impossibility of taking possessions out. The verb’s force lies in the absolute nature of the claim: at the point of entering life in the world, nothing is brought in alongside us. Eisphero therefore supports an argument built on what accompanies entry: nothing, and so nothing can ultimately be treated as guaranteed or permanent.

“For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside of the camp.” (Hebrews 13:11)

In Hebrews Eisphero appears in sacrificial and spatially defined language: blood “is brought into the holy place” by “the high priest” as “an offering for sin.” The verb carries ritual precision: it is not merely that blood exists, but that it is conveyed inward, into a restricted sacred area. The verse also juxtaposes inside and outside: while blood is brought into “the holy place,” “the bodies of those animals” are “burned outside of the camp.” Eisphero thus helps draw the map of the rite—an inward movement of blood contrasted with an outward disposal of bodies.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages Eisphero consistently depicts the act of bringing something into a defined sphere—whether a room, a public tribunal, a person’s hearing, the world itself, or a sacred inner space. The “into” component is often explicit in the English of these verses (“bring him in,” “bring you before,” “into the world,” “into the holy place”), showing that the verb frequently marks an entry-point, the moment something crosses from outside to inside.

Several texts highlight agency and control. In Luke 5:18–19, determined friends attempt to bring a man in “to lay before Jesus,” and the crowd prevents easy access; the story turns on the challenge of getting him inside. In Luke 12:11, by contrast, the subject is passively involved—“When they bring you before…”—and the verb signals being ushered into a setting controlled by others. In the prayers of Matthew 6:13 and Luke 11:4, the petitioner addresses God with a request about what God would or would not bring them into, presenting temptation as a realm one might enter and asking to be spared that entry, coupled with deliverance from a hostile power.

The range of objects brought in is also instructive. People are brought in (the paralyzed man; the person brought before rulers), but so are intangible or semi-intangible items: “certain strange things” are brought “to our ears,” portraying speech and hearing as movement and reception. In Hebrews 13:11, blood is brought into a holy place, stressing the careful transfer of a sacrificial element to a specific location and purpose. In 1 Timothy 6:7, nothing at all is brought into the world, using the verb to describe entry into life and the limits on what can accompany that entry.

Imagery

Eisphero carries a vivid inside/outside imagery in these texts. In Luke, the crowded house and the rooftop opening dramatize the effort of bringing someone inside to reach Jesus. In Hebrews, the “holy place” and “outside of the camp” sharpen the sense of boundaries, with Eisphero marking what is taken inward for sacred use. In prayer, temptation is imagined as a space one could be brought into, making the request concrete: not an abstract wish for moral strength, but a plea concerning entry into danger and rescue from an enemy.

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).