Exploring the Meaning of Ekbole in Greek

Ekbole means “jettisoning,” and it appears once in the New Testament, in the account of a storm-tossed voyage in Acts 27. In its lone context it names a deliberate act of loss undertaken to meet a desperate need at sea.

Root and Related Words

Ekbole is related to the verb ekballo (ἐκβάλλω), “to expel” (Strong’s G1544). The noun’s connection to this verb frames the action as an active casting out: a chosen removal rather than an accidental disappearance.

Occurrences

“As we labored exceedingly with the storm, the next day they began to throw things overboard.” (Acts 27:18)

In this scene the ship’s company is already “labor[ing] exceedingly with the storm,” language that portrays sustained, exhausting effort against a force they cannot control. Ekbole belongs to the next step: “the next day they began to throw things overboard.” The word gives a name to a specific kind of response to crisis—an intentional discarding of possessions or cargo as part of the struggle to keep the vessel afloat and manageable. The action is not a momentary reflex; it is presented as a planned measure taken after prolonged strain, and it initiates a new phase of their survival efforts.

The verse also highlights the communal nature of the decision. “They began” depicts a coordinated shipboard practice rather than one person’s private act. By using a term that denotes jettisoning, the narrative focuses attention on the costly realism of maritime survival: when the storm will not yield to human labor, the crew yields something else. Ekbole thus marks the point at which the battle with the storm changes from mere endurance to sacrifice—reducing weight or encumbrance by forcefully removing items from the ship.

Sense and Usage

The definition “jettisoning” points to a narrow and concrete sense: goods are thrown away into the sea to improve the ship’s chances in severe weather. Acts 27:18 sets that action in a sequence: first “we labored exceedingly,” then “the next day” comes the decision to begin jettisoning. The temporal note underlines that ekbole is not casual wastefulness. It is an emergency measure taken after experience has shown that ordinary efforts are insufficient.

Because ekbole is tied to “throw[ing] things overboard,” it conveys more than mere loss; it conveys chosen loss. Jettisoning is a purposeful reduction. In the verse, the objects are left unspecified (“things”), which keeps the focus on the act itself rather than on any particular item. The word therefore carries an impersonal, practical tone: the value of what is discarded is secondary to the necessity of preserving life and vessel in the storm.

Its relation to ekballo (“to expel”) further sharpens the picture. Jettisoning is not simply setting something down or letting it go; it is a forceful casting out. In a storm, this implies urgency and decisiveness: items are removed by action and intention, not by gradual drifting away. The verse’s portrayal of sustained labor against the storm sets ekbole within a context of physical effort and strategic response, making the term part of the vocabulary of survival under pressure.

Imagery

Acts 27:18 attaches ekbole to the stark image of a ship in danger and a crew making hard choices. The storm dominates the scene, and the act of throwing cargo overboard becomes a visible sign of how severe the conditions are: the sea is not only the threat but also the place into which costly items are cast. Ekbole thus evokes the moment when preserving what is essential requires relinquishing what is otherwise valuable.

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).