Exploring the Meaning of Ekphuo in Greek

ἐκφύω means “to put out,” and in Scripture it appears in Jesus’ fig-tree illustration in Matthew 24:32 and Mark 13:28. In both sayings it describes the fig tree’s action of producing leaves as a seasonal sign.

Root and Related Words

ἐκφύω is derived from ek (ἐκ), “out from,” and phyo (φύω), “to grow.” The combination naturally fits the picture of growth issuing outward, the visible emergence of something from a source.

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 ἐκφύω belongs to a compact set of linked observations: a branch becomes “tender,” and it “produces its leaves.” The verb highlights the fig tree’s outward, observable activity—leaves coming forth on the branch. Within the sentence, this action functions as the decisive indicator that turns a general lesson (“learn this parable”) into an immediately readable sign: “you know that the summer is near.” The phrasing ties the act of leaf-production to a shared, ordinary experience of recognition: people can see the leaves put out and draw a conclusion about nearness. The verb therefore contributes a concrete, visible change on the tree—something that happens at a point in time (“has now become tender… and produces”), not a static feature of the tree, but a development that can be watched and interpreted.

“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)

Mark’s form of the saying is closely parallel, and ἐκφύω again marks the moment when what is on the branch becomes plain to sight: it “produces its leaves.” The verb is paired with the preceding condition (“has now become tender”), so that leaf-production is not presented as an isolated fact but as part of a sequence of growth-related change culminating in visible output. In this frame the verb’s contribution is practical: it names the event on the tree that can be used for learning. Because the instruction is to “learn this parable,” the verb helps anchor the parable in an everyday, repeatable observation. The hearer is directed to attend to the leaves coming out, and from that to “know” something about proximity (“the summer is near”). The wording is especially suited to the logic of inference: when this outward production occurs, the conclusion follows.

Sense and Usage

Across these two occurrences, “to put out” is applied to leaves, and the act is treated as the crucial outward sign in a brief lesson about recognition and nearness. The verb does not describe the entire process of a tree’s life, nor does it comment on the value of leaves themselves; it simply names the tree’s act of bringing something out where it can be seen. The object (“its leaves”) narrows the action to a specific, identifiable result, and the surrounding clauses show how that result is read: tenderness of branch and the putting out of leaves belong to the same seasonal movement, and this movement yields knowledge (“you know”).

In both sayings, the action of ἐκφύω stands at the boundary between hidden development and public evidence. A branch becoming tender may be felt or noticed, but leaves put out are unmistakably visible; they are the tree’s outward announcement. That is why the verb fits the instructional aim: it provides a stable, observable cue that supports a confident inference about timing (“the summer is near”). The emphasis falls on recognizability—an external marker accessible to anyone watching the tree—rather than on any interior mechanism.

The related elements ek (ἐκ), “out from,” and phyo (φύω), “to grow,” also suit the way the sayings are structured. The leaf-production is portrayed as something that issues “out from” the branch and manifests growth by appearing where it was not visible before. In the narrative logic of the two sentences, this outward emergence is what enables the transition from observation to knowledge: once the leaves are out, the conclusion about nearness becomes the normal, expected response.

Imagery

The imagery carried by ἐκφύω in these passages is plain and seasonal: a fig tree at the point where change can be seen. The verb frames leaf-production as the moment the tree “puts out” what will be noticed by observers, and the sayings treat that moment as a reliable sign that prompts recognition—“you know that the summer is near.” (Matthew 24:32; Mark 13:28)

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).