Exploring the Meaning of Exoche in Greek

ἐξοχή expresses the idea of what is prominent, and it is attested in the narrative of Paul’s hearing before Roman authorities. Its lone New Testament occurrence appears in the description of a public, highly staged entrance by Agrippa and Bernice.

Root and Related Words

ἐξοχή is connected with ek (ἐκ), “out from” (Strong’s G1537), and echo (ἔχω), “to have/be” (Strong’s G2192). Together these components point to prominence as something that stands out from what surrounds it and is held or possessed in a noticeable way.

Occurrences

“So on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and they had entered into the place of hearing with the commanding officers and the principal men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.” (Acts 25:23)

In Acts 25:23, ἐξοχή belongs to the depiction of a formal proceeding and the social display that frames it. The scene is arranged around status: Agrippa and Bernice arrive “with great pomp,” they “entered into the place of hearing,” and they are accompanied by “the commanding officers and the principal men of the city.” Within that cluster of details, ἐξοχή contributes the sense that what is happening is not merely orderly but publicly elevated—an event marked by prominence in its participants and presentation.

The verse piles up markers of rank and public attention. First, the arrival is set “on the next day,” emphasizing that this is a scheduled moment rather than an improvised meeting. The phrase “great pomp” signals ceremony, and the entrance “into the place of hearing” places the action in a designated venue suited to official proceedings. The entourage (“the commanding officers and the principal men of the city”) indicates that the gathering is filled with people recognized as leading figures. In that setting, ἐξοχή helps characterize the entrance and assembly as prominent—an appearance that stands out, not only because of the personalities involved, but because the occasion is constructed to be seen and acknowledged.

The prominence also functions as a narrative contrast within the verse itself. The public figures arrive and enter with ceremony; then, “at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.” Paul’s entry is described in passive terms (“was brought in”) and is explicitly controlled by the governor’s command, while the earlier entrance of Agrippa and Bernice is accompanied by the city’s elite. ἐξοχή therefore works in the verse’s portrait of a hearing in which prominence, power, and public attention are concentrated at the front of the scene, even as the accused is introduced under authority and procedure.

Sense and Usage

The definition “prominent” fits Acts 25:23 by highlighting how the narrative draws the reader’s eye to what is conspicuous in the moment: the ceremonious arrival, the formal venue, and the assembly of high-status attendants. Prominence here is not abstract; it is embodied in an entrance “with great pomp” and in the presence of identifiable civic and military leadership. The word’s contribution is to color the whole setting as one in which public stature is on display.

Because the verse links prominence with a hearing (“the place of hearing”), ἐξοχή also shades the event as something conducted in the open, with witnesses who matter in the city’s hierarchy. The gathering is not portrayed as a private conversation but as a conspicuous occasion. Prominence is therefore expressed through visibility and association: the notable persons present, the formal command structure (“at the command of Festus”), and the careful staging of who enters, when, and with whom.

Within the single attestation, ἐξοχή supports Luke’s portrayal of the judicial-political environment surrounding Paul. The narrative does not linger on inner thoughts or private motives in this verse; it emphasizes what can be observed—pomp, entrance, officers, principal men, command, and the bringing in of Paul. In that catalog of visible actions and roles, “prominent” captures the atmosphere of elevated public procedure and the way rank is made apparent through ceremony.

Imagery

Acts 25:23 presents prominence as something seen: a grand entrance into a hearing chamber accompanied by leading figures. The imagery attached to ἐξοχή is therefore the spectacle of official life—ceremony, entourage, and the ordered movement of people into a public space where authority is enacted and recognized.

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).