Exploring the Meaning of Kerusso in Greek

κηρύσσω means “to preach.” In the passages quoted below it is used for John the Baptizer’s wilderness message, Jesus’ public announcement of the Kingdom, the disciples’ commissioned proclamation, and the wider spread of the Good News.

Occurrences

Matthew 3:1 — “In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,”

Here κηρύσσω presents John’s activity as public announcement: he “came” and his arrival is marked by preaching. The setting “in the wilderness of Judea” frames the message as something broadcast from an open place rather than confined to established centers; the verse also shows preaching as something carried by speech (“saying,”), preparing for the content that follows.

Matthew 4:17 — “From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.””

In this scene κηρύσσω signals the beginning of a sustained public ministry (“From that time, Jesus began”). Preaching is paired with direct verbal address (“and to say”), and it carries an urgent summons (“Repent!”) tied to a time-sensitive announcement (“the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”). The verb therefore marks not merely conversation but a declared message meant to move hearers to response.

Matthew 4:23 — “Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.”

κηρύσσω is set alongside “teaching” and “healing,” placing preaching within a threefold pattern of ministry. “Teaching in their synagogues” suggests instruction within a gathered setting, while “preaching the Good News of the Kingdom” highlights announcement of the message itself as good news. The breadth of activity (“went about in all Galilee”) shows preaching as repeatable and mobile, accompanying action that meets concrete needs (“healing every disease and every sickness”).

Matthew 9:35 — “Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.”

This verse restates the same cluster of activities, but now the scope is widened to “all the cities and the villages.” κηρύσσω again describes proclamation of “the Good News of the Kingdom” as a characteristic element of Jesus’ itinerant work, not limited to one social setting. The pairing with teaching and healing portrays preaching as something that goes out across locations and audiences, carried wherever Jesus goes among “the people.”

Matthew 10:7 — “As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’”

κηρύσσω here appears as a commission: it is something the disciples are to do “as you go.” Preaching is defined by a set announcement (“saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’”), so the verb includes the idea of delivering a particular message rather than simply speaking in general. The wording also links preaching to movement and encounter; the announcement is to accompany their going.

Matthew 10:27 — “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.”

Although the English here uses “proclaim,” the scene illuminates what κηρύσσω looks like in practice: speech that moves from private instruction to public declaration. The contrast “in the darkness” versus “in the light,” and “whispered in the ear” versus “on the housetops,” portrays proclamation as open, audible, and intentionally exposed. The verb’s contribution is the outward direction of the message—what is received is to be broadcast.

Matthew 11:1 — “When Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.”

κηρύσσω is again paired with teaching, but now it follows a moment of instruction to the Twelve (“finished directing his twelve disciples”). Jesus’ departure “to teach and preach in their cities” presents preaching as an ongoing mission carried into the communities connected with the disciples. The emphasis falls on purposeful movement and continued public ministry after a period of private direction.

Matthew 24:14 — “This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Here κηρύσσω is projected onto a worldwide horizon: the Good News “will be preached in the whole world.” Preaching is linked to witness—“for a testimony to all the nations”—so the act of proclamation functions as public attestation before a comprehensive audience. The verse frames preaching as something that reaches outward across peoples and lands, and as something with an appointed role in the unfolding of events (“and then the end will come”).

Matthew 26:13 — “Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her.”

κηρύσσω again appears with the worldwide spread of “this Good News,” but now it is the setting for remembrance: wherever the message is preached, “what this woman has done will also be spoken of.” Preaching is thus pictured as the traveling context in which additional words are carried along—news that accompanies the Good News as it is announced. The verb contributes a sense of dissemination: the proclamation creates a repeating occasion for telling.

Mark 1:4 — “John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.”

In Mark’s opening, κηρύσσω characterizes John’s ministry together with “baptizing,” both set “in the wilderness.” Preaching here has a specified content: “the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.” The verb presents that message as an announced call tied to a defined response—repentance—and a defined aim—“for forgiveness of sins.”

Mark 1:7 — “He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.”

κηρύσσω in this verse frames John’s forward-pointing speech. The preaching is explicitly verbal (“saying”) and focuses attention beyond the preacher: “After me comes he who is mightier than I.” The proclaimed message also contains self-humbling comparison, emphasizing the greatness of the coming one through John’s unworthiness “to stoop down and loosen” even his sandal thong. Preaching here functions as announcement that prepares hearers for another figure.

Mark 1:14 — “Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom,”

In this transition, κηρύσσω marks continuity and succession: “after John was taken into custody,” Jesus “came into Galilee” and is found preaching. The content is “the Good News of God’s Kingdom,” presenting Jesus’ activity as public proclamation of the Kingdom message in a new phase of the story. The verb also connects preaching with arrival and presence—Jesus “came” and what he is doing is preaching.

Sense and Usage

Across these occurrences κηρύσσω consistently denotes an act of public, message-centered speech. The quoted texts repeatedly attach preaching to a definable proclamation: for John, “the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4) and the announcement of one “mightier” who is coming (Mark 1:7); for Jesus and his followers, the announcement that “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17; 10:7) and “the Good News of the Kingdom” (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Mark 1:14). In these scenes preaching is not portrayed as casual talk or private exchange; it is a directed announcement meant to be heard by others, often carried alongside movement (“went about,” “as you go,” “departed,” “came”).

The verb’s usage also shows that preaching can be distinguished from teaching without being separated from it. Multiple verses place “teaching” and preaching side by side (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 11:1), implying that preaching has its own function even when it accompanies instruction. In addition, Matthew 10:27 portrays proclamation as the outward release of what has been received in private: what is told “in the darkness” is to be spoken “in the light,” and what is “whispered in the ear” is to be proclaimed “on the housetops.” That imagery emphasizes exposure, audibility, and reach—preaching as speech that is meant to travel beyond the initial circle of hearing.

Finally, κηρύσσω in these texts can be scaled from local settings to a universal horizon. The early scenes place preaching in the wilderness (Matthew 3:1; Mark 1:4) and in Galilee, cities, villages, and synagogues (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Mark 1:14). Later, preaching is envisioned as worldwide: “in the whole world” and “to all the nations” (Matthew 24:14), and again “in the whole world” as the setting in which a woman’s deed is repeatedly told (Matthew 26:13). The same verb thus serves for immediate, on-the-ground proclamation and for the spread of the Good News to the widest imaginable audience within these passages.

Imagery

The passages supply vivid spatial pictures for κηρύσσω: the wilderness as a place where a message is sounded out (Matthew 3:1; Mark 1:4), towns and villages as the routes along which preaching is carried (Matthew 9:35), synagogues as regular venues where proclamation accompanies teaching (Matthew 4:23), and housetops as the emblem of speech made maximally public (Matthew 10:27). At its widest, preaching is pictured as a message capable of reaching “the whole world” (Matthew 24:14; 26:13), expanding the scene from local landscapes to all nations as the audience of a single proclaimed Good News.

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).