ἐκτρέπω (G1624) — Greek Lexicon

ἐκτρέπω

ektrépō

G1624 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

to turn (something or someone) aside or away from a course; (figuratively) to deviate from a standard, objective, or established way. The core meaning is to cause to turn or to divert, whether literally (e.g., to physically turn aside) or metaphorically (e.g., to stray from a topic, from truth, or from conduct). Secondary senses include avoiding or shunning something or someone by turning aside.

Semantic Range

to turn aside, to cause to deviate, to deflect, to turn away from a path, to stray from an objective or standard, to avoid, to turn out of the way (literal and figurative), to swerve, to go astray

Root / Etymology

Compound of ἐκ (out of, from) and τρέπω (to turn, to direct); ἐκ- conveys outward movement, while τρέπω means to turn. Thus, the sense is 'to turn out (of a way or direction)'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical and Hellenistic Greek, ἐκτρέπω primarily denotes physical turning aside or diverting motion (e.g., in Homer or medical writers for diverting a flow). In Koine Greek and the New Testament, the term often assumes a metaphorical sense, such as turning away from truth, morality, or proper conduct (cf. 1 Tim 1:6, 5:15, 2 Tim 4:4). The metaphorical sense is particularly frequent in epistolary and moral contexts, indicating a deviation from teaching, instruction, or the accepted path. The standard English translations ('avoid', 'turn aside', 'swerve', 'go astray') sometimes obscure the active sense in Greek, which can refer both to a person actively turning away and to being caused to deviate. The range extends to medical and philosophical usage outside biblical context for diverging from a norm or trajectory.

Translation Consistency

primary "turn" 5 occurrences

“Turn” is the natural, common English verb that captures both the literal sense (physically turning aside) and the figurative senses (deviating, being turned away, avoiding). It matches the typical biblical usage and the attested renderings (turned/turning) while remaining simple and adaptable to all inflected forms of G1624.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἐκ and the base of τροπή; to deflect, i.e. turn away (literally or figuratively):--avoid, turn (aside, out of the way).

Root Family

ἐκτρέπω (ektrepō) — to turn, to direct, to change direction, to turn aside

Root τρέπ- to turn, to direct, to change direction

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G1624-04`	ἐξετράπησαν	exetrapesan	`V AOR PASS IND 3P PL`	have turned aside	they were turned aside	they were turned aside	2
`G1624-03`	ἐκτρεπόμενος	ektrepomenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	avoiding	turning himself aside	turning himself aside	1
`G1624-01`	ἐκτραπῇ	ektrape	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 3P SG`	be turned out of the way	may be turned aside	may be turned aside	1
`G1624-02`	ἐκτραπήσονται	ektrapesontai	`V FUT PASS IND 3P PL`	they will turn aside	they will be turned aside	they will turn aside	1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G1624-04`	1 Timothy 1:6	ἐξετράπησαν	exetrapesan	`V AOR PASS IND 3P PL`	turned aside	they were turned aside	they were turned aside
`G1624-04`	1 Timothy 5:15	ἐξετράπησαν	exetrapesan	`V AOR PASS IND 3P PL`	have turned aside	they were turned aside	they were turned aside
`G1624-03`	1 Timothy 6:20	ἐκτρεπόμενος	ektrepomenos	`V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG`	avoiding	turning himself aside	turning himself aside
`G1624-02`	2 Timothy 4:4	ἐκτραπήσονται	ektrapesontai	`V FUT PASS IND 3P PL`	they will turn aside	they will be turned aside	they will turn aside
`G1624-01`	Hebrews 12:13	ἐκτραπῇ	ektrape	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 3P SG`	be turned out of the way	may be turned aside	may be turned aside

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