Greek word · G2149

εὐρύχωρος

eurychōros

broad

Spacious, roomy, having ample space (eurus "wide" + chōros "space, room"). Used of open country, broad streets, roomy places.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

εὐρύ-χωρος, -ον

(εὐρύς, broad + χώρα), [in LXX for רָחַב ni., and cognate forms (Isaiah 30:23, al.), exc. 2 Chronicles 18:9 (גֹּרֶן ;)

spacious, broad: Matthew 7:13.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 7:13

Range of meaning

Spacious, roomy, having ample space (eurus "wide" + chōros "space, room"). Used of open country, broad streets, roomy places.

Against the English

"Broad" (KJV, NIV, NASB, BSB, WEB) is accurate. ESV's "easy" interprets the picture correctly but drops the spatial image and the direct contrast with "pressed" in v. 14. NLT folds it into "highway".

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint, roomy space is usually a good thing: being brought into a "broad place" means rescue from distress (compare Ps 18:19 and similar images; Hos 4:16 LXX uses en euruchōrō of a lamb in open pasture). Here that expectation is turned upside down.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 7:13 εὐρύχωρος broad

    Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

    Here: Literally "wide of space": a road with plenty of room, where nothing presses in on you. In v. 14 it is set against a road that is "pressed, squeezed" (tethlimmenē).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.