Greek word · G589

ἀποδημέω

apodēmeō

to go abroad

To be away from one's homeland or people, to travel abroad, to go on a long journey. It comes from apo (away) + dēmos (people, district).

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀπο-δημέω, -ῶ

(ἀπόδημος), [in LXX: Ezekiel 19:3 A * ;]

to be or go abroad (M, Pr., 130, 2): Matthew 21:33 25:14-15, Mark 12:1, Luke 15:13 20:9.†

(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 25:14

Range of meaning

To be away from one's homeland or people, to travel abroad, to go on a long journey. It comes from apo (away) + dēmos (people, district).

Against the English

BSB, ESV and NIV say "going on a journey". KJV says "travelling into a far country", WEB "going into another country", YLT "going abroad". KJV's "far" adds distance that the word does not state outright, though the sense of a long absence is right.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used for long absences abroad in classical and Koine Greek. In the Gospels: the vineyard owner who "went into another country" (Matt 21:33; Mark 12:1), the prodigal son (Luke 15:13), and the parallel parable in Mark 13:34 ("like a man away from home", anthrōpos apodēmos).

From the study of Luke 15:13

Range of meaning

ἀποδημέω: to be or go away from one's home district, to travel abroad, to live as a foreigner. χώρα μακρά: a distant land.

Against the English

KJV 'took his journey into a far country' and YLT 'went abroad to a far country' are accurate. BSB 'journeyed to a distant country' is accurate too. None quite carries the idea of leaving one's own people (dēmos).

Used elsewhere in the period

The same verb is used of the man who 'went abroad' in the parables at Luke 20:9 and Matt 25:14–15. For Jews of the period, 'far off' could mean the Gentile nations (Isa 57:19; Acts 2:39; Eph 2:13, 17).

From the study of Luke 20:9

Range of meaning

To be or go away from one's dēmos (home district or people): to travel abroad, go on a journey, or live away from home. It does not in itself say how far.

Against the English

KJV 'went into a far country' (borrowing the 'far' idea from Luke 15:13 and 19:12, where Luke actually writes 'into a distant country'). ESV and WEB say 'into another country'. NASB says 'went on a journey'. BSB and NIV say 'went away'. All are defensible. KJV's 'far' is not in the Greek here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 15:13 (the younger son), 19:12 (the nobleman, with an explicit 'distant country'). Matt 25:14–15 (the master in the parable of the talents). Absentee landlords were a familiar fact of Palestinian farming under Ptolemaic, Herodian and Roman rule.

Similar words

Where it appears

Matthew · 3

  1. Matthew 21:33 ἀπεδήμησεν. he traveled abroad.

    Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

    Here: He left his home district. That makes him an absentee owner, which sets up the gap in which the tenants can act as if the vineyard were theirs. The word itself does not say how far he went.

  2. Matthew 25:14 ἀποδημῶν going on a journey

    For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.

    Here: Literally "going away from one's people (dēmos)": leaving the home country, not a short errand. The present participle pictures him on the point of leaving. The long absence is what makes the story work (v. 19: "after a long time").

  3. Matthew 25:15 ἀπεδήμησεν. he left the region.

    To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.

    Here: He left his home district for a distant place, an absence that turns out to be long (v.19, 'after a long time'). It picks up 'going abroad' (apodēmōn) from v.14.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 12:1 ἀπεδήμησεν traveled abroad

    Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

    Here: He left home and lived elsewhere. This makes him an absentee landlord, and his absence sets up everything that follows: the tenants are on their own and are tempted to act as if the vineyard were theirs.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 15:13 ἀπεδήμησεν went away

    After a few days, the younger son got everything together and journeyed to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth in wild living.

    Here: 'He went abroad': literally he left his own people and home district (dēmos). It is the same verb used of the landowner who 'went abroad' in Luke 20:9. The point is leaving your community, not just travelling.

  2. Luke 20:9 ἀπεδήμησεν went abroad

    Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time.

    Here: He left his home district, perhaps for another country. This makes him an absentee owner who has to deal with his tenants through messengers. That is exactly what happens next.

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