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Berean Expositor Volume 4 & 5
Helps by the Way.
The Greek prepositions.
pp. 15-16
Ek.--The primary idea of the preposition ek is expressed in the words "out of,"
signifying the "issuing from within (the compass, sphere of) something." This
elementary meaning can be seen in such passages as Matt. 8: 28; 15: 19, "coming out of
the tombs," "out of the heart," &100: Ek shows the origin or source of anything, hence it is
used of birth, cf. Matt. 1: 3, "of Thamar." Origin is emphasized in John 1: 13, "not out of
blood. . . . but out of God." Three passages occur in Matt. 21: which convey the idea
of origin:--
Verse 16. "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings."
Verse 19. "Let no fruit grow out of thee."
Verse 25. "The baptism of John, whence was it? out of heaven, or out of men?"
How much more intense and true to life is the Greek idea of fruit growing out of a tree
than the English expression, fruit growing on a tree. The change of expression is
doctrinally important; fruit has direct connection with root, and believers need to
remember this continually. The doctrinal importance is further seen in such passages as:--
"A righteousness of God revealed out of faith unto faith." (Rom. 1: 17).
"Therefore it is out of faith that it might be by grace." (Rom. 4: 16).
"The judgment was out of one to condemnation; but the free gift is out of many
offences unto justification." (Rom. 5: 16).
Keeping the idea in mind that ek in its secondary meaning denotes source and cause,
out of which something flows, and is applied to both things and persons, the following
usages will be worth considering:--
"And many men died ek the waters" (i.e., the waters were the source of death to the men).
(Rev. 8: 11).
"Should live ek the gospel." (I Cor. 9: 14).
"Declared to be the Son of God with power. . . ek resurrection of the dead." (Rom. 1: 4).
In I Tim. 1: 5 ek shows the origin or source of true love, and in Rev. 16: 21 it indicates
the "occasion or incidental origin" of the blasphemy.
"By reason of" is another rendering, given in Rev. 8: 13. The grounds of arriving at
a judgment are indicated by ek in Matt. 12: 37, "for by (ek) thy words." Other usages,
which still retain the original idea, "out of," are those which indicate a standard or rule;
Matt. 12: 33, "by its fruit"; I John 4: 6, "hereby (ek toutou) we know"; price: Matt. 20: 2,
"for (ek) a penny"; Matt. 27: 7, "bought with (ek) them."