What does ἐξαγοράζω (exagorázō) mean in the Bible?
Exagorazō has two governed contextual uses. Galatians 3:13 and 4:5 use it for Christ redeeming people from the curse of the law and those under the law.
Greek · G1805
ἐξαγοράζω
To redeem
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
ἐξαγοράζω G1805
Pronunciation exagorázō
What does ἐξαγοράζω (exagorázō) mean in the Bible?
Exagorazō has two governed contextual uses. Galatians 3:13 and 4:5 use it for Christ redeeming people from the curse of the law and those under the law.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐξαγοράζω (G1805) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1805?
The BSB source-word alignment has 4 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include redeeming (2), redeemed (1), to redeem (1).
Where does ἐξαγοράζω (exagorázō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Galatians 3:13. Its strongest book concentrations include Galatians (2), Colossians (1), Ephesians (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Exagorazō has two governed contextual uses. Galatians 3:13 and 4:5 use it for Christ redeeming people from the curse of the law and those under the law. In the first passage, Christ redeems by becoming a curse for us; in the second, the Son is born under the law to redeem those under the law so that they might receive adoption. Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5 use a time expression commonly rendered making the most of every opportunity.
Ephesians places it within wise walking because the days are evil, while Colossians joins it to wise conduct toward outsiders and gracious speech. The two contextual senses must not be collapsed. The opportunity passages do not teach substitutionary redemption, and the Galatians passages do not authorize speculative reconstructions of a marketplace transaction or a ransom recipient.
The clauses themselves identify the condition, action, purpose, and response.
How the Bible Uses It
The four governed G1805 uses divide evenly between Christ's redeeming work in Galatians and making wise use of time or opportunity in Ephesians and Colossians.
- Gal.3.13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.
Paul states both the condition from which Christ redeems and the means: Christ becomes a curse for us.
- Gal.4.5
To redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.
The purpose clause moves from redemption of those under the law to receiving adoption.
- Eph.5.16
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
The participle belongs to Paul's command to walk carefully and wisely amid evil days.
- Col.4.5
Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.
Wise conduct toward outsiders and the gracious speech of the next verse govern the opportunity expression.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It redeeming 2× Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5
redeemed 1× Galatians 3:13
to redeem 1× Galatians 4:5
Show sample aligned rows
Galatians 3:13 ἐξηγόρασεν to redeemed Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Galatians 4:5 ἐξαγοράσῃ to to redeem Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular Ephesians 5:16 ἐξαγοραζόμενοι to redeeming Verb - Present Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural Colossians 4:5 ἐξαγοραζόμενοι to redeeming Verb - Present Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Galatians 3:13
Aligned rows 4
Books represented 3
Galatians 2 Ephesians 1 Colossians 1
Source forms
ἐξαγοραζόμενοι 2x exagorazomenoi Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5
ἐξαγοράσῃ 1x exagorasē Galatians 4:5
ἐξηγόρασεν 1x exēgorasen Galatians 3:13
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural 2x Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Galatians 3:13
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Galatians 4:5
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Let Galatians state what Christ redeems from and what His work accomplishes.
- Apply the opportunity passages through wise conduct and gracious speech rather than productivity pressure.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that G1805 teaches Christ paid a ransom to Satan.
- Do not claim that redeeming the time means every minute must be visibly productive.
- Do not claim that the opportunity passages independently prove substitutionary atonement.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Redemption through costly purchase, particularly buying back what was enslaved or lost to reclaim it.
Strong's G1805
Lexical occurrences 4 verses Greek text appearances 4 times Word forms 3 forms 4 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Ephesians 5:15-21 Source Gloss
to redeem
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Redemption through costly purchase, particularly buying back what was enslaved or lost to reclaim it.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
4 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Galatians 3:13 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐξηγόρασεν exhgorasen
I ransom, redeem
Read verse Galatians 4:5 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
ἐξαγοράσῃ, exagorash
I ransom, redeem
Read verse Ephesians 5:16 Verb Present Middle Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἐξαγοραζόμενοι exagorazomenoi
I ransom, redeem
Read verse Colossians 4:5 Verb Present Middle Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἐξαγοραζόμενοι. exagorazomenoi
I ransom, redeem
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 4 Tenses Present, Aorist Voices Middle, Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 2×
Present Middle Eph 5:16 · Col 4:5 2×
Indicative states a fact or reality 1×
Aorist Active Gal 3:13 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active Gal 4:5 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 4 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 2 aorist 2
Voice
middle 2 active 2
Mood
participle 2 indicative 1 subjunctive 1
NT Occurrences
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
buying up or making the most of time, because days are evil
Showing 1 selected witness from 4 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἐξαγοράζω is built from these roots:
For the Preacher and Teacher
G1805 demonstrates why context must govern a word study. In Galatians, Christ redeems from the curse and from the condition of being under the law. Paul explicitly names Christ becoming a curse and the Son's coming under the law; he also names adoption as the purpose. Those claims come from the sentences, not from imaginative reconstruction of an ancient sale.
In Ephesians and Colossians, the same verb participates in an idiom about making wise use of time or opportunity. Evil days, outsiders, and gracious speech define the pastoral setting. Preachers can therefore proclaim costly, substitutionary redemption from Galatians and urgent wisdom from the captivity letters without merging them. The lexical link may invite comparison, but it does not make scheduling a form of atonement or reveal a ransom payment to Satan.
Anchor passage
Gal.3.13
Doctrinal connections
- Galatians 3:10-14 places redemption within the law, curse, cross, faith, and promised Spirit argument.
- Galatians 4:4-7 moves from the sent Son and redemption to adoption, the Spirit, and heirship.
- Ephesians 5:15-17 joins opportunity with careful wisdom and understanding the Lord's will.
- Colossians 4:5-6 joins opportunity with wise conduct toward outsiders and gracious speech.
Two aorist forms in Galatians describe redemption; two present middle participles occur with time or opportunity in Ephesians and Colossians. Construction and object identify the contextual sense.
From Old to New Testament
Old Testament curse, exodus, and redemption themes inform Galatians through Paul's explicit citations and argument. They should not be imported into the opportunity expressions without contextual warrant.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain