1544. ekballo
Lexical Summary
ekballo: To cast out, to drive out, to send out, to expel

Original Word: ἐκβάλλω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ekballo
Pronunciation: ek-bal'-lo
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-bal'-lo)
KJV: bring forth, cast (forth, out), drive (out), expel, leave, pluck (pull, take, thrust) out, put forth (out), send away (forth, out)
Word Origin: [from G1537 (ἐκ - among) and G906 (βάλλω - thrown)]

1. to eject
{literally or figuratively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bring forth, cast forth, drive out, expel.

From ek and ballo; to eject (literally or figuratively) -- bring forth, cast (forth, out), drive (out), expel, leave, pluck (pull, take, thrust) out, put forth (out), send away (forth, out).

see GREEK ek

see GREEK ballo

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1544: ἐκβάλλω

ἐκβάλλω; imperfect 3 person plural ἐξέβαλλον (Mark 6:13 (Tr marginal reading aorist)); future ἐκβάλω; pluperfect ἐκβεβλήκειν (without augment, Mark 16:9; cf. Winers Grammar, § 12, 9; Buttmann, 33 (29)); 2 aorist ἐξέβαλον; (passive and middle present ἐκβάλλομαι); 1 aorist passive ἐξεβλήθην; future passive ἐκβληθήσομαι; (from Homer down); the Sept. generally for גָּרַשׁ, occasionally for הוצִיא, הורִישׁ, הִשְׁלִיך; to cast out; to drive out; to send out;

1. with the included notion of more or less violence;

a. to drive out, (cast out): a person, Matthew 21:12; Mark 9:15; John 2:15 (ἐκ); Luke 20:12, etc.; passive Matthew 8:12 (T WH (rejected) marginal reading ἐξελεύσονται); δαιμόνια, Matthew 7:22; Matthew 8:16, 31; Matthew 9:33; Mark 1:34, 39; Luke 11:20; Luke 13:32, etc.; ἐκ τίνος, Mark 7:26; ἀπό, Mark 16:9 (L WH Tr text παρά); ἐν τίνι, by, through (Winer's Grammar, 389 (364)), Matthew 9:34; Matthew 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 19f; τῷ ὀνόματι τίνος, Matthew 7:22; (Mark 9:38 Rst G); ἐπί τῷ ὀνόματι τίνος, Luke 9:49 (WH Tr marginal reading ἐν; ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Mark 9:38 Relz L T Tr WH); λόγῳ, Matthew 8:16; τινα ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, Luke 4:29; Acts 7:58.

b. to cast out: τινα followed by ἔξω, John 6:37; John 9:34; John 12:31 (namely, out of the world, i. e. be deprived of the power and influence he exercises in the world); Luke 13:28; ἔξω with the genitive, Matthew 21:39; Mark 12:8; Luke 20:15. a thing: excrement from the belly into the sink, Matthew 15:17; middle ἐκβαλλόμενοι (i. e. for themselves, that they might the more easily save the ship and thereby their lives) τόν σῖτον εἰς τήν θάλασσαν, Acts 27:38.

c. to expel a person from a society: to banish from a family, Galatians 4:30 (Genesis 21:10); ἐκ (Tdf. omits ἐκ) τῆς ἐκκλησίας, 3 John 1:10.

d. to compel one to depart: ἀπό τῶν ὁρίων, Acts 13:50; to bid one depart, in stern though not violent language, Matthew 9:25; Mark 5:40; Acts 9:40; Acts 16:37 (where distinguished from ἐξάγειν); to bid one go forth to do some business, Matthew 9:38; Luke 10:2.

e. so employed that the rapid motion of the one going is transferred to the one sending forth; to command or cause one to depart in haste: Mark 1:43; James 2:25; τά πάντα (namely, πρόβατα), to let them out of the fold so that they rush forth (others, to thrust them forth by laying hold of them), John 10:4.

f. to draw out with force, tear out: τί, Mark 9:47.

g. with the implication of force overcoming opposing force; to cause a thing to move straight on to its intended goal: τήν κρίσιν εἰς νῖκος, Matthew 12:20. h. to reject with contempt; to cast off or away: τό ὄνομα τίνος ὡς πονηρόν, Luke 6:22 (Plato, Crito, p. 46 b.; de rep. 2, p. 377 c.; Sophocles O. C. 636,646; of actors driven from the stage, hissed and hooted off, Demosthenes, p. 449, 19).

2. without the notion of violence;

a. to draw out, extract, one thing inserted in another: τό κάρφος τό ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ, Luke 6:42; ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ, ibid. and Matthew 7:5; ἀπό τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ 4 (where L T Tr WH ἐκ).

b. to bring out of, to draw or bring forth: τί ἐκ τοῦ θησαυροῦ, Matthew 12:35; Matthew 13:52; money from a purse, Luke 10:35.

e. to except, to leave out, i. e. not receive: τί, followed by ἔξω (or ἔξωθεν), Revelation 11:2 (leave out from the things to be measured, equivalent to μή αὐτήν μετρήσῃς).

d. followed by εἰς with the accusative of place, to lead one forth or away somewhere with a force which he cannot resist: Mark 1:12. (On the pleonastic phrase ἐκβάλλειν ἔξω (or ἔξωθεν) cf. Winers Grammar, § 65, 2.)

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Greek 1544 occurs eighty-one times in the Greek New Testament and portrays a forceful removal or an authoritative sending. Whether driving out demons, expelling merchants, ejecting the faithless, or thrusting laborers into the harvest, the verb consistently highlights decisive action that reveals divine sovereignty.

Key Thematic Domains

1. Supernatural Deliverance: Casting out Demons

• Jesus’ inaugural ministry is marked by continual expulsions of unclean spirits (Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:34; Luke 11:14). Each act authenticates His identity and foreshadows the overthrow of Satan’s domain.
• The verb defines the authority granted to the Twelve and the Seventy-Two (Matthew 10:1; Mark 3:15; Luke 10:17). Deliverance is not peripheral but central to apostolic proclamation.
• Jesus roots His kingdom message in this power: “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28).
• The early church continues the pattern (Acts 16:18; Acts 19:12–16), treating demonic eviction as evidence that the risen Christ reigns.

2. Driving Out or Expelling People or Objects

• Temple cleansing: “Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were buying and selling there” (Mark 11:15). Here ekballō defends pure worship and prefigures eschatological judgment.
• Removing hindrances to faith: the mourners are put outside before Jairus’ daughter is raised (Mark 5:40), and Peter clears the room before Dorcas is restored (Acts 9:40). Faith thrives when unbelief is expelled.
• Civil or social expulsion: Paul and Silas are unjustly “thrown out” of Philippi (Acts 16:37), and the healed blind man is “cast out” of the synagogue (John 9:34). The verb underscores the cost of fidelity.
• Jettisoning cargo in crisis (Acts 27:38) shows the literal force of the action and becomes a vivid picture of surrendering all to survive.

3. Sending Forth With Purpose

• Mission prayer: “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38). The petition envisions God thrusting gospel laborers into ripe fields with the same vigor that expels demons.
• Shepherd imagery: “When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them” (John 10:4). The Good Shepherd’s purposeful leading contrasts sharply with coercive expulsion, yet the verb stresses His decisive initiative.
• The Spirit’s compelling of Jesus into the wilderness (Mark 1:12) reveals divine guidance that may feel abrupt but is always purposeful.

4. Eschatological Separation

• Final judgment scenes employ the verb for the fate of the unrepentant: “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness” (Matthew 22:13; cf. Matthew 8:12; 25:30).
• Cosmic victory: “Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). The decisive overthrow of Satan assures believers of ultimate triumph.
Revelation 11:2 anticipates the trampling of the holy city after the court is “cast out,” indicating measured judgment within God’s plan.

5. Personal Transformation and Self-Purging

• The metaphor of removing the plank from one’s eye (Matthew 7:5; Luke 6:42) applies ekballō to self-examination. True discipleship demands forceful elimination of personal sin before ministering to others.
• “Every good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart” (Matthew 12:35) contrasts righteous overflow with evil overflow that must be driven out through regeneration and sanctification.

Historical Background

Jewish exorcistic traditions existed, yet the frequency and ease with which Jesus casts out demons reveal an unparalleled authority. Early Christian writers highlight exorcism in apologetics (e.g., Justin Martyr, Tertullian), reflecting the New Testament witness. Temple cleansing echoes prophetic actions against corrupt worship (Jeremiah 7), situating Jesus within Israel’s prophetic history. The church’s missionary expansion mirrors the harvest imagery, and persecution-induced expulsions fulfill Jesus’ prediction in Luke 6:22.

Theological Significance

1. Christological: Ekballō spotlights Jesus as the promised stronger One who disarms Satan (Mark 3:27).
2. Pneumatological: The Spirit empowers both Jesus (Matthew 12:28) and believers (Mark 16:17) to continue deliverance ministry.
3. Soteriological: Judgment passages warn that refusal of grace results in eternal expulsion, while John 6:37 promises, “Whoever comes to Me I will never cast out”, securing believers’ assurance.
4. Missiological: The same verb energizes the sending of missionaries, reminding the church that evangelism is Spirit-driven, not merely volunteerism.

Practical Ministry Implications

• Deliverance remains a legitimate, Scripture-anchored aspect of pastoral care, always exercised under Christ’s authority and the Spirit’s guidance.
• Churches must guard worship purity, confronting practices that profane God’s house.
• Missions strategy should flow from earnest prayer that God would thrust workers into strategic fields.
• Disciplinary expulsions (Matthew 18; 1 Corinthians 5) serve redemptive ends, echoing the verb’s judicial overtones.
• Believers pursue holiness by ruthlessly ejecting sin, trusting the Spirit who drove Jesus yet upheld Him.

Representative References

Matthew 8:12; Matthew 9:38; Matthew 22:13; Mark 1:12; Mark 5:40; Mark 11:15; Luke 11:20; John 6:37; John 10:4; John 12:31; Acts 16:37; Acts 27:38; Galatians 4:30; Revelation 11:2.

In every context Strong’s 1544 displays the unstoppable energy of God’s kingdom—liberating the bound, purifying the sanctified, propelling the sent, and separating the wicked—until the day when the evil one is finally and forever “cast out.”

Forms and Transliterations
εκβαλε έκβαλε ἔκβαλε εκβαλεί εκβαλειν εκβαλείν ἐκβαλεῖν εκβαλετε εκβάλετε ἐκβάλετε εκβαλη εκβάλη ἐκβάλῃ εκβαλλει εκβαλλεί εκβάλλει ἐκβάλλει εκβαλλειν εκβάλλειν ἐκβάλλειν εκβαλλεις εκβάλλεις ἐκβάλλεις εκβαλλεται εκβάλλεται ἐκβάλλεται εκβαλλετε εκβάλλετε ἐκβάλλετε εκβάλλη εκβαλλομενοι εκβαλλόμενοι ἐκβαλλόμενοι εκβαλλομενους εκβαλλομένους ἐκβαλλομένους εκβαλλοντα εκβάλλοντα ἐκβάλλοντα εκβάλλοντας εκβάλλουσι εκβαλλουσιν εκβάλλουσιν ἐκβάλλουσιν εκβαλλω εκβαλλώ εκβάλλω ἐκβάλλω εκβαλλων εκβάλλων ἐκβάλλων εκβαλοντες εκβαλόντες ἐκβαλόντες εκβαλουσα εκβαλούσα ἐκβαλοῦσα εκβαλούσι εκβαλουσιν εκβαλούσιν ἐκβαλοῦσιν εκβαλω εκβαλώ εκβάλω ἐκβάλω εκβαλων εκβαλών ἐκβαλὼν εκβάλωσι εκβαλωσιν εκβάλωσιν ἐκβάλωσιν εκβεβληκει εκβεβλήκει ἐκβεβλήκει εκβεβλημένη εκβεβλημένην εκβεβλημένης εκβληθεντος εκβληθέντος ἐκβληθέντος εκβληθησεται εκβληθήσεται ἐκβληθήσεται εκβληθησονται εκβληθήσονται ἐκβληθήσονται εκβληθήτωσαν εξεβάλατέ εξέβαλε εξεβαλεν εξέβαλεν ἐξέβαλεν εξέβαλες εξεβάλετε εξεβαλλον εξέβαλλον ἐξέβαλλον εξεβαλομεν εξεβάλομεν ἐξεβάλομεν εξεβαλον εξέβαλον εξέβαλόν ἐξέβαλον εξεβάλοντο εξεβληθη εξεβλήθη ἐξεβλήθη ekbale ekbalē ékbale ekbálei ekbálēi ekbalein ekbaleîn ekbalete ekbálete ekballei ekbállei ekballein ekbállein ekballeis ekbálleis ekballetai ekbálletai ekballete ekbállete ekballo ekballō ekbállo ekbállō ekballomenoi ekballómenoi ekballomenous ekballoménous ekballon ekballōn ekbállon ekbállōn ekballonta ekbállonta ekballousin ekbállousin ekbalo ekbalō ekbálo ekbálō ekbalon ekbalōn ekbalṑn ekbalontes ekbalóntes ekbalosin ekbalōsin ekbálosin ekbálōsin ekbalousa ekbaloûsa ekbalousin ekbaloûsin ekbeblekei ekbeblēkei ekbeblḗkei ekblethentos ekblethéntos ekblēthentos ekblēthéntos ekblethesetai ekblethḗsetai ekblēthēsetai ekblēthḗsetai ekblethesontai ekblethḗsontai ekblēthēsontai ekblēthḗsontai exebalen exébalen exeballon exéballon exebalomen exebálomen exebalon exébalon exeblethe exeblēthē exeblḗthe exeblḗthē
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 7:4 V-ASA-1S
GRK: σου Ἄφες ἐκβάλω τὸ κάρφος
NAS: Let me take the speck
KJV: Let me pull out the mote
INT: of you Allow [that] I might cast out the speck

Matthew 7:5 V-AMA-2S
GRK: ὑποκριτά ἔκβαλε πρῶτον ἐκ
NAS: first take the log
KJV: first cast out the beam
INT: hypocrite cast out first out of

Matthew 7:5 V-ANA
GRK: τότε διαβλέψεις ἐκβαλεῖν τὸ κάρφος
NAS: you will see clearly to take the speck
KJV: shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote
INT: then you will see clearly to cast out the speck

Matthew 7:22 V-AIA-1P
GRK: ὀνόματι δαιμόνια ἐξεβάλομεν καὶ τῷ
NAS: and in Your name cast out demons,
KJV: in thy name have cast out devils? and
INT: name demons cast out and [in]

Matthew 8:12 V-FIP-3P
GRK: τῆς βασιλείας ἐκβληθήσονται εἰς τὸ
NAS: of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer
KJV: of the kingdom shall be cast out into
INT: of the kingdom will be cast out into the

Matthew 8:16 V-AIA-3S
GRK: πολλούς καὶ ἐξέβαλεν τὰ πνεύματα
NAS: who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits
KJV: and he cast out the spirits
INT: many and he cast out the spirits

Matthew 8:31 V-PIA-2S
GRK: λέγοντες Εἰ ἐκβάλλεις ἡμᾶς ἀπόστειλον
NAS: If You [are] [going to] cast us out, send
KJV: thou cast us out, suffer us
INT: saying If you cast out us send away

Matthew 9:25 V-AIP-3S
GRK: ὅτε δὲ ἐξεβλήθη ὁ ὄχλος
NAS: the crowd had been sent out, He entered
KJV: the people were put forth, he went in,
INT: when moreover had been put out the crowd

Matthew 9:33 V-APP-GNS
GRK: καὶ ἐκβληθέντος τοῦ δαιμονίου
NAS: After the demon was cast out, the mute man
KJV: when the devil was cast out, the dumb
INT: And having been cast out the demon

Matthew 9:34 V-PIA-3S
GRK: τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια
NAS: were saying, He casts out the demons
KJV: said, He casteth out devils
INT: of the demons he casts out the demons

Matthew 9:38 V-ASA-3S
GRK: θερισμοῦ ὅπως ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας εἰς
NAS: of the harvest to send out workers
KJV: that he will send forth labourers
INT: harvest that he might send out workmen into

Matthew 10:1 V-PNA
GRK: ἀκαθάρτων ὥστε ἐκβάλλειν αὐτὰ καὶ
NAS: spirits, to cast them out, and to heal
KJV: cast them out, and to heal
INT: unclean so as to cast out them and

Matthew 10:8 V-PMA-2P
GRK: καθαρίζετε δαιμόνια ἐκβάλλετε δωρεὰν ἐλάβετε
NAS: [the] lepers, cast out demons.
KJV: the dead, cast out devils:
INT: cleanse demons cast out freely you received

Matthew 12:20 V-ASA-3S
GRK: ἕως ἂν ἐκβάλῃ εἰς νῖκος
NAS: OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE
KJV: till he send forth judgment
INT: until anyhow he bring forth unto victory

Matthew 12:24 V-PIA-3S
GRK: Οὗτος οὐκ ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια
NAS: This man casts out demons
KJV: [fellow] doth not cast out devils, but
INT: This [man] not casts out the demons

Matthew 12:26 V-PIA-3S
GRK: τὸν Σατανᾶν ἐκβάλλει ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν
NAS: Satan casts out Satan,
KJV: if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided
INT: Satan casts out against himself

Matthew 12:27 V-PIA-1S
GRK: ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια
NAS: I by Beelzebul cast out demons,
KJV: by Beelzebub cast out devils, by
INT: by Beelzebul cast out the demons

Matthew 12:27 V-PIA-3P
GRK: ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν διὰ τοῦτο
NAS: do your sons cast [them] out? For this
KJV: children cast [them] out? therefore
INT: by whom do they cast out on account of this

Matthew 12:28 V-PIA-1S
GRK: θεοῦ ἐγὼ ἐκβάλλω τὰ δαιμόνια
NAS: But if I cast out demons
KJV: if I cast out devils by
INT: of God I cast out the demons

Matthew 12:35 V-PIA-3S
GRK: ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ ἐκβάλλει ἀγαθά καὶ
NAS: man brings out of [his] good
KJV: of the heart bringeth forth good things:
INT: good treasure puts forth good things and

Matthew 12:35 V-PIA-3S
GRK: πονηροῦ θησαυροῦ ἐκβάλλει πονηρά
NAS: man brings out of [his] evil
KJV: treasure bringeth forth evil things.
INT: evil treasure puts forth evil things

Matthew 13:52 V-PIA-3S
GRK: οἰκοδεσπότῃ ὅστις ἐκβάλλει ἐκ τοῦ
NAS: who brings out of his treasure
KJV: which bringeth forth out of
INT: a master of a house who puts forth out of the

Matthew 15:17 V-PIM/P-3S
GRK: εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκβάλλεται
KJV: and is cast out into
INT: to [the] draught is cast out

Matthew 17:19 V-ANA
GRK: οὐκ ἠδυνήθημεν ἐκβαλεῖν αὐτό
NAS: Why could we not drive it out?
KJV: cast him out?
INT: not were able to cast out it

Matthew 21:12 V-AIA-3S
GRK: ἱερόν καὶ ἐξέβαλεν πάντας τοὺς
NAS: the temple and drove out all
KJV: and cast out all them
INT: temple and cast out all those

Strong's Greek 1544
81 Occurrences


ἔκβαλε — 5 Occ.
ἐκβάλῃ — 5 Occ.
ἐκβαλεῖν — 4 Occ.
ἐκβάλετε — 2 Occ.
ἐκβάλλει — 10 Occ.
ἐκβάλλειν — 6 Occ.
ἐκβάλλεις — 1 Occ.
ἐκβάλλεται — 1 Occ.
ἐκβάλλετε — 1 Occ.
ἐκβάλλω — 5 Occ.
ἐκβάλλων — 2 Occ.
ἐκβαλλόμενοι — 1 Occ.
ἐκβαλλομένους — 1 Occ.
ἐκβάλλοντα — 2 Occ.
ἐκβάλλουσιν — 3 Occ.
ἐκβάλω — 3 Occ.
ἐκβαλὼν — 3 Occ.
ἐκβάλωσιν — 3 Occ.
ἐκβαλόντες — 2 Occ.
ἐκβαλοῦσα — 1 Occ.
ἐκβαλοῦσιν — 1 Occ.
ἐκβεβλήκει — 1 Occ.
ἐκβληθήσεται — 1 Occ.
ἐκβληθήσονται — 1 Occ.
ἐκβληθέντος — 1 Occ.
ἐξέβαλεν — 5 Occ.
ἐξέβαλλον — 1 Occ.
ἐξεβάλομεν — 1 Occ.
ἐξέβαλον — 7 Occ.
ἐξεβλήθη — 1 Occ.

1543
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