1599. ekpempó
Lexical Summary
ekpempó: To send out, to dispatch

Original Word: ἐκπέμπω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ekpempó
Pronunciation: ek-pem'-po
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-pem'-po)
KJV: send away (forth)
NASB: sent, sent away
Word Origin: [from G1537 (ἐκ - among) and G3992 (πέμπω - sent)]

1. to despatch

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
send away, send forth.

From ek and pempo; to despatch -- send away (forth).

see GREEK ek

see GREEK pempo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from ek and pempó
Definition
to send forth
NASB Translation
sent (1), sent...away (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1599: ἐκπέμπω

ἐκπέμπω: 1 aorist ἐξέπεμψα; 1 aorist passive participle ἐκπεμφθεις; to send forth, send away: Acts 13:4; Acts 17:10. (From Homer down.)

STRONGS NT 1599a: ἐκπερισσῶςἐκπερισσῶς, adverb, exceedingly, out of measure, the more: used of intense earnestness, Mark 14:31 L T Tr WH (for Rec. ἐκ περισσοῦ); not found elsewhere. But see ὑπερεκπερισσῶς.

Topical Lexicon
Root Concept Of Sending

Strong’s Greek 1599 portrays deliberate, purposeful dispatch. More than mere departure, the verb underscores an official release, a commissioning that proceeds from a higher authority toward a clear objective. In Acts the term frames the movement of the gospel outward, demonstrating that mission is not a human venture alone but a divine initiative channeled through willing servants.

Occurrences In Acts

Acts 13:4 records Paul and Barnabas “sent forth by the Holy Spirit”, stressing that the Spirit Himself is the principal Sender, even as the church at Antioch lays hands on the missionaries. Acts 17:10 shows the brethren in Thessalonica promptly “sending Paul and Silas away by night to Berea”, illustrating responsible stewardship of gospel messengers amid opposition. Together these verses reveal a pattern: the Spirit directs, the local church or believing community cooperates, and the missionaries obey.

Relationship To The Holy Spirit’s Guidance

The first occurrence binds the act of sending directly to the Spirit’s initiative. This sets a paradigm for all subsequent missionary activity: strategic movement flows from prayerful worship and prophetic insight (Acts 13:2-3). Any contemporary application of 1599 must therefore reckon with spiritual discernment and dependence on divine prompting rather than merely human planning.

Local Church As Sending Body

Although the Spirit commissions, the Antioch church fasts, prays, and lays hands on the missionaries, then releases them. Likewise the Thessalonian believers expedite Paul and Silas’ safety so the message can continue unhindered. The term thereby affirms congregational responsibility—financial, logistical, and pastoral—in releasing workers to new fields (compare Philippians 4:15-16; 3 John 6-8).

Continuity With Old Testament Patterns

The verb echoes the Old Testament theme of God “sending” prophets (e.g., Isaiah 6:8; Jeremiah 7:25) and prefigures the Father’s sending of the Son (John 3:17). The line continues through the risen Christ who sends the apostles (John 20:21). Acts 13 and Acts 17 demonstrate that the missionary church stands in this same stream of redemptive history.

Connection With Apostolic Authority

Because the missionaries are sent, they carry delegated authority. Their message is not self-generated but represents the Sender. Paul regularly appeals to this reality in his epistles (Galatians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:4). The integrity of the gospel is safeguarded when messengers recognize that they serve as emissaries rather than entrepreneurs.

Missionary Methodology Illustrated

1. Worship and fasting precede commissioning (Acts 13:2-3).
2. Clear guidance is confirmed corporately.
3. Hands are laid on those sent, signifying identification and blessing.
4. Practical arrangements (travel, security, support) are provided by the sending community (Acts 17:10).
5. Reports are later given, fostering accountability (Acts 14:27-28).

Implications For Contemporary Ministry

Churches today emulate this pattern when they:

• Seek Spirit-led direction before launching new works.
• Publicly affirm and pray over those called to go.
• Sustain them materially and emotionally.
• Remain attentive to strategic relocation of workers when persecution or opportunity dictates.

Doctrinal Significance

The verb underscores the cooperative harmony within the Triune Godhead and the church. As the Spirit sends in obedience to the Father’s redemptive plan and in unity with the Son’s commission, believers participate in a divine mission that cannot fail (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). The authority and consistency of Scripture are thus validated in the unfolding narrative of God’s sending purpose.

Summary

Strong’s 1599 highlights God’s sovereign, Spirit-initiated dispatch of gospel messengers through the agency of the local church. Its two occurrences in Acts encapsulate the theology of mission: divine origin, communal partnership, apostolic authority, and continual spread of the word until Christ’s return.

Forms and Transliterations
εκπέμπων εκπεμφθεντες εκπεμφθέντες ἐκπεμφθέντες εκπέμψατε εκπέμψει εκπεριπορεύεται εξεπεμψαν εξέπεμψαν ἐξέπεμψαν εξεπέρασεν ekpemphthentes ekpemphthéntes exepempsan exépempsan
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Acts 13:4 V-APP-NMP
GRK: μὲν οὖν ἐκπεμφθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ
NAS: So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit,
KJV: So they, being sent forth by the Holy
INT: indeed therefore having been sent forth by the

Acts 17:10 V-AIA-3P
GRK: διὰ νυκτὸς ἐξέπεμψαν τόν τε
NAS: immediately sent Paul
KJV: immediately sent away Paul
INT: by night sent away both

Strong's Greek 1599
2 Occurrences


ἐκπεμφθέντες — 1 Occ.
ἐξέπεμψαν — 1 Occ.

1598
Top of Page
Top of Page