2078. eschatos
Lexical Summary
eschatos: Last, final, utmost, extreme

Original Word: ἔσχατος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: eschatos
Pronunciation: es'-kha-tos
Phonetic Spelling: (es'-khat-os)
KJV: ends of, last, latter end, lowest, uttermost
NASB: last, end, last man, last men, last of all, late, remotest part
Word Origin: [a superlative probably from G2192 (ἔχω - have) (in the sense of contiguity)]

1. farthest, final (of place or time)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
end, last, uttermost.

A superlative probably from echo (in the sense of contiguity); farthest, final (of place or time) -- ends of, last, latter end, lowest, uttermost.

see GREEK echo

HELPS Word-studies

2078 ésxatos (from esxaton, "end, last") – properly, last, final (the furthest, extreme-end). 2078/esxatos ("future things"), the root of "eschatology" is "the study of last things." This includes future Bible prophecy, the end-times, and life after death ("the after-life").

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
last, extreme
NASB Translation
end (1), last (46), last of all (1), last man (1), last men (1), late (1), remotest part (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2078: ἔσχατος

ἔσχατος, ἐσχάτῃ, ἔσχατον (from ἔχω, ἔσχον adhering, clinging close; (according to others (Curtius, § 583 b.) superlative from ἐξ, the outermost)), the Sept. for אַחֲרון, אַחֲרִית; (from Homer down); extreme, last in time or in place;

1. joined to nouns: τόπος, the last in a series of places (A. V. lowest), Luke 14:9f; in a temporal succession, the last: ἔσχατος ἐχθρός, that remains after the rest have been conquered, 1 Corinthians 15:26; κοδράντης, that remains when the rest have one after another been spent, Matthew 5:26; so λεπτόν, Luke 12:59; ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγξ, the trumpet after which no other will sound, 1 Corinthians 15:52, cf. Meyer ad loc.; αἱ ἔσχαται πληγαί, Revelation 15:1; Revelation 21:9; ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρα τῆς ἑορτῆς, John 7:37. When two are contrasted it is equivalent to the latter, opposed to πρῶτος the former (Deuteronomy 24:1-4): thus τά ἔργα (opposed to τῶν πρώτων), Revelation 2:19; πλάνη, Matthew 27:64 (where the meaning is, 'lest the latter deception, caused by the false story of his resurrection, do more harm than the former, which was about to produce belief in a false Messiah'); ἔσχατος Ἀδάμ, the latter Adam, i. e. the Messiah (see Ἀδάμ, 1), 1 Corinthians 15:45. ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρα, the last day (of all days), denotes that with which the present age (הַזֶּה הָעולָם, see αἰών, 3) which precedes the times of the Messiah or the glorious return of Christ from heaven will be closed: John 6:39f, 44 (); . of the time nearest the return of Christ from heaven and the consummation of the divine kingdom, the following phrases are used: ἐσχάτῃ ὥρα, 1 John 2:18; ἐν καιρῷ ἐσχάτῳ 1 Peter 1:5; ἐν ἐσχάτῳ χρόνῳ, Jude 1:18 Rec., ἐπ' ἐσχάτου χρόνου Jude 1:10. Tr WH; ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις, Acts 2:17; James 5:3; 2 Timothy 3:1; for other phrases of the sort see 2 a. below; ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν χρόνων, 1 Peter 1:20 R G, see below.

2. , , τό ἔσχατον absolutely or with the genitive,

a. of time: οἱ ἔσχατοι, who had come to work last, Matthew 20:8, 12,(14); the meaning of the saying ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καί ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι is not always the same: in Luke 13:30 it signifies, those who were last invited to enter the divine kingdom will be first to enter when the opportunity comes, i. e. they will be admitted forthwith, while others, and those too who were first among the invited, will be shut out then as coming too late; in Matthew 19:30; Matthew 20:16 it means, the same portion in the future kingdom of God will through his goodness be assigned to those invited last as to those invited first, although the latter may think they deserve something better; cf. Mark 10:31. πρῶτος καί ἔσχατος i. e. the eternal, Revelation 1:11 Rec., ; . ἔσχατος as a predicate joined to a verb adverbially (cf. Winer's Grammar, 131 (124); § 54, 2): Mark 12:6; ἐσχάτῃ (R G; but see below) πάντων ἀπέθανε, Mark 12:22. ἔσχατον, ἔσχατα, used substantively (cf. Buttmann, 94 (82) § 125, 6) in phrases, of the time immediately preceding Christ's return from heaven and the consummation of the divine kingdom: ἐπ' ἐσχάτου or ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, Hebrews 1:2 (1); 2 Peter 3:3 (the Epistle of Barnabas 16, 5 [ET]); τῶν χρόνων, 1 Peter 1:20; ἐπ' ἐσχάτου τοῦ χρόνου, Jude 1:18 L T (see 1 above, and ἐπί, A. II. at the end), cf. Riehm, Lehrbegr. d. Hebrärbriefes, p. 205f τά ἔσχατα with the genitive of person the last state of one: Matthew 12:45; Luke 11:26; 2 Peter 2:20 (but without the genitive of person). Neuter ἔσχατον, adverb, lastly: (with the genitive of person, Mark 12:22 L T Tr WH); 1 Corinthians 15:8.

b. of space: τό ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς, the uttermost part, the end, of the earth, Acts 1:8; Acts 13:47.

c. of rank, grade of worth, last i. e. lowest: Mark 9:35; John 8:9 Rec.; 1 Corinthians 4:9.

Topical Lexicon
Scope of Meaning and Biblical Range

Strong’s 2078 characteristically speaks of what is final—whether in time, rank, consequence, or geographical reach. In the New Testament it clusters around three principal ideas: temporal consummation (“the last day,” “the last trumpet”), moral and social inversion (“the last shall be first”), and ultimate authority (“the First and the Last”). A fourth, less frequent, nuance extends the word to the remotest place (“the ends of the earth”). Together these senses form a coherent biblical theology of finality in God’s saving plan.

Temporal Consummation and Eschatological Hope

John’s Gospel records seven instances (John 6:39-54; 7:37; 11:24; 12:48) where Jesus anchors resurrection and judgment in “the last day.” He promises, “I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40), grounding assurance in His own authority over history’s endpoint. Paul echoes this certainty in 1 Corinthians 15:52: “In an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…the dead will be raised imperishable.” Peter likewise speaks of “a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5), tying believers’ perseverance to their eschatological inheritance.

“Last days” also mark the era inaugurated by the Spirit. Peter, quoting Joel, proclaims, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit” (Acts 2:17). Hebrews 1:2 affirms that God “has spoken to us by His Son” in these “last days,” showing that the final age began with Christ’s first advent and awaits its consummation at His return (2 Peter 3:3; Jude 18; 2 Timothy 3:1).

Moral Reversal and Kingdom Ethics

Jesus repeatedly turns worldly hierarchies upside-down: “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first” (Matthew 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30). Discipleship embraces lowliness—“If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). The vineyard laborers (Matthew 20:8-16) illustrate grace that disregards human calculations of merit.

The same principle checks self-promotion at social gatherings: “Take the last place” (Luke 14:10). Even penitence before the court requires paying “the last penny” (Matthew 5:26; Luke 12:59), underscoring full accountability.

Warning Passages: A Worse “Last State”

When a demoniac’s deliverance is squandered, “the last state of that man becomes worse than the first” (Matthew 12:45; Luke 11:26). Peter applies the idiom corporately: false teachers who relapse into corruption find “the last state worse for them than the first” (2 Peter 2:20). Finality can therefore be tragic as well as blessed, urging seriousness in repentance and perseverance.

Pauline Humility and Victory

Paul twice calls himself “last”: “Last of all…He appeared to me also” (1 Corinthians 15:8) and “God has displayed us apostles last, like men condemned to die” (1 Corinthians 4:9). Yet in the same chapter he proclaims triumph: “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Adam and Christ form another contrast—“The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Thus the apostle moves from personal littleness to cosmic victory, framing ministry within resurrection hope.

Petrine and General Epistles: Scoffers and Salvation

Peter foresees “scoffers” in “the last days” (2 Peter 3:3) who deny Christ’s return, but believers are “protected by the power of God” until the salvation to be revealed (1 Peter 1:5). James warns the rich, “You have stored up treasure in the last days” (James 5:3), reminding readers that temporal wealth evaporates before divine judgment. John alerts the church: “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard, the antichrist is coming” (1 John 2:18). Urgency marks the entire church age.

Revelation: Christ the First and the Last

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last” (Revelation 22:13; cf. 1:17; 2:8). The title crowns Jesus as Lord of origins and endings alike. Revelation 15:1 shows “the last plagues” completing God’s wrath, while Revelation 21:9 looks upon “the last things” (ἔσχατων) of the judgment narrative. The believer’s destiny is therefore secured by the One who stands sovereign over every terminal event.

Mission to the Ends of the Earth

A spatial extension appears in Acts 1:8: “You will be My witnesses…to the ends of the earth,” and again in Acts 13:47, fulfilling Isaiah’s promise. The same term in Hebrews 1:2 and 1 Peter 1:20 underscores that Christ’s incarnation comes at history’s furthest edge. Evangelism therefore stretches to the remotest peoples while time itself hastens toward its final curtain.

Pastoral and Ministry Significance

1. Assurance: Resurrection at “the last day” anchors pastoral comfort in funerals and catechesis.
2. Holiness: Awareness of “last days” apostasy fuels vigilance in doctrine and life.
3. Humility: The ethic of becoming “last” shapes servant leadership and counter-cultural community.
4. Mission: Witness reaches to earth’s “last” frontiers until the last person hears.
5. Hope: Death, the “last enemy,” will fall; therefore steadfastness in suffering is never futile.

Synthesis

Strong’s 2078 weaves a unified testimony: the God who began all things will finish them; the Son who served as last has become the exalted First; the Spirit empowers the church in the last days to reach the last place with the last word of grace before the last trumpet sounds.

Forms and Transliterations
εσχατα έσχατα έσχατά ἔσχατα έσχαται εσχαταις εσχάταις ἐσχάταις εσχατας εσχάτας ἐσχάτας εσχατη εσχάτη ἐσχάτη ἐσχάτῃ εσχάτην εσχάτης εσχατοι έσχατοι ἔσχατοι εσχάτοις εσχατον έσχατον ἔσχατον εσχατος έσχατος ἔσχατος εσχατου εσχάτου ἐσχάτου εσχατους εσχάτους ἐσχάτους εσχατω εσχάτω ἐσχάτῳ εσχατων εσχατών εσχάτων ἐσχάτων eschata éschata eschatais eschátais eschatas eschátas eschate eschatē escháte eschátē eschátei eschátēi eschato eschatō eschatoi eschátoi eschátōi éschatoi eschaton eschatōn escháton eschátōn éschaton eschatos éschatos eschatou eschátou eschatous eschátous
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 5:26 Adj-AMS
GRK: ἀποδῷς τὸν ἔσχατον κοδράντην
NAS: until you have paid up the last cent.
KJV: thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
INT: you pay the last kodranten

Matthew 12:45 Adj-NNP
GRK: γίνεται τὰ ἔσχατα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
NAS: there; and the last state of that man
KJV: and the last [state] of that
INT: becomes the last the man

Matthew 19:30 Adj-NMP
GRK: ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καὶ ἔσχατοι
NAS: [who are] first will be last; and [the] last,
KJV: shall be last; and
INT: will be first last and last

Matthew 19:30 Adj-NMP
GRK: ἔσχατοι καὶ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι
NAS: will be last; and [the] last, first.
KJV: last; and the last [shall be] first.
INT: last and last first

Matthew 20:8 Adj-GMP
GRK: ἀπὸ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἕως τῶν
NAS: beginning with the last [group] to the first.'
KJV: from the last unto
INT: from the last unto the

Matthew 20:12 Adj-NMP
GRK: Οὗτοι οἱ ἔσχατοι μίαν ὥραν
NAS: These last men have worked
KJV: These last have wrought
INT: These the last one hour

Matthew 20:14 Adj-DMS
GRK: τούτῳ τῷ ἐσχάτῳ δοῦναι ὡς
NAS: to this last man the same
KJV: give unto this last, even as
INT: to this last give as

Matthew 20:16 Adj-NMP
GRK: ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι καὶ
NAS: So the last shall be first,
KJV: So the last shall be first,
INT: will be the last first and

Matthew 20:16 Adj-NMP
GRK: οἱ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι πολλοὶ γὰρ
NAS: shall be first, and the first last.
KJV: and the first last: for many
INT: the first last many indeed

Matthew 27:64 Adj-NFS
GRK: ἔσται ἡ ἐσχάτη πλάνη χείρων
NAS: from the dead,' and the last deception
KJV: the dead: so the last error shall be
INT: will be the last deception worse

Mark 9:35 Adj-NMS
GRK: ἔσται πάντων ἔσχατος καὶ πάντων
NAS: to be first, he shall be last of all
KJV: [the same] shall be last of all,
INT: he will be of all last and of all

Mark 10:31 Adj-NMP
GRK: ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καὶ οἱ
NAS: [who are] first will be last, and the last,
KJV: shall be last; and
INT: will be first last and the

Mark 10:31 Adj-NMP
GRK: καὶ οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι
NAS: will be last, and the last, first.
KJV: last; and the last first.
INT: and the last first

Mark 12:6 Adj-AMS
GRK: ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὸν ἔσχατον πρὸς αὐτοὺς
NAS: he sent him last [of all] to them, saying,
KJV: him also last unto them,
INT: he sent him last to them

Mark 12:22 Adj-ANS
GRK: ἀφῆκαν σπέρμα ἔσχατον πάντων καὶ
NAS: no children. Last of all the woman
KJV: no seed: last of all the woman
INT: left seed last of all also

Luke 11:26 Adj-NNP
GRK: γίνεται τὰ ἔσχατα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
NAS: there; and the last state of that man
KJV: and the last [state] of that
INT: becomes the last of the man

Luke 12:59 Adj-ANS
GRK: καὶ τὸ ἔσχατον λεπτὸν ἀποδῷς
NAS: you have paid the very last cent.
KJV: thou hast paid the very last mite.
INT: even the last lepton you shall have paid

Luke 13:30 Adj-NMP
GRK: ἰδοὺ εἰσὶν ἔσχατοι οἳ ἔσονται
NAS: And behold, [some] are last who
KJV: behold, there are last which shall be
INT: Behold there are last who will be

Luke 13:30 Adj-NMP
GRK: οἳ ἔσονται ἔσχατοι
NAS: who will be last.
KJV: which shall be last.
INT: who will be last

Luke 14:9 Adj-AMS
GRK: αἰσχύνης τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον κατέχειν
NAS: you proceed to occupy the last place.
KJV: shame to take the lowest room.
INT: shame the last place to take

Luke 14:10 Adj-AMS
GRK: εἰς τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον ἵνα
NAS: go and recline at the last place, so
KJV: and sit down in the lowest room; that
INT: in the last place that

John 6:39 Adj-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: but raise it up on the last day.
KJV: up again at the last day.
INT: at the last day

John 6:40 Adj-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: will raise him up on the last day.
KJV: him up at the last day.
INT: at the last day

John 6:44 Adj-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
KJV: him up at the last day.
INT: at the last day

John 6:54 Adj-DFS
GRK: αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: and I will raise him up on the last day.
KJV: him up at the last day.
INT: him in the last day

Strong's Greek 2078
53 Occurrences


ἔσχατα — 4 Occ.
ἐσχάταις — 3 Occ.
ἐσχάτας — 1 Occ.
ἐσχάτη — 11 Occ.
ἐσχάτῳ — 2 Occ.
ἐσχάτων — 3 Occ.
ἔσχατοι — 9 Occ.
ἔσχατον — 7 Occ.
ἔσχατος — 7 Occ.
ἐσχάτου — 5 Occ.
ἐσχάτους — 1 Occ.

2077
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