ἀλλότριος G0245
Belonging to another, not one's own; a stranger or outsider; foreign, of another nation or land.
The Greek adjective allotrios draws a firm line between 'mine' and 'not mine,' covering possessions, persons, and places. In its most frequent use it describes things that belong to someone else — another's servant, another's foundation, another's labors (Rom 14:4; 15:20; 2 Cor 10:15-16). Used substantivally, it becomes 'the stranger' whom the sheep refuse to follow in Jesus' shepherd parable (John 10:5), and the outsiders contrasted with 'sons' in the temple-tax exchange (Matt 17:25-26). Spanish ajena/extranjero, French etranger, and German fremd each capture different slices of this range, but none perfectly mirrors the Greek word's ability to slide from 'another person's property' to 'a foreign land' (Acts 7:6; Heb 11:9) within the same root.
Senses
1. belonging to another, not one's own — Belonging to another person, not one's own — used as an attributive adjective for possessions, labors, servants, or foundations that pertain to someone else. Paul's refusal to build on 'another's foundation' (Rom 15:20) and his warning against meddling in 'another's sins' (1 Tim 5:22) exemplify this property-and-authority sense. Spanish ajeno, French d'autrui, and German fremd all converge on the 'not-mine' core. Luke 16:12 sharpens the contrast: if you are unfaithful with what is allotrios, who will give you what is your own? 7×
AR["آخَرينَ", "آخَرَ", "الآخَرينَ", "غَريبٍ", "غَرِيبًا", "غَرِيبٍ", "مَالِ-غَيْرِكُمْ"]·ben["অন্যের", "অন্যের;"]·DE["fremd", "ἀλλοτρίῳ"]·EN["another's", "of-another", "of-others", "others"]·FR["d'autrui", "étranger"]·heb["אֲחֵרִים", "אַחֵר", "זָר", "זָרוֹת", "שֶׁל-אַחֵר"]·HI["दुस्रोन-के", "दूसरे-की", "दूसरे-के", "दूसरे;", "दूसरों-के"]·ID["milik-orang-lain", "orang-lain", "yang-asing"]·IT["allotriais", "allotriō", "altrui"]·jav["sanès", "sanès;", "tiyang-sanès", "tiyang-sanès,"]·KO["남의", "남의-것에서", "다른", "다른-사람-의", "다른-자들-의;", "다른-자들의", "다른-자의"]·PT["alheia", "alheio", "alheios"]·RU["-чужое", "раба", "чужих", "чужой", "чужом"]·ES["ajena", "ajeno", "ajenos"]·SW["wa-mwingine", "ya-mwingine", "za-mwingine", "za-wengine"]·TR["başkalarının", "başkasının", "başkasınınkinde"]·urd["دوسروں-کے", "دوسروں-کے۔", "دوسرے-کی", "دوسرے-کے", "غیر-کے", "پرائے"]
2. stranger, unknown person — A stranger or unknown person — the substantivized form denoting someone outside the recognized community or relationship. In John 10:5 the sheep 'will not follow a stranger' (allotrios), contrasting the unrecognized voice with the shepherd's familiar call. In Matt 17:25-26 Jesus distinguishes sons from 'strangers' regarding the temple tax. Spanish extrano, French etranger, and German Fremder all deploy person-focused vocabulary here, confirming the shift from adjective to substantive identity marker. 4×
AR["الغُرَبَاءِ", "غَريب", "غُرَباء"]·ben["অন্যদের", "অপরদের", "অপরের"]·DE["fremd", "ἀλλοτρίων"]·EN["a-stranger", "strangers"]·FR["d'autrui"]·heb["זָּרִים", "זָרִים", "לְ-זָר"]·HI["परअयोन", "पराए-के-पीछे", "परायों"]·ID["orang-asing"]·IT["altrui"]·jav["manca,", "manca?", "tiyang-manca"]·KO["낯선-자들의", "낯선-자를", "외인들에게서"]·PT["a-estranho", "estranhos"]·RU["За-чужим", "чужих"]·ES["-a-extraño", "extraños"]·SW["mgeni", "wageni"]·TR["yabancılardan", "yabancıların", "yabancıyı"]·urd["غیر-کے", "غیروں", "پرائیوں"]
3. foreign, of another nation or land — Foreign in the geographic or national sense — of another country or people. Abraham sojourned in a 'foreign' land (Acts 7:6; Heb 11:9), and the faithful routed 'armies of foreigners' (Heb 11:34). Spanish extranjera, French etranger, and German fremd overlap with sense 2 in form but shift to territorial meaning: the land itself, not just the person, is allotrios. This geographic dimension echoes the classical Greek usage of the word for enemy territory or alien soil. 3×
AR["أَجْنَبِيَّة", "غَرِيبَة", "غَرِيبَةٍ"]·ben["অপরের", "বিদেশী", "বিদেশীদের"]·DE["fremd", "ἀλλοτρίᾳ"]·EN["foreign", "of-foreigners"]·FR["d'autrui", "étranger"]·heb["זָרִים", "נָכְרִיָּה"]·HI["पराई", "पराई,", "पराई।"]·ID["asing,", "asing.", "tanah-asing,"]·IT["allotrian", "allotriōn", "altrui"]·jav["manca,", "ngamanca", "tanah-ngamanca"]·KO["남-의", "남의", "남의-땅같이"]·PT["alheia", "estrangeira", "estrangeiros"]·RU["чужих", "чужой", "чужую"]·ES["ajena", "de-extranjeros", "extranjera"]·SW["ya-kigeni"]·TR["başkasının", "yabancı", "yabancıların"]·urd["غیر", "غیروں-کے", "پردیسی"]
Related Senses
H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)G2453 1. Jewish person, Jew (194×)H4150 1. meeting (tent of meeting) (151×)G2992 1. people/nation (an ethnic or political community) (142×)G4862 1. (129×)G1484 1. Gentiles, non-Jewish nations (128×)H1471a 2. nation, people-group (singular) (98×)H3162b 1. together (97×)H1616 1. sojourner, resident alien (92×)H0567 1. Amorite (people group) (87×)H3064 1. Jew, Jewish person (81×)H3669a 1. Canaanite (ethnic designation) (70×)G1122 1. scribe / expert in the Law (63×)H2114a 1. stranger, foreigner (person) (54×)H5608b 1. scribe, royal secretary (48×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀλλότριος, Aeolic dialect ἀλλότερρος Refs, α, ον, (ἄλλος) of or belonging to another, βίοτος, νηῦς, ἄχεα, Refs 8th c.BC+; γυνή another man's wife, Refs 4th c.BC+; ἀλλοτρίων χαρίσασθαι to be bountiful of what is another's, Refs 8th c.BC+; γναθμοῖσι γελοίων ἀλλοτρίοισιν with faces unlike their own, of a forced, unnatural laugh, Refs; ἀ. ὄμμασιν εἷρπον by the help of another's eyes, Refs 5th c.BC+;…