ἔσχᾰτος G2078
Last, final, furthest; pertaining to the end of a sequence in time or the extremity of space.
Derived from a root meaning 'out of' or 'outmost,' this adjective marks the terminal point of any sequence -- whether temporal or spatial. In the New Testament its overwhelmingly temporal use gives it profound eschatological weight: 'the last days' (Acts 2:17), 'the last trumpet' (1 Cor 15:52), 'the last enemy' (1 Cor 15:26). Jesus' saying 'the last shall be first' (Matt 19:30) upends social expectations using the ordinal sense. The rare spatial use -- 'to the ends of the earth' (Acts 1:8) -- echoes Isaiah 49:6 and maps the geographical scope of the gospel mission.
Senses
1. last, final (temporal/ordinal) — Last or final in a temporal or ordinal sequence, describing the concluding point of a series. This dominant sense (52x) covers eschatological phrases like 'last days' (Acts 2:17, 2 Tim 3:1), 'last trumpet' (1 Cor 15:52), and the morally loaded 'last state' of a person (Matt 12:45, 2 Pet 2:20). Spanish 'último/última,' French 'dernier,' and German 'letzter' all consistently render the temporal sense. Jesus' reversals in Matt 19:30 and 20:16 play on ordinal ranking. 52×
AR["آخِرًا", "آخِرَ", "آخِرَةِ", "آخِرُ", "أَخيرًا", "أَخِيرِ", "الأَخِيرَ", "الأَخِيرَةِ", "الأَخِيرِ", "الْآخِرَ", "الْأَخِيرَةُ"]·ben["শেষ", "শেষে"]·DE["letzter"]·EN["last"]·FR["dernier"]·heb["אַחֲרוֹן", "אַחֲרוֹנִים", "אַחֲרוֹנָה", "הָאַחֲרוֹן", "כֻלָּם"]·HI["अंतिम", "अन्त-में", "अन्तिम", "उंडेलूँगा", "सबसे-अंत-में"]·ID["Terakhir", "terakhir"]·IT["ultimo"]·jav["-pungkasan", "ingkang-pungkasan", "pungkasan"]·KO["마지막", "마지막으로", "말씀된-것"]·PT["por-último", "Último", "última", "último", "últimos"]·RU["последнее", "последней", "последний", "последним", "последних", "последную"]·ES["última", "último", "últimos"]·SW["mwisho", "mwisho-wa", "siku-ya-mwisho", "wa-mwisho", "ya-mwisho", "za-mwisho"]·TR["o-", "son", "sonuncu", "sonuncusu"]·urd["-ال", "آخر", "آخر-میں", "آخری", "دن"]
Matt 5:26, Matt 19:30, Matt 19:30, Matt 20:8, Matt 20:12, Matt 20:16, Matt 20:16, Matt 27:64, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:31, Mark 10:31, Mark 12:6 (+38 more)
2. end, extremity (spatial) — The farthest point or outermost extremity in space, referring to the end or edge of the earth. Only two occurrences (Acts 1:8 and 13:47), both quoting or echoing Isaiah, use the spatial sense: 'to the end (eschaton) of the earth.' Spanish 'fin' and the phrase 'lo último' distinguish this from the temporal 'último.' This geographic sense recalls the Homeric use of the word for the most distant peoples and places, here reapplied to the universal scope of the gospel. 2×
AR["أَقصَى", "أَقْصَى"]·ben["শেষ"]·DE["letzter"]·EN["end"]·FR["dernier"]·heb["קְצֵה"]·HI["छोर-के"]·ID["ujung"]·IT["ultimo"]·jav["pungkasan"]·KO["끝", "땅-의"]·PT["confins", "o-extremo"]·RU["края"]·ES["fin", "lo-último"]·SW["mwisho", "mwisho-wa"]·TR["-o", "en-sonuna"]·urd["آخری", "کناروں"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἔσχᾰτος, η, ον, also ος, ον Refs 4th c.BC+(probably from ἐκ, ἐξ, perhaps eĝhzκατος (compare ἐχθός) like{ἔγ-κατα}): __I of Space, as always in Refs 8th c.BC+, farthest, uttermost, extreme, θάλαμος ἔ. the hindmost chamber, Refs 8th c.BC+at the end of the lines, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἔσχατοι ἀνδρῶν, of the Aethiopians, Refs 8th c.BC+; τάξις ἐ. the farthest part of the army, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐξ ἐσχάτων ἐς…