ἔσωθεν G2081
from within, inside, inwardly — adverb of interior location or source of motion from the interior
Esothen is a spatial adverb formed from eso ('within') plus the suffix -then indicating origin or location. Its 12 NT occurrences move fluidly between literal and figurative interiority. Jesus uses it to devastating rhetorical effect in his woes against the Pharisees: their cups and tombs may look clean outside, but esothen they overflow with greed and hypocrisy (Matt 23:25, 27). Mark 7:21-23 locates the source of moral defilement esothen, 'from within' the human heart. Revelation 4:8 and 5:1 apply it physically — eyes covering the living creatures 'inside,' and writing on a scroll 'within.' The multilingual renderings — Spanish 'de dentro,' French 'de l'interieur,' German 'von innen' — uniformly mark interior source or location.
Senses
1. from within, inside, inwardly — An adverb indicating either location inside something or motion originating from the interior. Used physically for the inside of objects (Matt 23:25, the inside of the cup; Rev 5:1, a scroll written inside) and metaphorically for the inner life of a person (Mark 7:21, evil thoughts come 'from within'; Matt 23:27-28, inward corruption behind outward beauty). The word appears prominently in Jesus's contrast between external religious appearance and internal moral reality. Spanish 'de dentro/de adentro' and German 'von innen/innerhalb' consistently capture both the locative and ablative senses. All 12 occurrences serve this single spatial-to-moral semantic range. 12×
AR["داخِلَ", "داخِلُكُمْ", "داخِلُهُما", "مِن-داخِلٍ", "مِنَ-الدّاخِلِ", "مِنْ-داخِلٍ", "مِنْ-دَاخِلٍ"]·ben["ভিতর-থেকে", "ভিতরে", "ভেতর-থেকে", "ভেতরে", "ভেতরে-"]·DE["innerhalb", "von-innen"]·EN["from-within", "inside", "inwardly", "within"]·FR["de-l'intérieur", "intérieurement"]·heb["הַפְּנִים", "מִ-בִּפְנִים", "מִ-פְּנִים", "מִבִּפְנִים"]·HI["अन्दर", "अन्दर-से", "और", "जाति-से", "भीतर", "भीतर-से"]·ID["bagian-dalam", "dalam", "dari-dalam", "di-dalam"]·IT["dal-di-dentro", "dall'-interno", "esōthen"]·jav["Saking-lebet", "ing-lebet", "ing-lebetipun", "nanging-ing-nglebet", "nglebet", "saking-lebet"]·KO["안-에", "안-에서", "안에서", "안으로는", "안은", "안을"]·PT["de-dentro", "interiormente", "por-dentro"]·RU["внутреннее", "внутри", "изнутри"]·ES["de-adentro", "de-dentro", "desde-dentro", "por-dentro", "por‒dentro"]·SW["Kutoka-ndani", "kutoka-ndani", "lakini", "ndani"]·TR["dolu", "içeriden", "içi", "içinde", "içini", "içiniz", "içten", "savaşlar"]·urd["اندر", "اندر-سے"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἔσωθεν (εἴσωθεν only in Refs 5th c.BC+, rarely ἔσωθε Refs 5th c.BC+: adverb: from within, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 within, inside, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἔσωθε ναοῦ Refs