ξένος G3581
stranger, foreigner (person); strange, foreign (qualitative adjective); host (one who receives strangers)
1. stranger, foreigner (person) — The substantivized adjective xenos used to denote a stranger, foreigner, or alien—someone who is not a member of the local community or nation. Covers both the plural forms (ξένοι/ξένους, 'strangers') used of foreigners as a class (Matt 27:7 'burial place for strangers'; Acts 17:21 'foreigners residing'; Eph 2:12, 19 'strangers to the covenants/no longer strangers'; Heb 11:13 'strangers and pilgrims'; 3 John 1:5 'strangers') and the singular forms (ξένος/ξένον) in Jesus' parable of the sheep and goats (Matt 25:35, 38, 43, 44 'I was a stranger and you took me in'). Also includes the genitive plural neuter Ξένων ('of foreign things/deities,' Acts 17:18). Hebrew consistently zārīm ('strangers/foreigners') or nokhrī ('foreigner'). Arabic ghuraba', Spanish extranjeros/forastero. 11×
AR["الْغُرَبَاءِ","غَريبَةٍ","غَرِيبًا","غُرَباءَ","غُرَباءُ","غُرَبَاء"]·ben["অপরিচিত","অপরিচিতদের","বিদেশী","বিদেশীদের","বিদেশীরা"]·DE["Fremder","Fremdlinge"]·EN["Of-foreign","a-stranger","strangers"]·FR["étranger"]·heb["זָרִים","נָכְרִי","שֶׁל-"]·HI["अजनबियों;","परदेशियों","परदेशी","परदेसि","पराए","विदेशी"]·ID["Asing","orang-asing","orang-orang-asing"]·IT["straniero"]·jav["Asing","tamu","tiyang-manca","tiyang-manca."]·KO["나그네-인-것-을","나그네들-에게","나그네였다","나그네이고","난객들","낯선-자들","외국인들은","이상한"]·PT["estrangeiro","estrangeiros","para-estrangeiros;"]·RU["Чужих","иностранцы","странникам","странников","странником","чужеземцы","чужие"]·ES["De-extranjeros","extranjeros","extraños","forastero"]·SW["Wa-geni","mgeni","wageni"]·TR["Yabancı","ve-","yabancı","yabancılar","yabancılara","yabancılara;"]·urd["اجنبی","اجنبیوں؛","پردیسیوں-کو"]
Matt 25:35, Matt 25:38, Matt 25:43, Matt 25:44, Matt 27:7, Acts 17:18, Acts 17:21, Eph 2:12, Eph 2:19, Heb 11:13, 3 John 1:5
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. strange, foreign (qualitative adjective) — The purely adjectival use of xenos meaning 'strange,' 'foreign,' or 'unfamiliar' when modifying abstract nouns rather than referring to persons. Found in Heb 13:9 (ξέναις διδαχαῖς, 'strange teachings') and 1 Pet 4:12 (ξένου, 'strange thing'—do not be surprised as though something strange were happening). Hebrew zārōt/zār ('foreign/strange'), Arabic gharībah, Korean isanghan ('strange'), Spanish extrañas/cosa extraña. This adjectival sense describes the quality of being alien or unfamiliar applied to ideas, events, or doctrines rather than to people, distinguishing it from the substantival 'stranger/foreigner' sense. 2×
AR["غَريبًا","غَرِيبَة"]·ben["অদ্ভুত","বিচিত্র"]·DE["Fremdlinge"]·EN["strange","strange-thing"]·FR["étranger"]·heb["זָר","זָרוֹת"]·HI["अजीब-से","अनोखी"]·ID["asing","asing,"]·IT["straniero"]·jav["aneh","asing"]·KO["이상한"]·PT["coisa-estranha","estranhas"]·RU["странному","чуждыми"]·ES["cosa-extraña","extrañas"]·SW["jambo-geni","mageni,"]·TR["tuhaf-bir-şey","yabancı"]·urd["اجنبی"]
3. host (one who receives strangers) — A specialized reciprocal sense of xenos meaning 'host'—the one who receives and entertains strangers, the opposite pole of the guest-host relationship inherent in the Greek concept of xenia. Attested in Rom 16:23 where Paul describes Gaius as 'my host and of the whole church.' Arabic muḍīf ('host'), Hebrew makhnīs-orchīm ('one who brings in guests'), Hindi atithi-satkārī ('guest-honorer'), Korean juin ('master/host'), Spanish hospedador. This is a well-attested semantic development in Classical Greek where xenos denotes both parties in the reciprocal hospitality bond, making this a genuinely distinct sense from 'stranger.' 1×
AR["مُضِيفُ"]·ben["অতিথিসত্কারকারী"]·DE["Fremdlinge"]·EN["host"]·FR["étranger"]·heb["מַכְנִיס-אוֹרְחִים"]·HI["अतिथि-सत्कारी"]·ID["tuan-rumah"]·IT["straniero"]·jav["tuan-rumah"]·KO["주인-이"]·PT["hospedeiro"]·RU["мой"]·ES["hospedador"]·SW["mwenyeji"]·TR["ev-sahibim"]·urd["میزبان"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ξένος, ὁ, Epic dialect and Ionic dialect ξεῖνος (also frequently in Refs 5th c.BC+, used by Trag. for the sake of meter even in trimeter, mostly in vocative, Refs 5th c.BC+, Aeolic dialect ξέννος Refs; scanned ¯ ?~X and written ξεῖνος in Refs 3rd c.BC+. __I guest-friend, applied to persons and states bound by a treaty or tie of hospitality, Refs 8th c.BC+ __I.2 of parties giving or receiving…