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G1562 · Greek · New Testament
ἐκδύω
Ekduō
Verb
To Strip Off; To Undress; To Remove

Definition

The Greek ekduō means to strip off clothing — to undress someone or remove what covers them. The word appears in the crucifixion accounts where soldiers strip Jesus of His garments before the crucifixion (Matthew 27:28, 31; Mark 15:20). Paul uses the concept in 2 Corinthians 5:4 — the believer does not want to be 'unclothed' (ekdusasthai) at death but to put on the resurrection body over the mortal.

Usage & Theological Significance

The stripping of Jesus' garments at Golgotha fulfills Psalm 22:18 ('They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment'). The soldiers who stripped Him intended humiliation; God intended the fulfillment of prophecy. The body that was stripped and exposed in death would be clothed in resurrection glory. Paul's meditation on ekduō in 2 Corinthians 5 shows the believer's hope: not naked death but resurrection-clothed transformation — the mortal swallowed up by life.

Key Bible Verses

Matthew 27:28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.
Matthew 27:31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him.
2 Corinthians 5:4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling.
Psalm 22:18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.
Luke 10:30 In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.'

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