The Greek verb emeō means to vomit or spit out. In its single New Testament appearance, it is used with shocking force to describe God's response to spiritual lukewarmness in the church at Laodicea — perhaps the most viscerally memorable metaphor in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 3:16 delivers the Laodicean verdict: 'Because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out (emeō) of my mouth.' The word is deliberately repulsive: the God of the universe responding to religious mediocrity with a gag reflex. Laodicea was famous for its tepid, mineral-laden water piped from a distance — it arrived at body temperature, fit neither for the therapeutic heat of hot springs nor the refreshing cold of pure mountain water. Spiritually, lukewarmness is not a mild failing but an offense to the God who gave everything. The call to be 'hot' is a call to wholehearted, fervent devotion.