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G1821 · Greek · New Testament
ἐξαποστέλλω
exapostellō
Verb
to send away, to send out (with authority), to dispatch

Definition

Exapostellō (ἐξαποστέλλω) means to send forth — a compound of ex (out from) + apo (away from) + stellō (to send/equip). It carries the sense of authoritative dispatch — sending on a mission. Galatians 4:4 uses it for God's sending of the Son; 4:6 for sending the Spirit.

Usage & Theological Significance

Galatians 4:4-6 contains two of the most concentrated exapostellō usages: "God sent [exapostellō] his Son" and "God sent [exapostellō] the Spirit of his Son." The double sending — Son and Spirit — is the structure of salvation: the Son accomplishes redemption, the Spirit applies it. Both are divine missions, both originating "from" (ex) God. This passage is one of the NT's clearest Trinitarian structures. The verb insists on both distinction (the Sent is not the Sender) and unity (the Sender authorizes and identifies with the Sent).

Key Verses

Galatians 4:4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent [exapostellō] his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.
Galatians 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent [exapostellō] the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
Luke 1:53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away [exapostellō] empty.
Acts 9:30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off [exapostellō] to Tarsus.
Luke 20:10-11 At harvest time he sent [exapostellō] a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.

Word Study

The Trinitarian pattern of exapostellō in Galatians 4 mirrors John's sending language: "As the Father has sent [apostellō] me, I am sending [apostellō] you" (John 20:21). Mission originates in the inner life of the Trinity — God's "sentness" is prior to the church's mission. The church's apostolicity is derivative: we are sent by the one who was sent by the one who sends.

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