verb
ekstēamō
Strong’sG1839
I astonish, am astonished
stem ekstē-17 times in the New Testamentin 5 of 27 books8 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
ἐξίστημι has a causal sense, "to put out of its place," used of a person's mind: to confound, astound, or amaze someone 13. Strong's likewise gives astound as the active sense 2, and Dodson's gloss "I astonish" reflects this 4.
The verb is also used intransitively (in the passive/middle), where it covers two related but distinct meanings actually found in the Bible: to be amazed or astonished 134, and to be beside oneself, out of one's mind, mad 123. Strong's notes that this second sense can shade into being "bewitched" 2.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
† ἐξ-ίστημι (also in Hellenistic -ιστάνω, Ac 8:9),
[in LXX forחרד , etc. (29 words in all);],
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1839 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidex-is'-tay-mee
to put (stand) out of wits, i.e. astound, or (reflexively) become astounded, insane
King Jamesamaze, be (make) astonished, be beside self (selves), bewitch, wonder.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
causal in present, imperfect, future, aorist 1:—displace: hence, change, alter utterly, τὰν φύσιν Refs 5th c.BC+
2 metaphorically, ἐξιστάναι τινὰ φρενῶν drive one out of his senses, Refs 5th c.BC+; simply ἐ. τινά drive one out of his senses, confound, amaze, Refs 5th c.BC+diverts the attention, Refs 4th c.BC+; excite,NT; τὸν λογισμόν, τὴν διάνοιαν, Refs 1st c.AD+
3 get rid of, dispose of the claims of a person, Refs 1st c.BC+
4 ἐξεστᾰκότα (ἐξεστηκότα codex): εἰς δίκην κεκληκότα, Refs 5th c.AD+
B intransitive in passive and middle, with aorist 2, perfect, and pluperfect active:
B.1 of Place, arise out of, become separated, ἐξ.. ἵστατο Νεῖκος Refs 5th c.BC+; stand aside from, ἐκστάντες τῆς ὁδοῦ out of the way, Refs 5th c.BC+; θάκων καὶ ὁδῶν ἐ. [τινί] stand out of the way forhim, make way for him, Refs 5th c.BC+: absolutely, in same sense, Refs 5th c.BC+is displaced, disordered, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.2 with accusative, shrink from, shun, νιν οὐκ ἂν ἐξέστην ὄκνῳ Refs 4th c.BC+
B.3 go out of joint, ἐ. ἰσχίον Refs 5th c.BC+
B.II with genitive of things, retire from, give up possession of, τῆς ἀρχῆς Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐκστῆναι τῆς οὐσίας, ἁπάντων τῶν ὄντων, become bankrupt, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.II.2 cease from, abandon, τῆς φιλίας, τῶν μαθημάτων, Refs 5th c.BC+; τῶν σπουδασμάτων Refs 5th c.BC+; τῶν πεπραγμένων, i.e. disown them, Refs 5th c.BC+; also ἐ. ἄθλου τινί, στρατηγίας τινί, abandon it in his favour, Refs 1st c.BC+
B.II.3 ἐκστῆναι πατρός lose one's father, give him up, Refs 5th c.BC+; καρδίας ἐξίσταμαι τὸ δρᾶν I depart from my heart's purpose, Refs 5th c.BC+; especially φρενῶν ἐκστῆναι lose one's senses. Refs 5th c.BC+: absolutely, to be out of one's wits, be distraught, ἐ. μελαγχολικῶς Refs 5th c.BC+; ταῖς διανοίαις Vett. Val.70.25; ἐξίστασθαι καὶ μαίνεσθαι πρὸς τὴν ὀσμήν Refs 4th c.BC+; of anger, εὐθέως ἐξστησόμενος Refs 1st c.BC+; to be astonished, amazed, NT; lose consciousness, of Sisera, LXX
B.II.4 ἐξίστασθαι τῆς αὑτοῦ ἰδέας depart from, degenerate from one's own nature, Refs 5th c.BC+; αἱ δημοκρατίαι ἐ. εἰς τὰς ἐναντίας πολιτείας degenerate into..,Refs 4th c.BC+changing its properties, turning, Refs 5th c.BC+; οἶνος ἐξεστηκώς or ἐξιστάμενος changed, sour wine, Refs 4th c.BC+; πρόσωπα ἐξεστηκότα disfigured faces, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.II.5 absolutely, change one's position, one's opinion, ἐγὼ μὲν ὁ αὐτός εἰμι καὶ οὐκ ἐξίσταμαι Refs 5th c.BC+
B.II.6 of language, to be removed from common usage, Refs
B.III stand out, project, ἐξεστηκός convex, opposed to κοῖλον, Refs
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| ekstēoteἐξίστατο | was happening · he/she/itimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | amazed | 1× |
| ekstēoleἐξίσταντο | was happening · theyimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person plural | amazed | 6× |
| ekstēataἐξέστη | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | out of … mind | 1× |
| ekstēanaἐξέστημεν | happened · weaorist active indicative 1st person plural | beside ourselves | 1× |
| ekstēalaἐξέστησαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | astonished | 5× |
| ekstēorōἐξίστασθαι | happening now · the “to …” formpresent middle or passive infinitive | amazed | 1× |
| ekstēarēἐξεστακέναι | has happened · the “to …” formperfect active infinitive | amazed | 1× |
| ekstēarōntosἐξιστάνων | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine | amazed | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 140, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 14 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ekstēamō | ekstēame | ekstēami | ekstēama | ekstēamē | ekstēamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | ekstēasō | ekstēase | ekstēasi | ekstēasa | ekstēasē | ekstēaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ekstēatō | ekstēate | ekstēati | ekstēata1×ἐξέστη | ekstēatē | ekstēatelē |
| we 1st person plural | ekstēanō | ekstēane | ekstēani | ekstēana1×ἐξέστημεν | ekstēanē | ekstēanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ekstēavō | ekstēave | ekstēavi | ekstēava | ekstēavē | ekstēavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | ekstēalō | ekstēale | ekstēali | ekstēala5×ἐξέστησαν | ekstēalē | ekstēalelē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ekstēomō | ekstēome | ekstēomē | ekstēomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | ekstēosō | ekstēose | ekstēosē | ekstēoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ekstēotō | ekstēote1×ἐξίστατο | ekstēotē | ekstēotelē |
| we 1st person plural | ekstēonō | ekstēone | ekstēonē | ekstēonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ekstēovō | ekstēove | ekstēovē | ekstēovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | ekstēolō | ekstēole6×ἐξίσταντο | ekstēolē | ekstēolelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ekstēameiō | ekstēameia | ekstēameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | ekstēaseiō | ekstēaseia | ekstēaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ekstēateiō | ekstēateia | ekstēateiē |
| we 1st person plural | ekstēaneiō | ekstēaneia | ekstēaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ekstēaveiō | ekstēaveia | ekstēaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | ekstēaleiō | ekstēaleia | ekstēaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ekstēomeiō | ekstēomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | ekstēoseiō | ekstēoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ekstēoteiō | ekstēoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | ekstēoneiō | ekstēoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | ekstēoveiō | ekstēoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | ekstēoleiō | ekstēoleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | ekstēasōr | ekstēasar | ekstēasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ekstēatōr | ekstēatar | ekstēatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | ekstēavōr | ekstēavar | ekstēavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | ekstēalōr | ekstēalar | ekstēalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | ekstēosōr | ekstēosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ekstēotōr | ekstēotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | ekstēovōr | ekstēovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | ekstēolōr | ekstēolēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ekstēamoiō | ekstēamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | ekstēasoiō | ekstēasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ekstēatoiō | ekstēatoia |
| we 1st person plural | ekstēanoiō | ekstēanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | ekstēavoiō | ekstēavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | ekstēaloiō | ekstēaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | ekstēomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | ekstēosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | ekstēotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | ekstēonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | ekstēovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | ekstēoloiō |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 2 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | ekstēarō | ekstēari | ekstēara | ekstēarē1×ἐξεστακέναι |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | ekstēorō1×ἐξίστασθαι | ekstēorē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 1 occurrence
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | ekstēarōntos1×ἐξιστάνων | ekstēarintos | ekstēarantos | ekstēarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | ekstēorōntos | ekstēorēntos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
ekstē is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
17 occurrences, every one of them listed
ekstēote“amazed”was happening · he/she/itimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
Acts 8:13“amazed”… tē sēmeim kai dunamiain megain genorōntain ekstēote.… Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.
ekstēole“amazed”was happening · theyimperfect middle or passive indicative 3rd person plural6×
Matthew 12:23“amazed”kai ekstēole pantois tois ochlois kai legale; Mēti …The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could …
Mark 6:51… kai liōs ek perisseu en heautoi ekstēole,… down. And the disciples were utterly astounded,
Luke 2:47“amazed”ekstēole de pantois tois akouarōntois autou epi …And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding …
Acts 2:7ekstēole de kai thaumazale legarōntois; Ouk idou …Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are not all these …
Acts 2:12“amazed”ekstēole de pantois kai diaporale, allosos pros …Astounded and perplexed, they asked one another, “What …
Acts 9:21“amazed”ekstēole de pantois tois akouarōntois kai legale; …All who heard him were astounded and asked, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those who call on this name? And hasn’t he …
ekstēata“out of … mind”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Mark 3:21… exerchala kratara auton, legale gar hoti ekstēata.… custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
ekstēana“beside ourselves”happened · weaorist active indicative 1st person plural1×
2 Corinthians 5:13“beside ourselves”eite gar ekstēana, theo; eite sōfronanō, vi.If we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
ekstēala“astonished”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural5×
Mark 5:42“astonished”… peripatate, ate gar eteiu dōdeka. kai ekstēala euthuos ekstasia mega.… began to walk around (she was twelve years old). And …
Luke 8:56“astonished”kai ekstēala tois gonevois autau; tos de parangelata …Her parents were astounded, but Jesus ordered them not …
Luke 24:22“amazed”alla kai gunaikais tinais ek nu ekstēala nin, generantais orthrinais epi tem mnēmeiemFurthermore, some of our women astounded us. They were at the tomb early this …
Acts 10:45“astonished”kai ekstēala tois ek peritomau pistois hosois sunerchala …All the circumcised believers who had accompanied …
Acts 12:16“amazed”… krouarōntos; anoigarantois de horala auton kai ekstēala.… kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were …
ekstēorō“amazed”happening now · the “to …” formpresent middle or passive infinitive1×
Mark 2:12“amazed”… ton krabatton exerchata emprosthen pantoiu, hōste ekstēorō pantoin kai doxazarō ton theon legarōntoin …And immediately the man got up, picked up his mat, and walked out in front of them all. As a result, they were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have …
ekstēarē“amazed”has happened · the “to …” formperfect active infinitive1×
Acts 8:11“amazed”… dia tem hikano chrono tai mageiai ekstēarē autoin.… to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his …
ekstēarōntos“amazed”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine1×
Acts 8:9“amazed”… prouparchate en ta pola mageuarōntos kai ekstēarōntos tem ethnem tau Samareiau, legarōntos arō …… Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed …