διασπείρω
diaspeirō
to scatter
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word διασπείρω (diaspeirō) means "to scatter". This verb is rooted in the semantic domain of Movement & Travel, indicating a dispersal or spreading out of people, objects, or ideas. In the three instances where this word appears in the Bible, it is used to convey a sense of separation or dispersal. The range of usage for διασπείρω is quite broad, encompassing both physical and metaphorical scattering. For example, it can describe the physical dispersal of people, such as the scattering of a crowd or the dispersal of a group of people. Alternatively, it can be used metaphorically to describe the scattering of one's thoughts or emotions. The significance of διασπείρω lies in its ability to convey a sense of separation and dispersal, which can have both positive and negative connotations. On one hand, it can suggest a sense of freedom and release, as when people are scattered and able to move freely. On the other hand, it can also imply a sense of disconnection and isolation, as when people are scattered and unable to come together.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences across the text
Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.
Acts 8:4Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.
Acts 11:19They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only.