ξένοςxénos
foreign (literally, alien, or figuratively, novel); by implication, a guest or (vice-versa) entertainer
Greek (New Testament) · G3581
Meanings
(a) foreign, alien: δαιμόνια, Acts 17:18; διδαχαί, Hebrews 13:9
(b) with genitive of thing, strange to, estranged from, ignorant of: Ephesians 2:12
(c) strange, unusual: 1 Peter 4:12.
As as a noun, ὁ ξ.
(a) a foreigner, stranger: Matthew 25:35, Matthew 25:38, Matthew 25:43, Matthew 25:44, Matthew 27:7, Acts 17:21, 3 John 1:5; ξένοι κ. τάροικοι (opposed to συμπολῖται, οίκεῖοι), Ephesians 2:19; ξ. καὶ παρεπίδημοι, Hebrews 11:13
(b) one of the parties bound by ties of hospitality
α the guest
β the host (= ξενοδόκος, Hom., Il., xv, 532): Romans 16:23.
Same root
Where it appears
Appears 14 times in the Bible.
- Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
- Matthew 25:38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?
- Matthew 25:43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
- Matthew 25:44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
- Matthew 27:7 After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners.
- Acts 17:18 He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”
Source: G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), public domain.