through the region between Samaria and Galilee

διέρχομαι impf. διηρχόμην; fut. διελεύσομαι; 2 aor. διῆλθον; pf. διελήλυθα, διεληλυθώς, inf. διεληλυθέναι (Just., D. 86, 2 [on διέβην Gen. 32:11]), ptc. διεληλυθώς Hb 4:14 (Hom. et al.; ins, pap, LXX, TestSol; TestAbr A 10 p. 87, 28 [Stone p. 22]; TestJud 7:7; ParJer 7:13; GrBar.; ApcEsdr 2:18 p. 26, 10 Tdf.; EpArist 131; Philo, Joseph.).

① to move within or through an area, go (through)

ⓐ to travel or move about go about fr. place to place, spread δ. κατὰ τὰς κώμας go about among the villages Lk 9:6; Ac 10:38. W. ἐν (Sir 39:4; 1 Macc 3:8): ἐν οἷς διῆλθον κηρύσσων among whom I went about proclaiming Ac 20:25. Abs. διασπαρέντες διῆλθον they were scattered and went about fr. place to place 8:4; Paul at Athens 17:23. Fig. of a report διήρχετο μᾶλλον ὁ λόγος spread even farther Lk 5:15 (cp. Thu. 6, 46, 5; X., An. 1, 4, 7 διῆλθε λόγος; Jos., Vi. 182).—W. acc. of place (EpArist 301; Jos., Bell. 2, 67) an island Ac 13:6. τὰ ἀνωτερικὰ μέρη the interior 19:1; regions 20:2.

ⓑ of movement through someth. go through

α. w. the force of διά retained: go or travel through w. acc. of place names (Diod S 16, 44, 4 τὴν Συρίαν; Jos., Ant. 14, 40) Jericho Lk 19:1; Pisidia Ac 14:24; cp. 15:3, 41; 16:6; 18:23; 19:21; 1 Cor 16:5.—τοὺς οὐρανούς go through the heavens Hb 4:14. W. prep. δ. διά τινος go through someth. (Hdt. 6:31, 2 al.; Philo; SibOr 2, 253) through deserts (cp. Jos., Ant. 15, 200 τὴν ἄνυδρον δ.) Mt 12:43; Lk 11:24; through a gate Hs 9, 13, 6; διὰ μέσον Σαμαρίας καὶ Γαλιλαίας prob. through the region between Samaria and Galilee Lk 17:11 (s. διά B1) cp. J 4:4; through all the places Ac 9:32; through the sea 1 Cor 10:1; διʼ ὑμῶν εἰς Μακεδονίαν through your city to M. 2 Cor 1:16; through a person GJs 6:1 κοινὸν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον οὐκ εἴα διέρχεσθαι διʼ αὐτῆς (Anna) did not permit anything common or unclean to pass through (Mary) (of food, perh. also fig. of thoughts, cp. Mt 15:17f; Mk 7:19ff).

β. of movement toward a destination come, go: εἴς τινα of death: to all people Ro 5:12. εἴς τι (Jos., Ant. 14, 414) of journeys: go over, cross over εἰς τὸ πέραν to the other side Mk 4:35; Lk 8:22; cp. Ac 18:27. εἰς τὸ πεδίον go off into the country 1 Cl 4:6 (Gen 4:8). διέλθε̣[τε διὰ τῶν] ἀφανῶν κα[ὶ εἰ]ς τ̣ὸ̣ [τέλο]ς (or: τ̣ε̣[λο]ς) τῶν φαινο[μέ]νων come out of the realm of the latent and to the end of the things that are apparent: rev. of Ox 1081, 27–30 based on the Coptic of SJCh 90, 4–7 (Till). Also ἕως τινός (1 Macc 1:3): ἕως Βηθλέεμ to B. Lk 2:15; ἕως Φοινίκης Ac 11:19, 22 v.l.; ἕως ἡμῶν 9:38. ἐνθάδε come here J 4:15.—δ. ἀπὸ τῆς Πέργης they went on fr. Perga Ac 13:14. Abs. ἐκείνης (sc. ὁδοῦ) ἤμελλεν διέρχεσθαι he was to come through that way Lk 19:4; διερχόμενος as he went through Ac 8:40

② go through someth. in one’s mind, review (Hom. Hymn Ven. 276 δ. τι μετὰ φρεσί al.) τὰς γενεάς 1 Cl 7:5 (εἰς τ. γ. is read by some mss.).—διερχ[…] AcPl BMM verso 21.

③ to pass into or through an obstacle, penetrate. Of a sword (cp. Il. 20, 263; 23, 876; Jdth 6:6; 16:9) δ. τὴν ψυχήν pierces the soul Lk 2:35 (cp. SibOr 3, 316); pass a guard Ac 12:10; through a closed room διὰ τοῦ … κοιτῶνος AcPl Ha 5, 31 (restored); διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν through the midst of them Lk 4:30; J 8:59 v.l.; through a needle’s eye Mt 19:24; Mk 10:25; Lk 18:25 v.l.—Papias (3:2) ὥστε μηδὲ ὁπόθεν ἅμαξα ῥαδίως διέρχεται ἐκεῖνον δύνασθαι διέλθειν so that he (Judas) was not able to pass through where a wagon would have no difficulty—DELG s.v. ἔρχομαι. M-M. TW. Sv.

μέσος, η, ον (Hom.+). The distinction between ‘middle’ and ‘among’ for μ. is sometimes rather fluid, and some of the passages here cited may fit equally well under 1 or 2.

① pert. to a middle position spatially or temporally, middle, in the middle.

ⓐ as adj. (of intermediate terms: Pla., Rep. 330b, Pol. 303a) ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν ἀνήρ the man in their midst, apparently surrounded by them Hs 9, 12, 7. μέσης νυκτός at midnight (3 Km 3:20.—B-D-F §270, 2; Rob. 495; Lobeck, Phryn. p. 53; 54; 465) Mt 25:6. ἡμέρας μέσης at midday (Jos., Bell. 1, 651, Ant. 17, 155) Ac 26:13. εἰς μέσην τὴν οἰκοδομήν into the middle of the building Hs 9, 7, 5; cp. 9, 8, 2; 4; 6 (cp. Philo, Fuga 49 εἰς μέσον τὸν ποταμόν; Jos., Ant. 4, 80 εἰς μέσον τὸ πῦρ). ἐσταύρωσαν … μέσον τὸν Ἰησοῦν they crucified Jesus between (them) J 19:18. ἐσχίσθη τὸ καταπέτασμα μέσον the curtain was torn in two Lk 23:45 (cp. Artem. 4, 30 τὸ ἱμάτιον μέσον ἐρρωγέναι). ἐλάκησεν μέσος Ac 1:18 (cp. Aristoph., Ran. 955). ἐν μέσοις τοῖς ὀργάνοις τοῦ διαβόλου in the midst of the tools of the devil 2 Cl 18:2 (for the syntax cp. Gen 2:9 ἐν μέσῳ τῷ παραδείσῳ).

ⓑ as subst. neut. τὸ μ. the middle (on the absence of the art. s. B-D-F §264, 4; cp. Rob. 792) ἀνὰ μέσον τινός (s. ἀνά 1) ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ὁρίων within or through the region Mk 7:31. ἀνὰ μ. αὐτῶν between them GPt 4:10; Hs 9, 2, 3; 9, 15, 2. ἀνὰ μ. ἐκκλησίας ἁγίων B 6:16; 4:10; διακρῖναι ἀνὰ μ. τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ between one (congregation) member and another 1 Cor 6:5 (s. ἀνά 1b. Perh. μέσος prompted a shortening of the sentence tending to obscurity; cp. the Stoic expr. μέσα καθήκοντα = καθήκοντα ἃ ἐν μέσῳ ἐστὶ κατορθωμάτων κ. ἁμαρτημάτων: MPohlenz, D. Stoa II ’49, 73f). τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἀ. μ. τοῦ θρόνου the lamb who is (seated) on the center of the throne Rv 7:17. ἀνὰ μ. τῆς ὁδοῦ (they made) half their journey GJs 17:3.—διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν through the midst of them (X., An. 1, 4, 4; Aesop. Fab. 147 P.=247 H./201a Ch./152 [I, II] H-H.; Am 5:17; Jer 44:4; Jdth 11:19; 1 Macc 5:46; Ath. 18, 3 ‘between’) Lk 4:30; J 8:59 v.l. διὰ μέσον Σαμαρείας καὶ Γαλιλαίας Lk 17:11 prob. can only mean through Samaria and Galilee; but this raises a practical difficulty, since we should expect to find the provinces mentioned in the opposite order. Perh. the text is damaged (cp. the vv.ll. διὰ μέσου and μέσον; s. B-D-F §222; Rob. 648; JBlinzler, AWikenhauser Festschr. ’54, 46ff. If the v.l. διὰ μέσου Σ. καὶ Γ. should be correct, we could compare Maximus Tyr. 28, 4a διὰ μέσου πίστεως κ. ἀπιστίας=throughout between). For the view that μέσον signifies the area betw. S. and G. s. the comm. Cp. δια B1.—εἰς τὸ μέσον into the middle or center (X., Cyr. 3, 1, 6; Dio Chrys. 19 [36], 24; 3 Km 6:8; Jos., Ant. 9, 149) Mk 3:3; Lk 4:35; 5:19; 6:8; J 20:19, 26 (ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον as Vi. Aesopi G 82 P.); Hs 9, 8, 5; also in the middle 9, 6, 1. W. gen. (X., An. 1, 5; 14a; Jer 21:4; 48:7; Sb 6270, 13) εἰς τὸ μ. αὐτῶν in the midst of them 9, 11, 7. Without the art. (LXX; Jos., Vi. 334; SibOr 3, 674) εἰς μ. τοῦ πεδίου in the middle of the plain Hs 9, 2, 1 (εἰς μ.=‘in the middle’, as Ps.-Clem., Hom. 3, 30 p. 44, 21 Lag.). τί … τὸ ἔριον εἰς μ. τῶν ἀκανθῶν τιθέασιν; Why do they place the wool in the middle of the thorns? 7:11. ἀναστὰς εἰς μ. he arose (and came) forward Mk 14:60 (cp. Theocr. 22, 82 ἐς μέσον=into the middle; Himerius, Or. 63 [=Or. 17], 2 εἰς μέσον ἔρχεσθαι=come into the open; X., Cyr. 4, 1, 1 στὰς εἰς τὸ μ.).—ἐν τῷ μ. among, before (more closely defined by the context, or = in public [so Clearch., Fgm. 45 οἴκοι καὶ μὴ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ; Appian, Liby. 15 §63]) Mt 14:6 (Dio Chrys. 30 [79], 39 ὀρχεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ μέσω; Lucian, Pereg. 8) and into the middle, before (them) (Vi. Aesopi W c. 86 στὰς ἐν τῷ μέσῳ ἔφη) Ac 4:7. Without the art. (LXX) ἐν μέσῳ (on the spelling ἐμ μέσῳ, which occurs several times as v.l., s. B-D-F §19, 1; Mlt-H. 105) abs. into the middle, before (someone) (Appian, Hann. 16 §67, Liby. 14 §59; Jos., Ant. 7, 278) J 8:3; MPol 18:1 and in the middle (Pla., Rep. 558a; Herm. Wr. 4, 3; PLille 1 recto, 5 [259 B.C.]; GrBar 13:4) J 8:9. W. gen. of place (Aeneas Tact. 1529; 1532; TestAbr A 12 p. 90, 21 [Stone p. 28], B 8 p. 113, 3 [St. p. 74]; ParJer 1:2; GrBar 10:2) τῆς θαλάσσης (En 97:7) in the middle of the lake Mk 6:47. τῆς πλατείας through the middle of the street Rv 22:2. ἐν μ. τῆς αὐλῆς in the middle of the courtyard Lk 22:55a; τοῦ τάφου GPt 13:55. ἐν μ. αὐτῆς within it (the city of Jerusalem) Lk 21:21; cp. Dg 12:3; MPol 12:1; 12:2(?). ἐν μ. τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων on the center of the throne and among the four living creatures Rv 5:6a (w. double gen. also between: Appian, Hann. 14 §60, Bell. Civ. 5, 23 §92; Arrian, Anab. 1, 20, 2; 3, 28, 8 al.; Lucian, Fugit. 10 ἐν μ. ἀλαζονείας κ. φιλοσοφίας). ἐν μέσῳ τ. θρόνου around (on every side of) the throne 4:6 (but between the throne and a more remote point: RBrewer, JBL 71, ’52, 227–31).—ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας Hb 2:12 (Ps 21:23); cp. Ac 17:22. κατὰ μέσον (Jos., Bell. 5, 207; SibOr 3, 802 κατὰ μέσσον=‘in the middle’ [of the day]) κατὰ μ. τῆς νυκτός about midnight Ac 16:25 D; 27:27.

ⓒ The neut. μέσον serves as adv. (e.g., Appian, Bell. Civ. 3, 43 §175 μ.=meanwhile) ἦν μέσον ὡς he was in the center of it as MPol 15:2; and is used as prep. w. gen. (B-D-F §215, 3; Rob. 644. Cp. Hdt. 9, 107, 2; Polyb. 8, 25, 1; Epict. 2, 22, 10; LXX, TestSol; TestAbr A 4 p. 80, 31 [Stone p. 8]; JosAs 24:21; Jos., Ant. 6, 65; SibOr 3, 319) μ. τῆς θαλάσσης in the middle of the lake Mt 14:24 v.l.; μ. γενεᾶς σκολιᾶς in the midst of a crooked generation Phil 2:15 (cp. Maximus Tyr. 36, 5a ἐν μέσῳ τῷ σιδηρῷ τούτῳ γένει).

② pert. to a position within a group, without focus on mediate position, among.

ⓐ as adj. ἐκάθητο ὁ Πέτρος μέσος αὐτῶν Peter was sitting among them Lk 22:55 (the point being not as center of attention but inconspicuously in the group; cp. Jos., Ant. 9, 107). μέσος ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν J 1:26 (Jos., Ant. 14, 23). τοῦ πύργου μέσου Hs 9, 8, 2. εἶδον … μέσον αὐτῶν τὸν Παῦλον AcPl Ha 11, 14.

ⓑ as subst. neuter ἀνὰ μέσον τινός (s. ἀνά 1) among someth. Mt 13:25. W. gen. pl. (TestJob 32:6 ἐν μέσῳ τῶν τέκνων σου) in the midst of, among in answer to the questions where and whither (B-D-F §215, 3 app.) Mt 18:2, 20; Mk 9:36; Lk 2:46; 24:36; Ac 1:15; 2:22; 6:15 D; 27:21; Rv 5:6b; cp. 6:6. Of close personal relationship ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν among you = in communion with you Lk 22:27; 1 Th 2:7.—ἐν μ. λύκων among wolves Mt 10:16; Lk 10:3; 2 Cl 5:2.—W. gen. pl. of things (Alciphron 3, 24, 3) Lk 8:7; Rv 1:13; 2:1. ἐκ (τοῦ) μ. from among (X., An. 1, 5, 14b; oracular response in Diod S 9, 3, 2; LXX=מִתּוֹךְ): αἴρειν τι (or τινά) ἐκ (τοῦ) μέσου (τινῶν) Col 2:14; 1 Cor 5:2 (s. αἴρω 3). ἁρπάσαι αὐτὸν ἐκ μ. αὐτῶν Ac 23:10 (s. ἁρπάζω 2a). ἀφορίζειν τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκ μ. τῶν δικαίων Mt 13:49 (s. ἀφορίζω 1). γίνεσθαι ἐκ μ. 2 Th 2:7 (s. γίνομαι 6b). ἐξέρχεσθαι ἐκ μ. αὐτῶν from among them Ac 17:33; cp. 2 Cor 6:17 (cp. Is 52:11). κύριος λαμβάνει ἑαυτῷ ἔθνος ἐκ μ. ἐθνῶν 1 Cl 29:3 (cp. Dt 4:34).—B. 864. DELG. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.