by the roadside

ὁδός, οῦ, ἡ (Hom.+) gener. an established ‘way’ or ‘course’ such as a road or channel of a river.

① a way for traveling or moving from one place to another, way, road, highway, used by pers. or impers. entities: Mt 2:12; 21:8ab; Mk 11:8; Lk 3:5 (Is 40:4 v.l.); 19:36 al.; ἑτέρα ὁδ. Js 2:25. ἡ ὁδ. ἡ Καμπανή=Lat. Via Campana the Campanian Way Hv 4, 1, 2 (s. MDibelius, Hdb. ad loc.; Hülsen, Pauly-W. III 1434); described as ἡ ὁδ. ἡ δημοσία the public highway ibid. (s. δημόσιος 1). τὴν βασιλικήν AcPl Ant 13 (τὴν β. ὁδόν Aa I 237, 4). ἡ ὁδ. ἡ καταβαίνουσα ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλὴμ εἰς Γάζαν Ac 8:26. παρέρχεσθαι διὰ τῆς ὁδ. pass by (a certain place) on the road Mt 8:28 (on διὰ τ. ὁδ. cp. Philo, Abr. 269; ParJer 3:21). πίπτειν εἰς τὴν ὁδ. fall on the road Hv 3, 7, 1a. ἔρχεσθαι εἰς τὴν ὁδ., μένειν ἐν τῇ ὁδ. v 3, 2, 9a. κυλίεσθαι ἐκ τῆς ὁδ. roll off the road 3, 2, 9b and 3, 7, 1b. Of a fig tree ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ by the roadside Mt 21:19. Of beggars καθῆσθαι παρὰ τὴν ὁδ. sit by the roadside 20:30; Mk 10:46; Lk 18:35 (Stephan. Byz. s.v. Εὔτρησις: κώμη … κεῖται παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν), but along the way also merits attention (cp. παρὰ τὰς ὁδούς Antig. Car. 29). Of seed that is sown πίπτειν παρὰ τὴν ὁδ. fall along the road (Dalman, PJ 22, 1926, 121ff) Mt 13:4; Mk 4:4; Lk 8:5; cp. Mt 13:19; Mk 4:15; Lk 8:12. ἐξέρχεσθαι εἰς τὰς ὁδ. go out into the streets Mt 22:10; Lk 14:23; for διεξόδους τῶν ὁδ. Mt 22:9 s. διέξοδος; καταβαίνειν ἐν τῇ ὁδ. go down the road Lk 10:31. πορεύεσθαι κατὰ τὴν ὁδ. go on along the highway Ac 8:36. AcPl Ant 13, 20 (sc. ὁδόν after AcPlTh 3=Aa I 237, 4). ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ᾗ ἤρχου (by attraction for ἣν ἤρ.; X., An. 2, 2, 10) 9:17. ἑτοιμάζειν τὴν ὁδ. τινος prepare someone’s way Mt 3:3; Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4 (all after Is 40:3); cp. Lk 1:76 and for the pass. Rv 16:12. Also κατασκευάζειν τὴν ὁδ. τινος Mt 11:10; Mk 1:2; Lk 7:27. εὐθύνειν τὴν ὁδ. τινος J 1:23. κατευθύνειν τὴν ὁδ. τινος 1 Th 3:11 (PsSol 8:6).—W. obj. gen. to indicate direction (Gen 3:24) Mt 10:5 (s. 3a below); Hb 9:8.—The acc. ὁδόν, following the Hebr.דֶּרֶךְ, and contrary to customary Gk. usage (but single cases of ὁδός take on the functions of adverbs or prepositions in the Gk. language as well: cp. Diog. L. 7, 156; Synes., Providence 1, 8 ὁδῷ βαδίζειν=‘go straight forward’; Appian, Hann. 47 §201 ὁδὸν ἐλάσσονα by a shorter [or the shortest] way; Plut., Mor. 371c.—The nearest parallel to the NT usage cited below would be the report of Diog. L. 9, 8 concerning Heraclitus: τὴν μεταβολὴν ὁδὸν ἄνω κάτω γίνεσθαι, if it might be translated: ‘Change [in the universe] is accomplished in an upward and downward direction’.) is used as a prep. toward (Dt 11:30; 3 Km 8:48; 18:43 ὁδὸν τῆς θαλάσσης. Cp. B-D-F §161, 1) ὁδ. θαλάσσης toward the sea Mt 4:15 (Is 8:23 LXX, Aq., Sym.).—LCasson, Travel in the Ancient World ’74; OEANE IV 431–34.

② the action of traveling, way, trip, journey, transf. sense of 1 (Hes., Theogon. 754; X., Mem. 3, 13, 5; Herodian 2, 11, 1; JosAs 9:4 al.; Just., D. 85, 5) εἰς (τὴν) ὁδ. for the trip/journey (Jos., Ant. 12, 198) Mt 10:10; Mk 6:8; Lk 9:3; on the way Mk 10:17. ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ on the way (Gen 45:24; Jos., Ant. 6, 55; Ps.-Clem., Hom. 10, 2, end) Mt 15:32; 20:17; Mk 8:3, 27; 9:33f; 10:52; Lk 9:57; 12:58; 24:32; Ac 9:27. τὰ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ what had happened to them on the way Lk 24:35. εἶναι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ Mt 5:25; Mk 10:32. ἐξ ὁδοῦ from a trip (Appian, Bell. Civ. 1, 91 §418; Damasc., Vi. Isid. 203 p. 138, 8 W.; Jos., Vi. 246; 248 ἐκ τ. ὁδοῦ) Lk 11:6. ἔκαμνον ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ GJs 15:1. κατὰ τὴν ὁδ. along the way (Arrian, Anab. 1, 26, 5; 3, 19, 3; PKöln VI, 245, 20 καθʼ ὁδόν ‘on my way’; Jos., Ant. 8, 404; Ps.-Clem., Hom. 10, 2) 10:4; Ac 25:3; 26:13. ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς ὁδοῦ halfway GJs 17:3. τ. ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ πορεύεσθαι go on his way Ac 8:39 (cp. X., Cyr. 5, 2, 22; TestAbr B 2 p. 106, 2 [Stone p. 60]). πορεύεσθαι τῇ ὁδῷ 1 Cl 12:4. ὁδὸν ποιεῖν make one’s way (Judg 17:8) Mk 2:23; s. ὁδοποιέω.—σαββάτου ὁδός a Sabbath day’s trip could also belong under 1; it signified the distance an Israelite might travel on the Sabbath, two thousand paces or cubits (=about 800 meters.—Mishnah: ˓Erubin 4, 3; 7; 5, 7; Origen, Princ. 4, 17; Schürer II 472f; 484f; Billerb. II 590–94; Moore, Judaism II 32) Ac 1:12. ἡμέρας ὁδός a day’s trip Lk 2:44 (Diod S 19, 17, 3; Appian, Samn. 1 §5; Polyaenus 7, 21, 1; Lucian, Syr. Dea 9; Procop., Aed. 6, 1, 12; cp. Hdt. 4, 101; X., Cyr. 1, 1, 3 παμπόλλων ἡμερῶν ὁδός; Ael. Aristid. 36, 87 K.=48 p. 473 D.: τριῶν ἡμ. ὁδ.; Gen 30:36; 31:23; Ex 3:18; Jdth 2:21; 1 Macc 5:24; 7:45; Demetr.: 722 Fgm. 5 Jac.; Jos., Ant. 15, 293).

③ course of behavior, way, way of life, fig. ext. of 1 and 2, but oft. w. the picture prominently in mind (SibOr 3, 233; ὁδὸς τις γίνεται one finds a way (out) Did., Gen. 228, 7).

ⓐ way εἰς ὁδ. ἐθνῶν μὴ ἀπέλθητε do not go in the way of the Gentiles i.e. do not turn to the Gentiles Mt 10:5 (but s. 1.—JJeremias, Jesu Verheissung für d. Völker, ’56). εὐρύχωρος ἡ ὁδ. ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν 7:13 (Pla., Gorg. 524a τὼ ὁδώ, ἡ μὲν εἰς μακάρων νήσους, ἡ δʼ εἰς Τάρταρον). Also ἡ ὁδ. τῆς ἀπωλείας ApcPt 1:1; ἡ τοῦ μέλανος ὁδ. 20:1. ἡ τοῦ θανάτου ὁδ. (Herm. Wr. 1, 29) D 5:1. Cp. 1:1 (on this Jer 21:8; TestAsh 1:3, 5 ὁδοὶ δύο, καλοῦ κ. κακοῦ; SibOr 8, 399 ὁδοὶ δύο, ζωῆς θανάτου τε; Ael. Aristid. 30 p. 577 D.: δυοῖν ὁδοῖν τὴν μὲν … τὴν δέ.—The two ὁδοί of Heracles: X., Mem. 2, 1, 21ff; Maximus Tyr. 14, 1a; e; k). ὁδ. σκότους 5:4b. Description of the way B 20; D 5:1ff. τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδ. ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν Mt 7:14 (TestAbr A 2 p. 88, 28 [Stone p. 4]). Also ἡ ὁδ. τῆς ζωῆς D 1:2. ἡ ὁδ. τοῦ φωτός 19:1. Description of the way B 19; D 1–4. ὁδ. εἰρήνης Lk 1:79; Ro 3:17 (Is 59:8; Ps 13:3). ὁδ. ζωῆς Ac 2:28 (Ps 15:11); cp. D 1:2 above. ὁδ. σωτηρίας Ac 16:17. ὁδ. πρόσφατος κ. ζῶσα Hb 10:20. ὁδ. δικαιοσύνης B 1:4; 5:4a (in these two pass. the imagery of ‘way’ is stronger than in Mt 21:32 and 2 Pt 2:21, on the latter two pass. s. below in b). Of love ὁδ. ἡ ἀναφέρουσα εἰς θεόν IEph 9:1 (cp. Orig., C. Cels. 1, 56, 6 [Christ as teacher of the ‘way’]). αὕτη ἡ ὁδ. ἐν ᾗ εὕρομεν τὸ σωτήριον ἡμῶν 1 Cl 36:1.—Christ calls himself ἡ ὁδ. (i.e., to God) J 14:6, cp. 4f (s. Orig., C. Cels. 6, 66, 28; cp. Iren. 1, 15, 2 [Harv. I 149, 6].—Hdb. and Bultmann [p. 466ff—Engl. 603ff w. other lit.]; JPascher, Η ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΗ ΟΔΟΣ; D. Königsweg. z. Wiedergeb. u. Vergottung b. Philon v. Alex. ’31).

ⓑ way of life, way of acting, conduct (Did., Gen. 168, 8) (ἡ) ὁδ. (τῆς) δικαιοσύνης (Pr 21:16, 21; Job 24:13); En 99:10; Mt 21:32 (ἐν ὁδῷ δικ. [cp. Pr 8:20] denotes either the way of life practiced by the Baptist [Zahn; OHoltzmann] or the type of conduct he demanded [described in Just., D. 38, 2 as ἡ τοῦ βαπτίσματο ὁδ.; cp. HHoltzmann; BWeiss; JWeiss; EKlostermann; Schniewind]. S. JKleist, CBQ 8, ’46, 192–96); 2 Pt 2:21. τῇ ὁδ. αὐτοῦ ἐπλανήθη he went astray in his path (=‘in his conduct’) 1 Cl 16:6 (Is 53:6). ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ from his misguided way of life Js 5:20. ἡ ὁδ. τῆς ἀληθείας (Ps 118:30) vs. 19 v.l. (cp. 2 Pt 2:2 in c below); 1 Cl 35:5. ἀφιέναι τὴν ὁδ. τὴν ἀληθινήν Hv 3, 7, 1. τῇ ὁδ. τοῦ Κάϊν πορεύεσθαι follow the way of Cain Jd 11. ὁδ. δικαίων, ἀσεβῶν 11:7 (Ps 1:6). (ἡ) ὁδ. (ἡ) δικαία (Jos., Ant. 13, 290) 12:4; 2 Cl 5:7. τὸ δίκαιον ὀρθὴν ὁδ. ἔχει the way of righteousness is a straight one Hm 6, 1, 2. τῇ ὀρθῇ ὁδ. πορεύεσθαι ibid.; cp. 6, 1, 4 (Just., D. 8, 2). Opp. ἡ στρεβλὴ ὁδ. the crooked way 6, 1, 3. θέωμεν τὴν ὁδ. τὴν εὐθεῖαν let us run the straight course 2 Cl 7:3; cp. 2 Pt 2:15. Of life in association w. polytheists αὕτη ἡ ὁδ. ἡδυτέρα αὐτοῖς ἐφαίνετο Hs 8, 9, 1. The basic mng. has disappeared to such a degree that one can speak of καρποὶ τῆς ὁδ. 1 Cl 57:6 (Pr 1:31) and ἔργα τῆς πονηρᾶς ὁδ. 4:10.—Pl. ways, of one’s total conduct Ac 14:16; Ro 3:16 (Is 59:7; Ps 13:3a; PsSol 6:2; 10:4 al.; ApcSed 15:5); Js 1:8; Hv 2, 2, 6. Esp. of the ways of God, referring either to the ways that God initiates: ὡς … ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδ. αὐτοῦ how inscrutable are his ways Ro 11:33; δίκαιαι καὶ ἀληθιναὶ αἱ ὁδ. σου Rv 15:3; αἱ ὁδ. τῆς εὐλογίας the ways of blessing 1 Cl 31:1; or to the ways that humans should take: οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰς ὁδ. μου Hb 3:10 (Ps 94:10). διαστρέφειν τὰς ὁδοὺς τοῦ κυρίου Ac 13:10. διδάσκειν τὰς ὁδ. σου 1 Cl 18:13 (Ps 50:15). Likew. the sing. τὴν ὁδ. τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ διδάσκειν Mt 22:16; cp. Mk 12:14; Lk 20:21. ἀφιέναι τὴν ὁδ. τοῦ θεοῦ ApcPt 20:34. παρέβησαν ἐκ τῆς ὁδ. 1 Cl 53:2 (Ex 32:8).

ⓒ of the whole way of life fr. a moral and spiritual viewpoint, the way, teaching in the most comprehensive sense (Lucian, Hermot. 46 ὁδ. of the doctrine of a philosophical school Just., D. 39, 2 ἀπολείποντας τήν ὁδ. τῆς πλάνης; 142, 3 διὰ ταύτης τῆς ὁδοῦ), and specif. of teaching and manner of life relating to Jesus Christ (SMcCasland, JBL 77, ’58, 222–30: Qumran parallels) κατὰ τὴν ὁδ. ἣν λέγουσιν αἵρεσιν according to the Way, which they call a (heterodox) sect Ac 24:14. ἐάν τινας εὕρῃ τῆς ὁδ. ὄντας if he should find people who belonged to the Way 9:2. ὁδ. κυρίου, θεοῦ of teaching relating to Jesus and God’s purpose 18:25f. κακολογεῖν τὴν ὁδ. ἐνώπιον τοῦ πλήθους 19:9. ταύτην τὴν ὁδ. διώκειν persecute this religion 22:4. ἐγένετο τάραχος περὶ τῆς ὁδ. there arose a disturbance concerning the Way 19:23. τὰ περὶ τῆς ὁδ. (the things) concerning the teaching 24:22. ἡ ὁδὸς τ. ἀληθείας of the true Christian teaching (in contrast to that of dissidents vs. 1) 2 Pt 2:2 (OdeSol 11:3). Of the way of love καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν ὁδ. a far better way 1 Cor 12:31. ἡ ὁδ. τῆς δικαιοσύνης ApcPt 7:22; 13:28. Likew. the pl. (En 104:13 μαθεῖν ἐξ αὐτῶν [τ. βίβλων] πάσας τ. ὁδοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας) τὰς ὁδούς μου ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησου my Christian directives (i.e. instructions, teachings) 1 Cor 4:17.—OBecker, D. Bild des Weges u. verwandte Vorstellungen im frühgriech. Denken ’37; FNötscher, Gotteswege u. Menschenwege in d. Bibel u. in Qumran, ’58; ERepo, D. Weg als Selbstbezeichnung des Urchr., ’64 (but s. CBurchard, Der 13te Zeuge, ’70, 43, n. 10; JPathrapankal, Christianity as a ‘Way’ according to the Acts of the Apostles: Les Actes des Apôtres, Traditions, redaction, théologie, ed. JKremer ’79, 533–39 [reflects Is 40:3 and the emphasis on דרך in CD and 1QS: the ‘dynamism of Christianity’ is ‘Way of Life’]).—B. 717; 720. DELG. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.