something that her present native (virginal) condition does not allow for

χωρέω fut. χωρήσω; 1 aor. ἐχώρησα; pf. κεχώρηκα (Just., Tat., Ath.) (Hom.+)

① to make movement from one place or position to another, go, go out/away, reach (Trag. et al.; pap)

ⓐ lit. (Just., A I, 19, 5 εἰς ἐκεῖνο χωρεῖν ἕκαστον ἐξ οὗπερ ἐγένετο) of food εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν χωρεῖ Mt 15:17 (=εἰσπορεύεται Mk 7:19.—Aristot., Probl. 1, 55 the drink εἰς τὰς σάρκας χωρεῖ). τοιαύτη διὰ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔκρυσις ἐχώρησεν so strong was the discharge from his (Judas’s) body that it affected an entire region Papias (3:3). Of pers. εἰς τὸν ἴδιον τόπον μέλλει χωρεῖν IMg 5:1; cp. IEph 16:2. οὗ μέλλουσι χωρήσειν, τοῦτο that, to which they are destined to go Dg 8:2. εἴς τινα to someone (Appian, Bell. Civ. 3, 95 §395 χ. ἐς τὸν ἀδελφόν; 5, 29 §114) of Christ, who has gone to the Father IMg 7:2. ἔτι κάτω χώρει go down still farther Mt 20:28 D. Of the head of a tall figure χωροῦσα μέχρι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ it reached up to the sky GPt 10:40 (like Eris: Il. 4, 443).

ⓑ fig., of a report (Pla., Ep. 7, 333a; 338b λόγος ἐχώρει) εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐχώρησεν it has reached us 1 Cl 47:7. εἰς μετάνοιαν χωρεῖν come to repentance 2 Pt 3:9 (cp. Appian, Bell. Civ. 5, 30 §115 ἐς ἀπόστασιν χ.=turned to revolt). εἴς τι ἀγαθὸν χωρεῖν lead to some good B 21:7 (Soph., El. 615 εἰς ἔργον; Aristoph., Ran. 641 ἐς τὸ δίκαιον).

② to make an advance in movement, be in motion, go forward, make progress (Pla., Cratyl. 19, 402a the saying of Heraclitus πάντα χωρεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει; Hdt. 3, 42; 5, 89; 7, 10; 8, 68; Aristoph., Pax 472; 509, Nub. 907; Polyb. 10, 35, 4; 28, 15, 12; Dionys. Hal. 1, 64, 4; Plut., Galba 1057 [10, 1]; TestIss 1:11 v.l.; Jos., Ant. 12, 242; PTebt 27, 81 ἕκαστα χωρῆσαι κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν πρόθεσιν) ὁ λόγος ὁ ἐμὸς οὐ χωρεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν my word makes no headway among you J 8:37 (Moffatt; cp. Weymouth. Eunap., Vi. Soph. p. 103 χωρεῖ λόγος). Or perh. (as in 1b above) there is no place in you for my word (NRSV; cp. Goodsp. and 20th Cent.; Field, Notes 94f, w. ref. to Alciphron, Ep. 3, 7; Bultmann; DTabachovitz, Till betydelsen av χωρεῖν Joh. 8:37: Eranos 31, ’33, 71f.—Perh. also=χώραν ἔχειν Appian, Bell. Civ. 2, 70 §289 ὀλίγην ἐν αὐτοῖς χώραν ἔχειν; Alex. Aphr., Fat. 6 p. 169, 31 Br. χώραν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔχει τὸ παρὰ φύσιν ‘even that which is contrary to nature has room [to be practiced] among them’; Ath., R. 20 p. 73, 18 οὐδʼ οὕτως ἕξει χώραν ἡ κατʼ αὐτῆς κρίσις not even so would any judgment of [the soul] take place).

③ to have room for, hold, contain

ⓐ lit., of vessels that hold a certain quantity (Hdt. et al.; Diod S 13, 83, 3 of stone πίθοι: χ. ἀμφορεῖς χιλίους; 3 Km 7:24; 2 Ch 4:5 χ. μετρητάς; EpArist 76 χωροῦντες ὑπὲρ δύο μετρητάς; TestNapht 2:2) J 2:6; cp. Hs 9, 2, 1. In a hyperbolic expr. οὐδʼ αὐτὸν τὸν κόσμον χωρῆσαι (v.l. χωρήσειν) τὰ γραφόμενα βιβλία J 21:25 (Philo, Ebr. 32 οὐδὲ τῶν δωρεῶν ἱκανὸς οὐδεὶς χωρῆσαι τὸ ἄφθονον πλῆθος, ἴσως δὲ οὐδʼ ὁ κόσμος ‘no one, probably not even the world, is capable of containing the inexhaustible multitude of their gifts’. On this subj. cp. Pind., O. 2, 98–100, N. 4, 71f; s. also ELucius, Die Anfänge des Heiligenkults 1904, 200, 1; OWeinreich, Antike Heilungswunder 1909, 199–201). Of a space that holds people (Thu. 2, 17, 3; Diod S 13, 61, 6 μὴ δυναμένων χωρῆσαι τῶν τριήρων τὸν ὄχλον=be able to hold the crowd; Plut., Mor. 804b; of theater capacity PSI 186, 4 χωρήσει τὸ θέαδρον [sic]; Gen 13:6; Jos., Bell, 6, 131) without an obj. (cp. οὐ χάρτης χωρεῖ in late pap = the sheet of paper is not large enough) ὥστε μηκέτι χωρεῖν μηδὲ τὰ πρὸς τὴν θύραν so that there was no longer any room, even around the door Mk 2:2. Cp. Hm 5, 2, 5. Of God πάντα χωρῶν, μόνος δὲ ἀχώρητος ὤν containing everything, but the only one uncontained Hm 1:1; quite sim. PtK 2 p. 13, 24 (Mel., P. 5, 38 Χριστός, ὸ̔ς κεχώρηκεν τὰ πάντα).

ⓑ fig.

α. of open-heartedness, having a ‘big heart’ χωρήσατε ἡμᾶς make room for us in your hearts 2 Cor 7:2 (cp. 6:12; Field, Notes 184; PDuff, Apostolic Suffering and the Language of Procession in 2 Cor 4:7–10: BTB 21, ’91, 158–65).

β. grasp in the mental sense, accept, comprehend, understand (Περὶ ὕψους 9, 9 τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμιν; Plut., Cato Min. 791 [64, 5] τὸ Κάτωνος φρόνημα χωρεῖν; Synes., Kingship 29 p. 31d φιλοσοφία has her abode παρὰ τῷ θεῷ … καὶ ὅταν αὐτὴν μὴ χωρῇ κατιοῦσαν ὁ χθόνιος χῶρος, μένει παρὰ τῷ πατρί=and if she comes down and the region of the earth cannot contain her, she remains with the Father; SIG 814, 11 [67 A.D.]; Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 238, 8; PGM 4, 729; Ps.-Phocyl. 89; Philo; Jos., C. Ap. 1, 225) τὸν λόγον Mt 19:11. Pass. Dg 12:7. W. acc. to be supplied Mt 19:12ab=ISm 6:1; cp. ITr 5:1.

γ. of a native condition permit, allow for ἃ οὐ χωρεῖ ἡ φύσις αὐτῆς=(Mary has had a child) something that her present native (virginal) condition does not allow for GJs 19:3 (s. φύσις 2). DELG s.v. χώρα. M-M. Sv.