Some Fell By The Way Side: A Word Study Of ΟΔΟΣ In The New Testament
Ὁδός, οῦ, ἡ is the NT Greek word for path, road or way. This more pedestrian sense of the word (pun intended) then expands, as in many cultures, to take on the figurative meanings of a way of life or conduct or even a Way or teaching.
ὉΔΌΣ As Road
Ὁδός is regularly used to mean the path one (or one’s donkey) treads to get from point A to point B (or from ἀλφα to βητα).
This sense can be clearly seen in the quotation used in this post’s title. The sower sows seed, some of which falls παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν (along the way).
In Luke 3:5, John the Baptist comes proclaiming a baptism of repentance and quoting Isaiah "and the rough places shall become ὁδοὺς λείας (level ways)”.
Jesus curses a fig tree that he sees ἐπὶ τῆς ῾ὁδοῦ (by the wayside) and tells a parable of the man who gave a great banquet who, when all those he had invited made their feeble excuses, became angry and commanded his servants to go out to the “ὁδοὺς καὶ φραγμοὺς” (highways and hedges) to coerce passers by into attending.
ὉΔΌΣ As Journey
Rather than the path one travels on, the word ὁδὸς can also take on the meaning of the journey itself.
In Mark 6:7, Jesus begins to send his disciples out to preach and in 6:8 he charges his disciples to take nothing εἰς ὁδὸν (for the journey) and in Acts 1:12 Mount Olivet is described as σαββάτου ἔχον ὁδόν (a Sabbath day's journey) from Jerusalem.
A Technical Interlude
῾Ὁδός, οῦ, ἡ is one of only 67 nouns in the New Testament that is a second declension noun, feminine in gender. The vast majority of second declension nouns ending in -ος are masculine in gender. The lexical entry with the feminine article ἡ will alert you to these exceptions to the general rule.
Ὁδός is declined as below:
ὉΔΌΣ As A Way of Life
Ὁδός as a word meaning a way of life or code of conduct can be seen in Matthew 21:32 when Jesus censures the chief priests and elders for failing to believe John the Baptist when he came to them ἐν ὁδῷ δικαιοσύμενης (in the way of rightousness).
Peter uses the same expression in 2 Peter 2:21 when he talks about the evils of apostasy and Jude rebukes certain people who have “crept in” into the church as blasphemers who walked in τῇ ῾ὁδῷ τοῦ Κάιν (the way of Cain).
ὉΔΌΣ As The Way of Life
When a way of life is promoted to The Way of life, ὁδός is again the word you’ll find used.
Wide is the gate and broad the ὁδός leading to destruction, while narrow is the gate and hard the ὁδός leading to life.
The early Christian religion itself is described as The Way is Acts 9:2 when Saul, just prior to his vision on the road to Damascus, is “still breathing threats and murder” (ESV) against any he finds τῆς ὁδοῦ (of the Way).
The post conversion Paul quits the Ephesian synagogue for the hall of Tyrannus when the audience become stubborn and speak evil of τὴν ῾ὁδόν (the Way).
Cognate Words
The word ὁδός occurs just over 100 times in the New Testament and has only three cognates that occur five times or more.
εἴσοδος, ου, ἡ is another second declension feminine noun that means entrance or access, ὁδηγός, οῦ, ὁ is a second declension noun that has reverted to the standard masculine gender and means a leader or guide and ὁδηγέω is a verb that means I lead, guide.
