Question about the word "Last" in Greek

townerka

Active Member
So I was reading John 6:40:

40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me and I was curious about what the "last day" was referring to. When I looked up the Greek word for day in this verse it seemed normal enough, it occurs all over the new testament and speaks of a day. Simple enough.

Then I looked at the word translated "last" in this verse, it occurs only 11 times. The Greek word is ἐσχάτη (eschatē).

ἐσχάτη (eschatē) — 11 Occurrences
Matthew 27:64 Adj-NFS
GRK: ἔσται ἡ ἐσχάτη πλάνη χείρων
NAS: from the dead,' and the last deception
KJV: the dead: so the last error shall be
INT: will be the last deception worse
John 6:39 Adj-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: but raise it up on the last day.
KJV: up again at the last day.
INT: at the last day
John 6:40 Adj-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: will raise him up on the last day.
KJV: him up at the last day.
INT: at the last day
John 6:44 Adj-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
KJV: him up at the last day.
INT: at the last day
John 6:54 Adj-DFS
GRK: αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: and I will raise him up on the last day.
KJV: him up at the last day.
INT: him in the last day
John 7:37 Adj-DFS
GRK: δὲ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ
NAS: Now on the last day, the great
KJV: In the last day, that great
INT: moreover the last day the
John 11:24 Adj-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: in the resurrection on the last day.
KJV: the resurrection at the last day.
INT: in the last day
John 12:48 Adj-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ
NAS: will judge him at the last day.
KJV: him in the last day.
INT: in the last day
1 Corinthians 15:52 Adj-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγγι σαλπίσει
NAS: of an eye, at the last trumpet;
KJV: of an eye, at the last trump: for
INT: at the last trumpet a trumpet will sound
1 John 2:18 Adj-NFS
GRK: Παιδία ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν
NAS: Children, it is the last hour;
KJV: it is the last time:
INT: Little children [the] last hour it is
1 John 2:18 Adj-NFS
GRK: γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν
NAS: we know that it is the last hour.
KJV: that it is the last time.
INT: we know that [the] last hour it is


All of these passages seem to do with the "last days," but when I googled the Greek word for "last," it's coming up as τελευταίος (teleftaíos). Is the translation for "last" maybe not do the passage justice? I'm not saying it's wrong or anything I just am fascinated about the Greek meaning of words and looking a little deeper into scripture. I'm not a Greek language expert either and I know there are other passages with the word "last" in it but it's a different word.

eschatos: last, extreme
Original Word: ἔσχατος, η, ον
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: eschatos
Phonetic Spelling: (es'-khat-os)
Definition: last, extreme
Usage: last, at the last, finally, till the end.
HELPS Word-studies
2078 ésxatos (from esxaton, "end, last") – properly, last, final (the furthest, extreme-end). 2078/esxatos ("future things"), the root of "eschatology" is "the study of last things." This includes future Bible prophecy, the end-times, and life after death ("the after-life").

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
last, extreme
NASB Translation
end (1), last (46), last of all (1), last man (1), last men (1), late (1), remotest part (1).

I'm looking for some better understanding of this word and some resources where I could study the Greek passages a little more. I'm by no means a scholar or anything, I just love learning about the Bible. I don't understand why there are so many different words for "last" and so I'm looking for a little help on how I might better understand it.

Thank you!
 
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