Original Word: ἀμφότεροι
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: amphoteroi
Pronunciation: am-FOT-er-oy
Phonetic Spelling: (am-fot'-er-os)
KJV: both
NASB: both, all
Word Origin: [comparative of amphi "around"]

1. (in plural) both

both.

Comparative of amphi (around); (in plural) both -- both.

Word Origin
cptv. of amphó (on both sides, around)
Definition
both
NASB Translation
all (2), both (12).

STRONGS NT 297: ἀμφότεροι

ἀμφότεροι, , (from Homer down), both of two, both the one and the other: Matthew 9:17, etc.; τά ἀμφότερα, Acts 23:8; Ephesians 2:14.

Overview of Scriptural Usage

Strong’s Greek 297 appears fourteen times in the New Testament, functioning as an adjective or pronoun that highlights the joint inclusion of two parties or items. This small yet significant term draws attention to shared experience, mutual participation, or simultaneous consequence. Whether it describes two vessels, two kinds of people, or two groups reconciled in Christ, its employment consistently underscores the biblical theme of unity amid distinct identities.

Occurrences in the Synoptic Gospels

• Matthew 9:17; 15:14; Luke 6:39 – The word is tied to parables about wineskins, blind guides, and pitfalls. In each setting, the term stresses that the fate of one affects the other: “Both will be ruined,” “both will fall into a pit.” The reader is alerted that wrong choices or flawed leadership inevitably carry consequences for everyone involved.
• Matthew 13:30 – Jesus speaks of wheat and weeds growing together until the harvest. The term underscores God’s sovereign timing in final separation.
• Luke 1:6-7 – Zechariah and Elizabeth are described as righteous, yet childless; the paired emphasis highlights God’s later miraculous intervention.
• Luke 5:7 – Fishermen signal partners to fill “both boats,” portraying shared blessing that nearly sinks them—an image of overflowing grace.
• Luke 7:42 – In the parable of the two debtors, the forgiveness extended to “both” displays equal mercy regardless of debt size.

Usage in Acts

• Acts 8:38 – Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch “went down into the water, and he baptized him,” marking their mutual participation in the baptismal act.
• Acts 19:16 – The demoniac overpowers “both” Jewish exorcists, illustrating the futility of spiritual presumption.
• Acts 23:8 – Luke records that Sadducees deny resurrection, angels, and spirits, while Pharisees confess “them all,” showing the sharp doctrinal divide yet pointing to Paul’s strategic use of it.

Theological Significance in Ephesians

Paul employs the word four times (Ephesians 2:14, 2:16, 2:18) to proclaim the gospel’s unifying power for Jew and Gentile.
• 2:14: Christ “has made both one” by breaking down the dividing wall.
• 2:16: He reconciles “both” to God in one body through the cross.
• 2:18: “Through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

Here the term reaches its richest theological expression, revealing that the reconciliation achieved at Calvary removes ethnic hostility and grants equal standing before God.

Historical and Cultural Background

In Greco-Roman society, distinctions—Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female—were fortified by legal and social walls. By repeatedly affirming the inclusion of “both,” the New Testament confronts entrenched divisions and presents the church as a countercultural community where former barriers dissolve in Christ.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Reconciliation: The word reminds believers that Christ’s work abolishes hostility, calling congregations to model unity across ethnic and social lines.
2. Shared Consequences: Jesus’ warnings about blind guides stress the responsibility of leaders; when shepherds stumble, sheep suffer with them.
3. Mutual Participation: The shared baptism of Philip and the Ethiopian, or the filling of “both boats,” encourages collaborative ministry where blessings and burdens are jointly borne.
4. Equal Access: Ephesians 2:18 undergirds confidence in prayer, assuring every believer—regardless of background—direct approach to the Father.

Doctrinal Reflections

• Soteriology: Salvation in Christ is universally offered; no favored nation clause exists in the new covenant.
• Ecclesiology: The church is defined not by homogeneous affinity but by Spirit-formed unity of “both” groups once alienated.
• Eschatology: Matthew’s wheat-and-weeds parable teaches that comprehensive judgment awaits the harvest; presently, the righteous and wicked coexist, yet ultimate separation is certain.

In every setting Strong’s 297 quietly but powerfully affirms that God’s redemptive plan envelops and unites, calling His people to live out the reality that, in Christ, “both” truly become one.

αμφοτερα αμφότερα ἀμφότερα αμφότεραι αμφοτέραις αμφοτέρας αμφοτεροι αμφότεροι αμφότεροί ἀμφότεροι αμφοτεροις αμφοτέροις ἀμφοτέροις αμφοτερους αμφοτέρους ἀμφοτέρους αμφοτερων αμφοτέρων ἀμφοτέρων amphotera amphótera amphoteroi amphóteroi amphoterois amphotérois amphoteron amphoterōn amphotéron amphotérōn amphoterous amphotérousInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts