1. to pluck out, draw out, i. e. to root out: τόν ὀφθαλμόν, Matthew 5:29; Matthew 18:9.

2. Middle a. to choose out (for oneself), select, one person from many: Acts 26:17 (so for בָּחַר in Isaiah 49:7 (but there the Sept. has ἐξελεξάμην; perhaps Isaiah 48:10 is meant) and sometimes in Greek writings; first in Homer, Odyssey 14, 232) (others refer Acts, the passage cited to the next head; (see Hackett at the passage)).

b. to rescue, deliver (properly, to cause to be rescued, but the middle force is lost (cf. Winer's Grammar, 253 (238))): τινα, Acts 7:34; Acts 23:27; τινα ἐκ τίνος, Acts 7:10; Acts 12:11; Galatians 1:4; (Exodus 3:8, etc.; Aeschylus suppl. 924; Herodotus 3, 137; Demosthenes, 256, 3; Polybius 1, 11, 11).

STRONGS NT 1807: ἐξέλωἐξέλω, see ἐξαιρέω.

At its heart, the word describes forceful extraction—either pulling someone out of danger or tearing something harmful out of a person’s life. Both nuances appear in the New Testament and together illustrate the breadth of God’s saving work: He removes His people from peril and removes peril from His people.

Old Testament Echoes

Stephen’s sermon recalls God’s promise to Moses, “I have come down to deliver them” (Acts 7:34). By using the same verb, Stephen ties Israel’s Exodus to the Gospel: the God who extracted Israel from Egypt still acts decisively to liberate His covenant people. Joseph’s rescue from “all his tribulations” (Acts 7:10) underscores that the Lord’s deliverance is not merely corporate but also deeply personal.

Jesus’ Call to Radical Self-Surgery

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away” (Matthew 5:29; cf. Matthew 18:9). Here the word is used metaphorically of ruthless self-discipline. Sin’s infection is so destructive that anything—even something as precious as an eye—must be ripped out if it endangers eternal life. The same God who rescues externally demands that His disciples cooperate internally, removing whatever threatens their holiness.

Apostolic Experiences of Physical Rescue

1. Peter: “The Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp” (Acts 12:11). Divine intervention overrules political power.
2. Paul before Felix: Claudius Lysias writes, “I came with my troops and rescued him” (Acts 23:27). Human agents become instruments of God’s protective purpose.
3. Paul’s commission: “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles” (Acts 26:17). Mission is surrounded by promised preservation.

These texts reveal that gospel advance often provokes lethal opposition, yet God repeatedly extracts His servants so that the message may continue unhindered.

Pauline Theology of Spiritual Rescue

Galatians 1:4 moves the term from historical narration to doctrinal proclamation: Christ “gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age.” The cross is portrayed as an Exodus-event, breaking believers out of the dominion of this age and transferring them into the realm of grace. Deliverance is thus:

• Substitutionary—grounded in Christ’s self-giving.
• Eschatological—freeing believers to live under the coming kingdom’s realities.
• Sovereign—“according to the will of our God and Father,” emphasizing divine initiative.

Patterns and Themes

1. Divine initiative: In every occurrence God is the ultimate actor, even when human hands (a Roman commander, an angel) carry out the rescue.
2. Comprehensive scope: Bodily danger, social opposition, moral corruption, and cosmic evil are all addressed.
3. Covenant continuity: The same God who removed Israel from Egypt now removes believers from sin and Satan.
4. Missional purpose: God’s deliverances are never ends in themselves; they serve the spread of the Word (Peter released to preach, Paul preserved to testify).

Pastoral Implications

• Confidence in persecution: Suffering saints can trust the Lord to extract them when their task is unfinished.
• Seriousness about sin: Spiritual health may require painful but necessary removals—habits, relationships, media, or ambitions that cause stumbling.
• Assurance of salvation: Christ’s self-sacrifice has already plucked believers from the evil age; perseverance flows from accomplished rescue, not human effort.

Mission and Worldview

Believers confront both visible and invisible enemies. The verb reminds the church that God still rescues—and sometimes does so spectacularly—but also that He might call for drastic self-amputation to keep the witness pure. Evangelism and personal holiness are two sides of the same rescue mission.

Eschatological Horizon

Every extraction anticipates the final deliverance when the Lord will “snatch” His people from every danger permanently. The verb therefore feeds Christian hope: a decisive future rescue is guaranteed because the God who once rescued Joseph, Israel, Peter, and Paul has already delivered us in Christ.

Doctrinal Correlations

• Soteriology: Emphasizes the forensic and liberative aspects of salvation.
• Sanctification: Highlights mortification of sin as a cooperative but Spirit-empowered “gouging out.”
• Providence: Demonstrates God’s meticulous governance over historical events for the protection of His witnesses.
• Ecclesiology: Underscores the church’s identity as a delivered community, called to proclaim deliverance to others.

In sum, Strong’s Greek 1807 paints a vivid portrait of a God who both pulls His people out of bondage and pulls bondage out of His people—securing their mission, sanctification, and ultimate hope.