Bible Dictionary
ASTRAY
To go astray means to wander, err, or become lost. Scripture uses it especially as a picture of moral sin, like sheep leaving the shepherd, while Christ is presented as the One who seeks the lost.
Definition
To go astray means to wander, err, or become lost. Scripture especially uses the idea as a picture of moral wandering from the right path and separation from God.
Biblical Usage
People are compared with sheep going astray. Such wandering may arise from inherent evil or from false shepherds, while the Son of Man seeks what has gone astray.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>a-stra' (ta`ah, "to wander," "to err"; planaomai, "to go astray," each carrying the idea of being lost): With one exception (Ex 23:4 "his ass going astray") used metaphorically of moral wandering, going astray in paths of error and sin, like "sheep going astray" (1Pe 2:25 the King James Version; Isa 53:6; Ps 119:176).</p><p>This wandering may be due</p><p>(1) to inherent evil (Ps 58:3);</p><p>(2) to false shepherds (Jer 50:6); contrast the beautiful and classic passage, Mt 18:12,13, the Son of man (verse 12) seeketh that which is gone astray. No word more vividly portrays sin as a straying, a separation from God. To be morally "astray" is to be "lost."</p><p>Dwight M. Pratt</p>