Keraia
Lexicon

ἐπί

epiupon/to/againstHow to read Greek
greekNew TestamentPreposition890 occurrences26 books781 verses

Definition

ἐπί (before a smooth breathing ἐπ᾽, before a rough breathing ἐφ᾽),

prep. with genitive, dative, accusative (accusative most frequently in NT),

with primary sense of superposition, on, upon.

I. C. genitive,

1. of place, answering the question, where?

(a) of the place on which, on, upon: ἐπὶ (τ.) γῆς, Matthew 6:10, 19, al.; τ. κεφαλῆς, 1 Corinthians 11:10; τ. νεφελῶν, Matthew 24:3o, al.; like ἐν, in constr. praegn. after verbs of motion: βάλλειν, Mark 4:26; σπείρειν, ib. 31; ἔρχεσθαι, Hebrews 6:7, al.; figuratively, ἐπ᾽ ἀληθείας (MM, see word ἀ.); of the subject of thought or speech, Galatians 3:16; of power or authority, over, πάντων, Rom.9.5: τ. γάζης, Acts 8:27; ἐξουσία, Revelation 2:26; 20:6;

(b) of vicinity, at, by: τ. θαλάσσης, John 6:9; τ. ὁδοῦ, Matthew 21:19; τοῦ βάτου, Mark 12:26 (see Swete, in l.); with genitive of person(s), in the presence of, before, Matthew 28:14, Acts 23:30, 1 Corinthians 6:1, al.

2. Of time,

(a) with genitive of person(s), in the time of: ἐπὶ Ἐλισαίου, Luke 4:27; ἐπὶ Κλαυδίου, Acts 11:28; ἐπὶ Ἀβιάθαρ ἀρχιερέως, when A. was high priest, Mark 2:26;

(b) with genitive of thing(s), at, at the time of: Matthew 1:11, Hebrews 1:2, 2 Peter 3:3; ἐπὶ τ. προσευχῶν, Romans 1:10, Ephesians 1:16, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, Phm 4.

II. C. dative, of place, answering the question, where?

(a) lit., on, upon: Matthew 9:16; 14:8, al.; after verbs of motion (see supr., I, 1, (a)), Matthew 9:16, Acts 8:16; above, Luke 23:38; at, by, Mark 13:29, John 5:2, Acts 5:9, al.;

(b) metaphorically, upon, on the ground of, Luke 4:4 (LXX); in the matter of, Mark 6:52 (see Swete, in l.); upon, of, concerning, Acts 5:35, 40; of the ground, reason or motive (Bl., §38, 2; 43, 3), Matthew 18:3; 19:9, Romans 12:12, al.; ἐφ᾽ ᾧ, for the reason that, because, Romans 5:12, 2 Corinthians 5:4; after verbs of motion, over, Matthew 18:13, Romans 16:19, al.; of a condition (cl.), Romans 8:20, 1 Corinthians 9:10; ἐπὶ δυσὶ μάρτυσιν (see Westc. on Hebrews 9:10), Hebrews 10:28; of purpose or aim, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 4:10; of authority, over, Matthew 24:47, Luke 12:44; of hostility, with dative of person(s) (cl.), against, Luke 12:52; in addition to (cl.), 2 Corinthians 7:13; of an adjunct, in, at, on, Philippians 1:3; 2:17.

III. C. accusative,

1. of place of motion upon or over, answering the question, whither?

(a) lit., upon, over: Matthew 14:28, 29, Luke 5:19, al. mult.; in NT also, answering the question, where? (as with genitive, dative), Mark 4:38; 11:2, Luke 2:25, John 1:32; ἐπὶ τ. αὐτό, Acts 1:15; 2:1, al.; of motion to a vicinity, to, Mark 16:2, Acts 8:36, al.;

(b) metaphorically (in wh. "the accusative is more widely prevalent than it strictly should be," Bl., §43, 1); of blessings, evils, etc., coming upon one, with accusative of person(s), Matthew 10:13; 12:28, Acts 2:17, John 18:4, Ephesians 5:6, al.; of addition (dative in cl.), λύπη ἐπὶ λύπην, Philippians 2:27; ἐπικαλεῖν ὄνομα ἐπί (see: ἐπικαλέω), Acts 15:17, James 2:7; καλεῖν ἐπί, to call after, Luke 1:59; of number or degree: ἐπὶ τρίς (cl. εἰς τ.), thrice, Acts 10:16; 11:10; ἐπὶ πλεῖον, the more, further, Acts 4:17, 2 Timothy 2:16; 3:9 (see also infr., 2, (a)); ἐφ᾽ ὅσον (see infr., ib.), forasmuch as, Matthew 25:40, 45, Romans 11:13; of power, authority, control, Luke 1:33, Acts 7:10, Romans 5:14, Hebrews 3:6, al.; of the direction of thoughts and feelings, unto, towards, Luke 1:17; 23:28, Acts 9:35, 42, Romans 11:22, Galatians 4:9, Ephesians 2:7, 1 Timothy 5:5, al.; of purpose, for, Matthew 3:7, Luke 23:48; ἐφ᾽ ὅ πάρει (Rec. ἐφ᾽ ᾧ, Matthew 26:50; of hostility, against, Matthew 24:7, Mark 3:24-26; 10:11; 13:8, Luke 9:5, John 13:18, Acts 7:54, 1 Corinthians 7:36, 2 Corinthians 1:23; Of reference, concerning, for (cl. usually dative), Mark 9:12; 15:24, John 19:24, Romans 4:9.

2. Of time,

(a) during, for: Luke 4:25 (WH, txt., omits ἐπί), Acts 13:31; 16:18, Hebrews 11:30, al.; ἐφ᾽ ὅσον (χρόνον), as long as, for so long time as, Mark 9:15, Romans 7:1, al. (for ἐφ᾽ ὅ in another sense, see supr., 1, (b)); ἐφ᾽ ἱκανόν (see: ἱ), Acts 20:11; ἐπὶ πλεῖον (see supr., 1, (b)), yet longer, further, Acts 20:9; 24:4;

(b) on, about, towards (cl. εἰς): Luke 10:35, Acts 3:1; 4:5.

IV. In composition, ἐπί signifies: up, ἐπαίρω; upon, ἐπίγειος, ἐπιδημέω, ὠπικαθίζω; towards, επιβλέπω, ὠπεκτείνω; over (of superintendence), ἐπιστάτης; again, in addition, ἐπαιτέω; against, ἐπιορκέω, ἐπιβουλή.

Hebrew words it translates

The Hebrew words that the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament renders as ἐπί:

Usage patterns

Old TestamentNew Testament

Occurrences

890 total
  1. Ephesians 4:26ἐπὶ · upon
    “Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger,
  2. Ephesians 5:6ἐπὶ · on
    Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
  3. Ephesians 6:3ἐπὶ · on
    …“that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.”
  4. Philippians 1:3ἐπὶ
    I thank my God every time I remember you.
  5. Philippians 1:5ἐπὶ · because of
    …because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
  6. Philippians 2:17ἐπὶ · on
    But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
  7. Philippians 2:27ἐπὶ · upon
    He was sick indeed, nearly unto death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
  8. Philippians 3:9ἐπὶ · on the basis of
    …and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
  9. Philippians 3:12ἐφ’ · that for which
    Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
  10. Philippians 4:10ἐφ’
    Now I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
  11. Colossians 1:16ἐπὶ · on
    For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.
  12. Colossians 1:20ἐπὶ · on
    …and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.
  13. Colossians 3:2ἐπὶ · on
    Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
  14. Colossians 3:5ἐπὶ
    Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
  15. Colossians 3:6ἐπὶ · on
    Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
  16. Colossians 3:14ἐπὶ · over
    And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
  17. 1 Thessalonians 1:2ἐπὶ · in
    We always thank God for all of you, remembering you in our prayers
  18. 1 Thessalonians 2:16ἐπ’ · upon
    …hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.
  19. 1 Thessalonians 3:7ἐφ’ · about; ἐπὶ · in
    For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and persecution, we have been reassured about you, because of your faith.
  20. 1 Thessalonians 3:9ἐπὶ · in return for
    How can we adequately thank God for you in return for our great joy over you in His presence?
  21. 1 Thessalonians 4:7ἐπὶ · to
    For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.
  22. 2 Thessalonians 1:10ἐφ’
    …on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.
  23. 2 Thessalonians 2:1ἐπ’ · to
    Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers,
  24. 2 Thessalonians 2:4ἐπὶ · above
    He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
  25. 2 Thessalonians 3:4ἐφ’
    And we have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.
  26. 1 Timothy 1:16ἐπ’ · in
    But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
  27. 1 Timothy 1:18ἐπὶ · about
    Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,
  28. 1 Timothy 4:10ἐπὶ · on
    To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe.
  29. 1 Timothy 5:5ἐπὶ · in
    The widow who is truly in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers.
  30. 1 Timothy 5:19ἐπὶ · on [the testimony of]
    Do not entertain an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
  31. 1 Timothy 6:13ἐπὶ · before
    I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate:
  32. 1 Timothy 6:17ἐπὶ · in; ἐπὶ · in
    Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.
  33. 2 Timothy 2:14ἐπ’ · [which]; ἐπὶ · in {leading}
    Remind the believers of these things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin.
  34. 2 Timothy 2:16ἐπὶ · to
    But avoid irreverent, empty chatter, which will only lead to more ungodliness,
  35. 2 Timothy 3:9ἐπὶ · further
    But they will not advance much further. For just like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain to everyone.
  36. 2 Timothy 3:13ἐπὶ · to
    …while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
  37. 2 Timothy 4:4ἐπὶ · to
    So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
  38. Titus 1:2ἐπ’ · in
    …in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
  39. Titus 3:6ἐφ’ · on
    This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
  40. Philemon 1:4ἐπὶ · in
    I always thank my God, remembering you in my prayers,
  41. Philemon 1:7ἐπὶ · in
    I take great joy and encouragement in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
  42. Hebrews 1:2ἐπ’ · But in
    But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.
  43. Hebrews 2:13ἐπ’ · in
    And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And once again: “Here am I, and the children God has given Me.”
  44. Hebrews 3:6ἐπὶ · over
    But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.
  45. Hebrews 6:1ἐπὶ · to; ἐπὶ · in
    Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God,
  46. Hebrews 6:7ἐπ’ · on
    For land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives the blessing of God.