Greek word · G1601

ἐκπίπτω

ekpiptō

to fall out

To fall out of or off from. It is used of flowers dropping (1 Peter 1:24, James 1:11), a ship driven aground (Acts 27:17, 26, 29), chains falling off (Acts 12:7), a word failing (Romans 9:6), and losing a status (Galatians 5:4, 'fallen from grace').

Appears 10 times in 10 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐκ-πίπτω

[in LXX: Isaiah 40:8 28:1, 4 (הֶבֶל), Job 14:2 (מָלַל, see RV. mg), Job 15:30 (סוּר), Job 15:33 (שָׁלַךְ hi.), etc. ;]

to fall out of, fall from, fall off: before ἐκ τ. χειρῶν, Acts 12:7; absol., Acts 27:32; of the withering of flowers (as LXX, ll with), James 1:11, 1 Peter 1:24" (LXX) ; of navigators falling off from a straight course, Acts 27:17, 26 27:29 Metaphorical, with genitive of thing(s): Galatians 5:4, 2 Peter 3:17; absol., fall from its place, fail, perish: Romans 9:6.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Peter 3:17

Range of meaning

To fall out of or off from. It is used of flowers dropping (1 Peter 1:24, James 1:11), a ship driven aground (Acts 27:17, 26, 29), chains falling off (Acts 12:7), a word failing (Romans 9:6), and losing a status (Galatians 5:4, 'fallen from grace').

Against the English

KJV/BSB/NIV/NASB use 'fall from'. ESV and NLT say 'lose', which is softer and drops the picture of falling.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in classical and Koine Greek for being driven out of a position, office or possession, and in the Septuagint for falling or dropping off.

From the study of Galatians 5:4

Range of meaning

To fall out of or off; to drop away (as petals or blossoms); to drift off course or run aground (of ships); to lose or forfeit something (with a genitive); to fail or come to nothing.

Against the English

"Fallen away from" (BSB, ESV, WEB, NIV), "fallen from" (KJV, NASB), "fell away" (YLT). These are accurate. The problem lies in what the English idiom "fall from grace" now suggests, not in the verb.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint, Isaiah 40:7 says "the flower has fallen" (τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν), quoted in 1 Peter 1:24 and echoed in James 1:11. Isaiah 14:12: "How the Day Star has fallen (ἐξέπεσεν) from heaven!" In Acts 27:17, 26, 29 it is used of a ship being driven off course or onto rocks. In classical and papyrus Greek, with a genitive it means to be thrown out of, or lose, a position, a possession or a claim. Paul uses it in Romans 9:6: "the word of God has not failed".

From the study of 1 Peter 1:24

Range of meaning

Literally "fall out of" or "fall off" (petals from a flower, chains from hands, Acts 12:7; a ship drifting off course, Acts 27:17). Figuratively "to lose one's place" (Gal 5:4, "fallen away from grace") or "to fail, come to nothing" (Rom 9:6, "it is not as though the word of God has failed").

Against the English

"Falls" (BSB, NIV, ESV), "falleth away" (KJV). NLT's "fades" is natural English but loses the picture of something dropping off and the hint of failure.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek Isaiah 40:7; James 1:11; Job 14:2 (LXX: "like a flower that has bloomed, it falls off"; exepesen). Romans 9:6 shows the figurative sense, "to fail", applied to the word of God, which is the opposite of the flower here.

Where it appears

Acts · 5

  1. Acts 12:7 ἐξέπεσαν fell

    Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.

    Here: 'Fell off.' The chains are the subject, as if they let go of their own accord. No one unlocks them, and the soldiers chained to Peter feel nothing.

  2. Acts 27:17 ἐκπέσωσιν they may fall

    After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along.

  3. Acts 27:26 ἐκπεσεῖν.¶ to fall.

    However, we must run aground on some island.”

  4. Acts 27:29 ἐκπέσωμεν, we may fall,

    Fearing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak.

  5. Acts 27:32 ἐκπεσεῖν.¶ to fall away.

    So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and set it adrift.

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 9:6 ἐκπέπτωκεν has failed

    It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

    Here: Literally "has fallen out / fallen off", the way a withered flower drops or a ship runs aground. The perfect tense describes a finished, lasting state: "has fallen and now lies fallen", i.e. has collapsed and come to nothing.

Galatians · 1

  1. Galatians 5:4 ἐξεπέσατε. you have fallen away.

    You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

    Here: "You fell out of" grace, the way a blossom drops off its stem or a ship drifts off course. Like the first verb it is aorist and in the past tense, so it describes the result of choosing circumcision as if it had already happened.

James · 1

  1. James 1:11 ἐξέπεσεν has fallen

    For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

    Here: "Fell out/off": the petals drop and the bloom falls from its stem. This is the exact verb of Isaiah 40:7 in the Greek ("the flower fell").

1 Peter · 1

  1. 1 Peter 1:24 ἐξέπεσεν· falls away;

    For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

    Here: The petals drop off the stem. The verb can also mean "to fail, come to nothing", which sets up the contrast in verse 25: the flower falls, but the Lord's word "remains".

2 Peter · 1

  1. 2 Peter 3:17 ἐκπέσητε you may fall from

    Therefore, beloved, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you will not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure standing.

    Here: 'You fall out of / fall off from.' The word is used of a ship running aground (Acts 27) and of being 'fallen from grace' (Galatians 5:4). Here it is the end result of being swept away: losing one's place.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.