Greek word · G1684

ἐμβαίνω

embainō

to get into

To step into or onto; almost always used of embarking in a boat in the New Testament.

Appears 16 times in 16 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐμ-βαίνω

[in LXX for עָלָה, etc. ;]

to step into: John 5:4 (WH, RV omit); εἰς πλοῖον, to embark: Matthew 8:23 9:1 13:2 14:22 15:39, Mark 4:1 5:18 6:45 8:10, 13, Luke 5:3 8:22, 37, John 6:17, 24 21:3, Acts 21:6.†

(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 John 6:24

Range of meaning

To step into or onto; almost always used of embarking in a boat in the New Testament.

Against the English

KJV 'took shipping' is an archaic idiom for 'embarked'. Today it sounds as if they boarded a ship or arranged freight, when they simply climbed into small boats.

How it drifted

'Took shipping' was ordinary Elizabethan English for going on board. The phrase is obsolete now.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used of the disciples in 6:17 (ἐμβάντες εἰς πλοῖον, 'stepping into a boat … they went … to Capernaum'), and often in the Synoptic boat scenes (e.g. Mark 4:1; 6:45).

From the study of Mark 8:13

Range of meaning

To step in or go in. In the New Testament it is used almost entirely for getting into a boat, so 'embark' is a close English equivalent.

Against the English

NASB's 'embarked' mirrors the shorter Greek. BSB, NIV, ESV and NLT add 'boat' for clarity, which is fair because the boat is clearly meant. KJV, WEB and YLT also have 'boat' or 'ship', but they are following manuscripts that actually contain the phrase. The supplied gloss 'having climbed' is less apt than 'having embarked', since nothing here suggests a climb.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 4:1, 5:18, 6:45 and 8:10 all use it of boats, as do Matthew 8:23 and John 6:17. Verse 10 has the same form with 'into the boat' stated, so 'again' in this verse reads naturally as an echo of it.

From the study of Matthew 8:23

Range of meaning

To step in or go in. In the New Testament it is used almost only for boarding a boat.

Against the English

"Got into" (BSB, WEB), "entered into" (KJV, YLT). All accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Standard nautical usage in Hellenistic Greek, and used in all the Gospels for boarding (e.g. Matt 9:1; 13:2; 14:22; Mark 4:1).

Where it appears

Matthew · 5

  1. Matthew 8:23 ἐμβάντι having climbed

    When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

    Here: "Having stepped in / having embarked": the ordinary word for getting into a boat. The past-tense participle presents his boarding as done, and the disciples act after it. Jesus goes first.

  2. Matthew 9:1 ἐμβὰς having climbed

    Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town.

    Here: "Having stepped in." The usual word for getting into a boat. The participle describes a single completed act that comes before the main verb: he got in, then he crossed.

  3. Matthew 13:2 ἐμβάντα having climbed into

    Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.

  4. Matthew 14:22 ἐμβῆναι to climb

    Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.

    Here: 'To get into' or 'embark'. The aorist infinitive (a form for a single, completed act) presents boarding as one decisive step.

  5. Matthew 15:39 ἐνέβη He climbed

    After Jesus had dismissed the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

    Here: "He stepped into / embarked." The ordinary word for getting into a boat. The KJV's "took ship" is old English for the same thing.

Mark · 5

  1. Mark 4:1 ἐμβάντα having climbed

    Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.

  2. Mark 5:18 ἐμβαίνοντος when climbing

    As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by the demons begged to go with Him.

  3. Mark 6:45 ἐμβῆναι to climb

    Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.

    Here: To board the boat. The form presents it as a single, complete action.

  4. Mark 8:10 ἐμβὰς having climbed

    He immediately got into the boat with His disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

  5. Mark 8:13 ἐμβὰς having climbed

    And He left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.

    Here: Having embarked. In the main text the word stands alone, because in this story it needs no object: the boat of verse 10 is understood, and verse 14 mentions it outright.

Luke · 3

  1. Luke 5:3 ἐμβὰς Having climbed

    Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

  2. Luke 8:22 ἐνέβη climbed

    One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a boat with them and set out.

    Here: The ordinary verb for getting into a boat. The verb is singular because Jesus leads, and the disciples are tacked on after the boat.

  3. Luke 8:37 ἐμβὰς having climbed

    Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.

    Here: 'Having stepped into' the boat. The getting in comes before the main verb.

John · 3

  1. John 6:17 ἐμβάντες having climbed

    got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet gone out to them.

    Here: 'Having stepped in': the ordinary word for getting into a boat. The tense presents boarding as one completed act before the voyage begins.

  2. John 6:24 ἐνέβησαν they climbed

    So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Him.

    Here: Literally 'stepped into'. It is the same verb used of the disciples getting into their boat in 6:17, so the crowd follows in their wake.

  3. John 21:3 ἐνέβησαν they climbed

    Simon Peter told them, “I am going fishing.” “We will go with you,” they said. So they went out and got into the boat, but caught nothing that night.

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