Greek word · G1686

ἐμβάπτω

embaptō

to dip in

'To dip in, dip into.' It is a compound of baptō, 'to dip', the root behind 'baptize', and is used of dipping food into a liquid or sauce. In the New Testament it occurs only here and in Mark 14:20. John 13:26 uses the simple baptō for dipping the morsel.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐμ-βάπτω

to dip in: τ. χεῖρα ἐν τ. τρυβλίῳ, Matthew 26:23; mid., before εἰς, Mark 14:20.†

(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 Matthew 26:23

Range of meaning

'To dip in, dip into.' It is a compound of baptō, 'to dip', the root behind 'baptize', and is used of dipping food into a liquid or sauce. In the New Testament it occurs only here and in Mark 14:20. John 13:26 uses the simple baptō for dipping the morsel.

Against the English

English versions agree on 'dip'. They differ on tense. KJV 'dippeth' is present, like Mark's wording. BSB, ESV and NIV 'has dipped' and WEB, NASB and YLT 'dipped/did dip' follow Matthew's aorist (past) participle. NLT-style paraphrases turn it into 'eaten from this bowl', which keeps the meaning but loses the picture of the hand.

Used elsewhere in the period

Classical and Koine writers use it for dipping bread or food into sauces. Ruth 2:14 shows the same custom ('dip your morsel in the vinegar'; the LXX uses baptō). Sirach 31:14 LXX warns a guest not to reach where his host is looking and not to 'crowd him in the dish' (en trybliō), which shows that sharing a bowl came with etiquette and closeness.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 26:23 ἐμβάψας having dipped

    Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me.

    Here: 'Having dipped.' This is the ordinary table action of dipping bread or food into a shared bowl of sauce. The past (aorist) form treats it as something already done during this meal. Mark 14:20 uses the present form, 'the one dipping'.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 14:20 ἐμβαπτόμενος is dipping

    He answered, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping his hand into the bowl with Me.

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