Greek word · G1904

ἐπέρχομαι

eperchomai

to arrive/invade

To come upon, approach, arrive. Often hostile: to attack or overtake, used of enemies, storms and disasters. It can also be neutral or positive ('the Holy Spirit will come upon you', Luke 1:35).

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐπ-έρχομαι,

[in LXX for בּוֹא, עָבַר, etc. ;]

1. to come to, arrive, come on: before ἀπό, with genitive loc., Acts 14:19 (ἐπῆλθαν; cf. M, Pr., 65; Deiss., BS, 191); of time, Ephesians 2:7.

2. to come upon (as in Hom.): of calamities, Luke 21:26, Acts 8:24 13:40, James 5:1; of an enemy, Luke 11:22; of the Holy Spirit, Luke 1:35, Acts 1:8, [in LXX: γίγνομαι ἐπί, Judges 14:6, 1 Kings 11:6, al.].†

(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 James 5:1

Range of meaning

To come upon, approach, arrive. Often hostile: to attack or overtake, used of enemies, storms and disasters. It can also be neutral or positive ('the Holy Spirit will come upon you', Luke 1:35).

Against the English

KJV's 'shall come upon you' and BSB's 'to come upon you' make it sound future. ESV, NASB and WEB's 'are coming upon you' keeps the present tense: the disasters are already moving toward them.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 21:26, 'the things coming upon the world'; Luke 11:22, the stronger man 'attacks' (ἐπελθών). In classical Greek and the Septuagint it is common for enemies or calamities advancing on someone.

From the study of Acts 1:8

Range of meaning

To come upon, arrive, approach. It can also mean to overtake, sometimes with hostile force (Luke 11:22, a stronger man attacking). It is used of events that 'come upon' people, such as disasters (Luke 21:26) or a coming age.

Against the English

'Comes upon' (BSB, ESV, NIV), 'is come upon' (KJV), 'at the coming of … upon you' (YLT). All are accurate. The Greek is a participle clause, literally 'the Holy Spirit having come upon you,' and it ties the power to the Spirit's arrival.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 32:15 (LXX): 'until a spirit from on high comes upon you (heōs an epelthē eph' hymas pneuma aph' hypsēlou),' a promise of Israel's renewal in which the wilderness becomes a fruitful field. Luke 1:35: 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you (pneuma hagion epeleusetai epi se), and the power (dynamis) of the Most High will overshadow you.'

From the study of Acts 13:40

Range of meaning

To come upon, arrive, approach. Often hostile: to attack or overtake (of enemies, calamity, night or a season). It can also be neutral or positive, as when the Holy Spirit 'comes upon' Mary (Luke 1:35) or the apostles (Acts 1:8).

Against the English

BSB 'happen to you' is accurate but flatter. 'Come upon you' (KJV, WEB, YLT) keeps the picture of something advancing on a person.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke favors the word (Luke 1:35; 11:22; 21:26; Acts 1:8; 8:24; 14:19). In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint, LXX) it is used of disasters and covenant curses overtaking people. Compare Simon's plea in Acts 8:24, 'that none of these things may come upon me.'

Where it appears

Luke · 3

  1. Luke 1:35 ἐπελεύσεται will come

    The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

    Here: "Will come upon." The word can be used of attacks or disasters, but with the Spirit as subject it means God's power coming down. Luke uses it again for Pentecost (Acts 1:8), and it echoes Isaiah 32:15 in the Greek Old Testament.

  2. Luke 11:22 ἐπελθὼν having come upon [him]

    But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up his plunder.

  3. Luke 21:26 ἐπερχομένων is coming

    Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Acts · 4

  1. Acts 1:8 ἐπελθόντος when was coming

    But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

    Here: 'Having come upon.' A time clause: the power arrives when the Spirit comes. The verb is the one Gabriel uses to Mary in Luke 1:35 and the one Isaiah 32:15 (Greek) uses for the Spirit poured out on Israel.

  2. Acts 8:24 ἐπέλθῃ may come

    Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

    Here: 'Come upon,' often used of trouble or judgment overtaking someone. It pictures Peter's words as something that could arrive and fall on him.

  3. Acts 13:40 ἐπέλθῃ may come about

    Watch out, then, that what was spoken by the prophets does not happen to you:

    Here: Literally 'come upon.' Luke often uses it for something that comes over people from outside, whether an attacker, a disaster or power (Luke 11:22; 21:26; Acts 8:24). Here it suggests a prophetic word that comes on its hearers like an advancing force. The subjunctive mood leaves it as a possibility the hearers can still avoid.

  4. Acts 14:19 Ἐπῆλθαν Came

    Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.

    Here: 'Came upon' or 'arrived on the scene'. The verb often describes something that comes against a person, like an enemy or a disaster, so the arrival has a threatening edge. It stands first in the sentence for emphasis.

Ephesians · 1

  1. Ephesians 2:7 ἐπερχομένοις [are] coming

    in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

    Here: "Coming on, approaching." The present tense pictures the ages as already on their way toward the readers, like a wave rolling in, not as a remote abstraction.

James · 1

  1. James 5:1 ἐπερχομέναις. coming.

    Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.

    Here: 'Coming upon', present tense: already on the way. The verb often describes an enemy closing in or a disaster overtaking someone. It looks ahead to 'the last days' (5:3), 'the coming of the Lord is near' (5:8) and 'the Judge is standing at the door' (5:9).

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