Greek word · G1910

ἐπιβαίνω

epibainō

to mount/board

To step onto, set foot on, mount (a horse), board (a ship), or enter a territory.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐπι-βαίνω

[in LXX chiefly for רָכַב ;]

1. to get up on, mount: before ἐπί, with accusative, Matthew 21:5 (LXX); to embark in (a boat), go aboard: with dative, Acts 27:2; before εἰς, Acts 21:6 (Rec.); absol., Acts 21:2.

2. to go up to, go on to, enter: before εἰς, Acts 20:18 21:4; with dative, Acts 25:1.†

(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 Acts 20:18

Range of meaning

To step onto, set foot on, mount (a horse), board (a ship), or enter a territory.

Against the English

KJV's 'came into' and BSB's 'arrived in' are correct but flatter. WEB, ESV and NASB keep the physical picture with 'set foot in'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deuteronomy 1:36 in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) uses it for the land Caleb 'set foot on'. Elsewhere in Acts it is used for boarding ships (21:2; 27:2) and for Festus entering his province (25:1, ἐπιβὰς τῇ ἐπαρχείᾳ). That last use is a close parallel for entering a Roman province.

From the study of Acts 21:4

Range of meaning

To step onto, mount (an animal), board (a ship), set foot in or arrive in (a place or province).

Against the English

NASB 'not to set foot in Jerusalem' is closest to the critical text. BSB/ESV/NIV 'go (on/up) to'. KJV/WEB/YLT 'go up', which reflects the Byzantine reading anabainein ('go up', the usual verb for pilgrimage to Jerusalem).

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament, Zech 9:9 has the king 'mounted' on a donkey (quoted in Matt 21:5). Acts 20:18 has 'from the first day I set foot in Asia', Acts 21:2 'we went aboard' a ship, Acts 25:1 Festus 'arriving in' his province, and Acts 27:2 'boarding' a ship.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 21:5 ἐπιβεβηκὼς already riding

    “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

    Here: A perfect participle, meaning he has climbed on and now sits there. It describes him as seated, mounted. The same word appears in the Greek of Zechariah 9:9.

Acts · 5

  1. Acts 20:18 ἐπέβην I arrived

    When they came to him, he said, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia.

    Here: 'I set foot in.' The picture is physical: stepping onto ground or into a territory. Paul marks the very moment he entered the province.

  2. Acts 21:2 ἐπιβάντες having gone on board

    Finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we boarded it and set sail.

  3. Acts 21:4 ἐπιβαίνειν to go up

    We sought out the disciples in Tyre and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they kept telling Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

    Here: Literally 'step onto'. Luke uses it for boarding ships (21:2) and for setting foot in a region (20:18). Here: 'not to set foot in Jerusalem', or more loosely, 'not to go on to Jerusalem'.

  4. Acts 25:1 ἐπιβὰς having arrived in

    Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem,

  5. Acts 27:2 ἐπιβάντες Having boarded

    We boarded an Adramyttian ship about to sail for ports along the coast of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

    Here: 'Having gone aboard.' The aorist participle presents boarding as one finished step before the main action of putting to sea. It is the ordinary word for getting onto a ship or an animal.

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