Greek word · G2027

ἐποκέλλω

epokellō

to run aground

A seafaring term: to run a ship ashore or aground, whether on purpose (beaching) or by accident. It is a classical literary word, not ordinary spoken Greek.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐπι-κέλλω

of a ship, to run ashore: with accusative, Acts 27:41.†

(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 27:41

Range of meaning

A seafaring term: to run a ship ashore or aground, whether on purpose (beaching) or by accident. It is a classical literary word, not ordinary spoken Greek.

Against the English

All the major versions say 'ran aground'. Some make 'the ship' the subject ('the ship struck … and ran aground', BSB). The Greek has the crew drive the ship: 'they ran the ship aground'. KJV, YLT and WEB keep that.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used by Herodotus (e.g. 6.16; 7.182) and Thucydides (4.26) for ships driven onto shore. This is its only appearance in the New Testament, and it is not used in the Septuagint.

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 27:41 ἐπέκειλαν they ran aground

    But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was being broken up by the pounding of the waves.

    Here: A sailor's word for driving a ship onto shore or a shoal. Here it means the keel dug in. The verb takes 'the ship' as its object: what was meant as a controlled beaching ended in a grounding.

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