Greek word · G2955

κύπτω

kyptō

to stoop/bend down

To bend forward, stoop, bow the head or body down.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κύπτω

[in LXX chiefly for קָדַד ;]

to bow the head, stoop down: Mark 1:7; before κάτω, John 8:6, 8 (cf. ἀνα-, παρα-, συν-κύπτω).†

κατα-κύπτω,

[in LXX: 2 Kings 9:32 (שָׁקַף hi.)* ;]

to bend down, stoop: John 8:8 (κάτω κύψας, Rec., WH, mg.).†

(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 8:6

Range of meaning

To bend forward, stoop, bow the head or body down.

Against the English

KJV and WEB have 'stooped down'. BSB, NIV and NLT have 'bent down' or 'stooped down'. All are accurate. Here the Greek doubles the downward movement with κάτω ('down').

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 1:7 uses it for stooping to untie a sandal. The compound παρακύπτω is used for stooping to look into the tomb (John 20:5, 11). In the Septuagint, κύπτω can describe bowing in homage or bowing the head in shame or humility.

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 1:7 κύψας having stooped down

    And he proclaimed: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

    Here: Only Mark has this word. It turns the statement into a physical picture: bending to the ground at someone's feet. That is the posture of a servant kneeling to deal with a master's footwear.

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