Greek word · G3343
μεταπέμπω
metapempō
to summon
In the middle voice: 'send for, summon (someone) to oneself'. It is often official or formal: summoning a witness, an envoy, or a prisoner.
Appears 9 times in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
μετα-πέμπω
[in LXX (mid.) : Genesis 27:45 (לָקַח), Numbers 23:7 (נָחָה: hi.), 2Ma.15:31, 3Ma.5:18 R, 4Ma.12:3 4Mac 12:6 * ;]
to send after or for: pass., Acts 10:29 a. Chiefly in mid., to send for, summon Acts 10:5, 22 10:29 b Acts 11:13 20:1 24:24, 26 25:3.†
(AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
In the middle voice: 'send for, summon (someone) to oneself'. It is often official or formal: summoning a witness, an envoy, or a prisoner.
- Against the English
KJV and YLT 'send for' and WEB/BSB 'summon' are all accurate. NASB and NIV turn it into having Paul 'brought' or 'transferred', which fits the sense and highlights the administrative movement of a prisoner.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Acts uses it for Cornelius sending for Peter (10:5, 22, 29; 11:13) and for Felix repeatedly sending for Paul (24:24, 26). It is common in papyri and historians for official summonses.
- Range of meaning
To send for, summon, have someone fetched. In the middle voice it means summoning someone to oneself.
- Against the English
"Sent for" or "called for" is accurate. English loses the sense of power: a prisoner does not visit; he is brought.
- Used elsewhere in the period
This is a favourite word of Luke's in Acts: 10:5, 22, 29; 11:13; 20:1; 24:24 (Felix sends for Paul with Drusilla); and 25:3 (the priests ask Festus to send for Paul so they can ambush him). Elsewhere in Greek it is ordinary official language for summoning.
Where it appears
Acts · 9
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Acts 10:5 μετάπεμψαι do yourself summon
Now send men to Joppa to call for a man named Simon who is called Peter.
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Acts 10:22 μεταπέμψασθαί to send for
“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”
Here: Middle voice: 'to have someone fetched to oneself'. It is the normal verb for a person of standing sending for someone. Here it is an invitation, though it carries the politeness of an official summons.
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Acts 10:29 μεταπεμφθείς. μετεπέμψασθέ having been summoned., did you summon
So when I was invited, I came without objection. I ask, then, why have you sent for me?”
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Acts 11:13 μετάπεμψαι do yourself send for
He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
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Acts 20:1 μεταπεμψάμενος having summoned [him]
When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples. And after encouraging them, he said goodbye to them and left for Macedonia.
Here: 'Having sent for'. Paul sent word to bring the believers to him, which suggests they were scattered around the city or meeting in different households.
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Acts 24:24 μετεπέμψατο he sent for
After several days, Felix returned with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.
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Acts 24:26 μεταπεμπόμενος sending for
At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked with him.
Here: Middle voice, which means sending for someone to come to oneself. It is a governor's word: Felix had Paul brought to him under guard whenever he liked.
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Acts 25:3 μεταπέμψηται he may summon
to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.
Here: Middle voice: 'send for (someone) to come to oneself'. It is an official word for having a person fetched. They want Festus to have Paul brought up from Caesarea, and on the surface this sounds like a routine change of venue for the trial.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.