Greek word · G5221

ὑπαντάω

hypantaō

to go meet

To go toward someone and meet them, often deliberately going out of one's own place to receive or confront an arriving person.

Appears 10 times in 10 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὑπ-αντάω, -ῶ

[in LXX: Dan LXX 10:14 (קָרָה), Sirach 9:3, al. ;]

to go to meet, meet: with dative of person(s) (see M, Pr., 64), Matthew 8:28 28:9, Mark 5:2, Luke 8:27 17:12 (ἀπ-, WH, txt.), John 4:51 11:20, 30 12:18, Acts 16:16; of meeting in battle, Luke 14:31.†

(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 11:20

Range of meaning

To go toward someone and meet them, often deliberately going out of one's own place to receive or confront an arriving person. It covers friendly welcome (John 4:51, servants meeting the official), hostile encounter (Matt 8:28; Luke 14:31, a king meeting an army), and the public reception of an arriving notable (John 12:18).

Against the English

'Met him' (KJV, WEB, YLT) can sound like a chance encounter. 'Went out to meet' (BSB and most modern versions) keeps the sense of setting out on purpose.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in Koine Greek. The related noun forms (hypantēsis, apantēsis) were used for a town going out to receive an arriving dignitary. John uses hypantēsis for the crowd going out to meet Jesus at his entry into Jerusalem (12:13), and Paul uses apantēsis in 1 Thess 4:17. In the Septuagint the verb translates Hebrew words for going to meet someone (e.g. qr', 'to meet').

From the study of John 12:18

Range of meaning

To go to meet, to encounter someone coming the other way. Depending on context it can mean a friendly welcome, a hostile confrontation (Luke 14:31 uses a related verb of an army) or a chance encounter.

Against the English

KJV 'met him'. BSB and WEB add the movement ('went out to meet', 'went and met'), which fits better: the crowd left the city to go toward Jesus.

Used elsewhere in the period

Verse 13 uses the related noun phrase eis hypantēsin, 'for a meeting', a phrase used in Greek writers and the LXX for going out to greet an arriving person. This was a known civic custom: a city's people went out to receive an arriving king, general or dignitary and escort him in. Examples include Josephus, Antiquities 11.329–339 (Jerusalem's priests going out to Alexander the Great) and 1 Maccabees 13:51 (Simon entering Jerusalem with palm branches and songs).

From the study of John 11:30

Range of meaning

To go out to meet or encounter someone. It can be friendly (going out to greet an arriving guest) or hostile (going out to face an enemy, e.g. Luke 14:31). It refers to deliberate movement toward someone who is approaching.

Against the English

English "met" can mean a chance encounter. The Greek is more active: Martha left the house and went out along the road to reach Jesus before he arrived.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in Koine Greek and the Septuagint for going out to meet arrivals. John uses the related noun hypantēsis in 12:13, when the crowd goes out to meet Jesus with palm branches. Going out of town to greet an important arrival was a familiar custom in the Greco-Roman world (BDAG s.v. ὑπαντάω; cf. ἀπάντησις).

Similar words

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 8:28 ὑπήντησαν met

    When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, He was met by two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.

    Here: "They came out to meet him." The men are the first to make a move, before Jesus does anything. Matthew bookends the story with the same idea: in 8:34 the whole town comes out "to meet" Jesus, but only to ask him to leave.

  2. Matthew 28:9 ὑπήντησεν met with

    Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him.

    Here: 'Came to meet them' or 'met them face to face'. Jesus makes the first move: he steps into their path. They are not looking for him.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 5:2 ὑπήντησεν met with

    As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.

    Here: 'Met him': came out toward him and faced him. The verb doesn't say whether the meeting is friendly or hostile, and either is possible here. The man comes straight at the newcomer.

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 8:27 ὑπήντησεν met

    When Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothing or lived in a house, but he stayed in the tombs.

  2. Luke 14:31 ὑπαντῆσαι to meet

    Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand?

John · 4

  1. John 4:51 ὑπήντησαν met

    And while he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive.

    Here: They came out to meet him on the road. They did not simply run into him by chance. The word suggests deliberate movement toward someone, as when people go out to meet an arriving person.

  2. John 11:20 ὑπήντησεν met

    So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home.

    Here: 'Went out to meet', literally to go toward someone and meet them on the way. Jesus was still outside the village (v. 30), so Martha goes out to him. She does not wait for him to arrive at the house.

  3. John 11:30 ὑπήντησεν met

    Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him.

    Here: The same verb as in v. 20, when Martha 'went and met him.' It means going out to meet someone who is arriving, not bumping into them by chance. The aorist is a simple past, which English naturally renders 'had met.'

  4. John 12:18 ὑπήντησεν met

    That is also why the crowd went out to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.

    Here: Past tense, a single event: the crowd went out from the city to meet him on the road. It echoes v.13 ('went out to meet him', using the related noun), the language of a public welcome for an arriving dignitary.

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 16:16 ὑπαντῆσαι meeting by

    One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.

    Here: She came up and met them on the road. In Greek this verb completes 'it happened': 'it happened... that a slave girl met us'.

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