Greek word · G5270

ὑποκάτω

hypokatō

under

'Down beneath the feet'. Hupokatō is an emphatic 'under'. The phrase translates Hebrew taḥat raglāyw, 'under his feet', the standard ancient Near Eastern image of a ruler's complete dominion or a conqueror's victory.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ύπο-κάτω comp. adv. (see M, Pr., 99),

[in LXX chiefly for תַּחַת ;]

below, under: as prep. with genitive, Matthew 22:44, Mark 6:11 7:28 12:36 (Rec., R, txt., ὑποπόδιον, as in LXX), Luke 8:16, John 1:51, Hebrews 2:8" (LXX), Revelation 5:3, 13 6:9 12:1.†

(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 Hebrews 2:8

Range of meaning

'Down beneath the feet'. Hupokatō is an emphatic 'under'. The phrase translates Hebrew taḥat raglāyw, 'under his feet', the standard ancient Near Eastern image of a ruler's complete dominion or a conqueror's victory.

Against the English

English 'under his feet' keeps the image, but modern readers may take it as a loose idiom. To ancient hearers it was a concrete picture of a throne-room or battlefield.

Used elsewhere in the period

Joshua's captains put their feet on the necks of defeated kings (Josh 10:24). Solomon speaks of enemies put 'under the soles of his feet' (1 Kgs 5:3). Psalm 110:1 has 'until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet', which Hebrews quotes at 1:13 and alludes to at 10:13. Egyptian royal footstools and sandals were decorated with bound foreign captives so that the king literally trod on his enemies (see Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World).

From the study of Mark 12:36

Range of meaning

Hypokatō: 'below, underneath'. With 'feet' it is the language of conquest and total subjection.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT have 'footstool', following later manuscripts and the Septuagint. Modern critical-text versions (BSB, NIV, ESV) have 'under your feet'. To a modern reader 'footstool' can sound like a cushion for comfort. The Hebrew hadom ('footstool') was a royal object, and ancient footstools sometimes showed bound captives, so the king literally rested his feet on his enemies.

How it drifted

'Footstool' became a domestic furniture word in English and lost its royal, military sense.

Used elsewhere in the period

Joshua 10:24 (feet on the necks of conquered kings). Psalm 8:6 Greek: 'you subjected all things ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ'. Egyptian royal footstools, such as those from Tutankhamun's tomb, are decorated with bound foreign enemies (Keel, Symbolism of the Biblical World). Matthew 22:44 also reads ὑποκάτω, while Luke 20:43 keeps ὑποπόδιον.

From the study of Matthew 22:44

Range of meaning

hypokatō: "underneath, below." hypopodion (G5286): "footstool."

Against the English

"Under your feet" (critical text) and "a footstool for your feet" (Majority text) say the same thing. To a modern ear "footstool" can sound like harmless furniture.

How it drifted

A modern footstool is something comfortable for resting your feet. The ancient footstool was a picture of subjugation.

Used elsewhere in the period

Tutankhamun's footstools are carved with bound foreign captives, so the king literally rested his feet on his enemies. Joshua's commanders put their feet on the necks of conquered kings (Josh 10:24). Solomon speaks of God putting enemies "under the soles of his feet" (1 Kgs 5:3). Ps 8:6 (LXX 8:7) uses hypokatō tōn podōn, and that wording probably influenced Matthew's and Mark's form of the quotation.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 22:44 ὑποκάτω [as] a footstool

    ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’

    Here: "Underneath": the enemies end up under his feet, conquered and humiliated. (The supplied gloss "[as] a footstool" belongs to the other reading, hypopodion; see textual notes.)

Mark · 3

  1. Mark 6:11 ὑποκάτω under

    If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them.”

    Here: 'Under' the feet. This specifies the dust on the soles of their sandals, picked up from walking in that town.

  2. Mark 7:28 ὑποκάτω under

    “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

  3. Mark 12:36 ὑποκάτω under

    Speaking by the Holy Spirit, David himself declared: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’

    Here: 'Down under'. The critical text has this where the Greek Old Testament has 'footstool'. It may echo Psalm 8:6, 'you put all things under his feet'. Either way the picture is total subjection.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 8:16 ὑποκάτω under

    No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.

    Here: 'Down underneath.' The word is stronger than a plain 'under,' and it pictures the lamp shoved into the dark space below the furniture.

John · 1

  1. John 1:50 ὑποκάτω under

    Jesus said to him, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”

    Here: 'Underneath' the tree, in its shade. It is a slightly fuller word than the simple 'under' (hypo) of v. 48, but the meaning is the same.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 2:8 ὑποκάτω under

    and placed everything under his feet.” When God subjected all things to him, He left nothing outside of his control. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.

    Here: 'Down underneath', a stronger form of 'under' that turns the subjection into a picture: everything lies at the ruler's feet.

Revelation · 4

  1. Revelation 5:3 ὑποκάτω under

    But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it.

  2. Revelation 5:13 ὑποκάτω under

    And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!”

    Here: "Beneath" the earth, meaning the underworld where the dead are (Hebrew Sheol, Greek Hades). It means the realm of the dead, not specifically hell.

  3. Revelation 6:9 ὑποκάτω under

    And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.

    Here: "Down underneath", a stronger word than plain "under". It places the souls at the base of the altar, where the Law said sacrificial blood was to be poured out (Leviticus 4:7).

  4. Revelation 12:1 ὑποκάτω under

    And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.

    Here: 'Right underneath'. Something under the feet is beneath you: a footstool, or a sign of rule over it (Ps 8:6; 110:1).

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