Greek word · G634

ἀποπίπτω

apopiptō

to fall from

To fall off or fall away from, of things that come loose: leaves, petals, scabs, attached objects. In later Greek it is also used figuratively of falling away from a position or hope (LSJ; BDAG s.v.).

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀπο-πίπτω

[in LXX for מָלַל, נָפַל, etc. ;]

to fall off: Acts 9:18.†

(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 9:18

Range of meaning

To fall off or fall away from, of things that come loose: leaves, petals, scabs, attached objects. In later Greek it is also used figuratively of falling away from a position or hope (LSJ; BDAG s.v.).

Against the English

'Fell from' (KJV, BSB, WEB) is accurate. The Greek also suggests something stuck on that came away.

Used elsewhere in the period

This is its only use in the New Testament. It is ordinary Greek for things dropping off. W. K. Hobart (1882) listed it among Luke's 'medical' words, but H. J. Cadbury (1926) showed that non-medical writers use it just as freely.

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 9:18 ἀπέπεσαν fell

    At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized,

    Here: 'Fell off.' The verb pictures something attached to a surface coming loose and dropping away. This is its only use in the New Testament.

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