ἐπιστάντες
ephístēmi
attacking
To stand over, to come up to, or to approach with emphasis or immediacy. In its primary sense, ἐφίστημι denotes the act of standing at or by someone or something, often with the implication of arrival, imminent action, or attentive presence. Contextually, it can mean to come upon suddenly (often with a sense of confrontation or surprise), to appear before (in a neutral or official capacity), or to stand by (in a supportive or observant manner). In military, judicial, or narrative contexts, it may specifically refer to approaching, confronting, attacking, or presenting oneself before a person or group.
Acts 17:5 · Word #18
Lexicon G2186
| Lemma | ἐφίστημι |
| Transliteration | ephístēmi |
| Strong's | G2186 |
| Definition | To stand over, to come up to, or to approach with emphasis or immediacy. In its primary sense, ἐφίστημι denotes the act of standing at or by someone or something, often with the implication of arrival, imminent action, or attentive presence. Contextually, it can mean to come upon suddenly (often with a sense of confrontation or surprise), to appear before (in a neutral or official capacity), or to stand by (in a supportive or observant manner). In military, judicial, or narrative contexts, it may specifically refer to approaching, confronting, attacking, or presenting oneself before a person or group. |
Morphology V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M PL
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | AOR — Aorist — Simple occurrence, often past |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | PTCP — Participle — A verbal adjective |
| Case | NOM — Nominative — The subject of the sentence |
| Gender | M — Masculine — Grammatical masculine |
| Number | PL — Plural — More than one |
Common Translation
| Phrase | attacking |
| Literal | having-stood-upon |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | ἐφίστημι |
| Strong's | G2186 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G2186-07
having come upon
| Morphological Notes | Verb, aorist active participle, nominative masculine plural (PAA NMP); denotes completed action, functioning adjectivally or substantivally, referring to masculine plural subjects. |
| Rendering Rationale | The aorist active participle denotes a completed act of approaching or standing over. "Having come upon" preserves the intensified sense of sudden or emphatic nearness inherent in ἐπί + ἵστημι while reflecting the participial, completed action. |
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