ἀναβλέπω
anablépō
G308 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
to look up, to regain or recover sight; primarily, to direct one's gaze upward (physically or metaphorically), but also in Koine Greek—especially in medical or healing contexts—to regain the capacity for sight or to recover vision. In narrative, may denote the act of turning one's attention upward or outward.
Semantic Range
to look up, to lift one's eyes, to recover sight, to regain the ability to see, to direct attention upward, (medically) to see again after blindness
Root / Etymology
From ἀνά (up, upward) + βλέπω (to see, to look). The compound construction indicates a motion or direction (upward) combined with the act of seeing. Root: βλέπω.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, ἀναβλέπω typically meant 'to look up' (from a lower to a higher position, such as looking up at the sky, the heavens, or a person of higher status). In the Hellenistic and Koine periods, particularly in the New Testament and Septuagint, the verb developed a specialized sense in medical or healing contexts—to 'recover sight' after blindness. This figurative extension is notable in healing pericopes, where the act of 'looking up' becomes synonymous with regaining vision, especially as a result of a miraculous or restorative act. Standard English translations often render the term as 'receive sight' or 'regain sight,' especially in accounts of healing (e.g. Mark 10:51; John 9:11). The sense of physically 'looking up' persists in certain narratives but is often contextually distinct from the sense of recovering eyesight. Unlike plain βλέπω ('to see'), ἀναβλέπω often carries the nuance either of a change in vantage (looking up from downcast eyes) or a transition from blindness to sight. There is no significant philosophical or theological meaning attached to its usage beyond these narrative and medical contexts.
Translation Consistency
«Look» is the most natural, versatile English verb that covers both senses in the SILEX: directing one’s gaze (often upward) and the common narrative phrasing used when sight is restored (e.g. “he looked up” after being healed). It preserves the active, intentional sense better than «see» and is easily inflected with particles (e.g. “look up”) where the upward direction needs to be explicit, ensuring consistent, natural rendering across all forms of G308.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἀνά and βλέπω; to look up; by implication, to recover sight:--look (up), see, receive sight.
Root Family
ἀναβλέπω (anablepō) — to look, to see, to observe, to look up, to regain sight
Word Forms
11 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G308-03 |
ἀναβλέψας | anablepsas | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
looking up | having looked up | having looked up | 7 |
G308-11 |
ἀνέβλεψεν | aneblepsen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
he received his sight | he looked up | he looked up | 5 |
G308-07 |
ἀναβλέψω | anablepso | V AOR ACT SUBJ 1P SG |
I may recover sight | I may look up | I may look up | 2 |
G308-01 |
ἀναβλέπουσιν | anablepousin | V PRS ACT IND 3P PL |
receive sight | they look up | they look up | 2 |
G308-09 |
ἀνέβλεψα | aneblepsa | V AOR ACT IND 1P SG |
I looked up | I looked up | I looked up | 2 |
G308-08 |
ἀνάβλεψον | anablepson | V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG |
receive your sight | Look up! | Look up! | 2 |
G308-04 |
ἀναβλέψασαι | anablepsasai | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM F PL |
looking up | having looked up | having looked up | 1 |
G308-02 |
ἀναβλέψαντος | anablepsantos | V AOR ACT PTCP GEN M SG |
who had received his sight | of having looked up | having received sight | 1 |
G308-06 |
ἀναβλέψῃς | anablepses | V AOR ACT SUBJ 2P SG |
you may regain your sight | you might look up | you may regain your sight | 1 |
G308-10 |
ἀνέβλεψαν | aneblepsan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
they received sight | they looked up | they regained sight | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
25 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G308-01 |
Matthew 11:5 | ἀναβλέπουσιν | anablepousin | V PRS ACT IND 3P PL |
receive their sight | they look up | they look up |
G308-03 |
Matthew 14:19 | ἀναβλέψας | anablepsas | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
looking up | having looked up | having looked up |
G308-10 |
Matthew 20:34 | ἀνέβλεψαν | aneblepsan | V AOR ACT IND 3P PL |
they received sight | they looked up | they regained sight |
G308-03 |
Mark 6:41 | ἀναβλέψας | anablepsas | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
looking up | having looked up | having looked up |
G308-03 |
Mark 7:34 | ἀναβλέψας | anablepsas | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
looking up | having looked up | having looked up |
G308-03 |
Mark 8:24 | ἀναβλέψας | anablepsas | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
he looked up | having looked up | having looked up |
G308-07 |
Mark 10:51 | ἀναβλέψω | anablepso | V AOR ACT SUBJ 1P SG |
I might recover sight | I may look up | I may look up |
G308-11 |
Mark 10:52 | ἀνέβλεψεν | aneblepsen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
he received his sight | he looked up | he looked up |
G308-04 |
Mark 16:4 | ἀναβλέψασαι | anablepsasai | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM F PL |
looking up | having looked up | having looked up |
G308-01 |
Luke 7:22 | ἀναβλέπουσιν | anablepousin | V PRS ACT IND 3P PL |
receive sight | they look up | they look up |