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ὑπάντησις

hypántēsis

G5222 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Primarily, an act of coming to meet or encountering someone, especially as a formal or significant meeting; denotes the event or process of going out to receive or welcome another, often in an official or purposeful context. The term can also convey the idea of an assembly convened to receive someone, such as an honored guest or dignitary.

Semantic Range

act of meeting, formal encounter, welcoming reception, process of going out to meet, assembly for reception

Root / Etymology

From the verb ὑπαντάω ('to go to meet, to encounter, to approach'), which is itself derived from ὑπό ('under') + ἀντάω ('to meet, to encounter'). The noun form ὑπάντησις directly expresses the event or occasion of meeting or encountering.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical and Hellenistic Greek, ὑπάντησις typically described the act of going forth to meet someone, particularly as part of hospitality or honorific custom, such as welcoming a returning dignitary, a guest, or a victorious leader. In the Septuagint, it may describe encounters with both positive and negative connotations, ranging from welcoming to confrontational approaches. In New Testament usage, including 1 Thessalonians 4:17, ὑπάντησις refers to a meeting or encounter with someone arriving, often in a ceremonial or significant sense, such as members of a group going out to welcome an arriving figure and then accompanying them back. English translations commonly render it as 'meeting,' but the underlying Greek often connotes not just a gathering, but the purposeful act of going out to receive someone, with implications of respect, honor, or shared identity. This nuance is not always preserved in standard English translation. The word can contrast with more general terms for assembling or gathering (συνάγω, ἐκκλησία), as it emphasizes the movement toward and reception of an arriving party rather than simply gathering together.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ὑπαντάω; an encounter or concurrence (with εἰς for infinitive, in order to fall in with):--meeting.

Root Family

ὑπαντη- (hypántēsis) — to meet, to encounter, to approach

Root ὑπαντη- to meet, to encounter, to approach

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5222-01 ὑπάντησιν upantesin N ACC F SG meet a formal meeting a formal meeting 3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5222-01 Matthew 8:34 ὑπάντησιν upantesin N ACC F SG meet a formal meeting a meeting
G5222-01 Matthew 25:1 ὑπάντησιν upantesin N ACC F SG meet a formal meeting a formal meeting
G5222-01 John 12:13 ὑπάντησιν upantesin N ACC F SG meet a formal meeting a formal meeting
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