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ὑπολαμβάνω

hypolambánō

G5274 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To take up from below or to support physically; in extended usage, to take up or carry on (e.g., a subject, speech, or task); to receive or take upon oneself; to assume or suppose something (often mentally); to answer, responding by taking up a previous statement or idea. The core sense centers on taking up, whether physically or by extension in thought or discourse.

Semantic Range

to take up from below, to carry, to receive, to assume or imagine, to presume, to answer or respond (esp. by taking up a previous statement or idea), to take responsibility for, to support (literally or figuratively)

Root / Etymology

From ὑπό ('under, beneath') and λαμβάνω ('take, grasp, receive'). The compound literally means 'to take from under' or 'to take up from below,' with metaphorical and transferred extensions in discourse and mental operations.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ὑπολαμβάνω is attested from the 5th century BCE, primarily with the sense of taking up or catching from below, whether an object or a task left by another. In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, the word frequently extends to the realm of conversation and cognition: to intercept or answer (by taking up what was previously said), or to assume/suppose something to be so. In the Septuagint, usage is mostly literal or as a translation of Hebrew terms for 'taking up.' In the New Testament, it often signals a response, especially to what has just been stated (e.g., 'answering, he said'—a formula in reported speech), and also the notion of assuming or presuming something mentally. English translations sometimes render it simply as 'answer' or 'suppose,' which does not always reflect the underlying nuance of 'taking up' either the thread of discourse or an idea. Unlike ἀποκρίνομαι ('to answer, reply'), ὑπολαμβάνω can emphasize the demeanor of picking up or responding to a prior assertion or assumption, sometimes with an overtone of presumption or mental inference.

Translation Consistency

primary "suppose" 2 occurrences

Most common and natural English rendering of ὑπολαμβάνω in typical NT contexts — it captures the primary extended sense of 'take up' mentally (assume, imagine, hold as true) and fits usages where one ‘takes up’ or responds to a previous point. It is more natural than technical alternatives (e.g., ‘assume’ or ‘receive’) and will yield readable, consistent renderings across the varied forms.

Alternatives (3 occurrences):
"answering" (1x) "received" (1x) "support" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ὑπό and λαμβάνω; to take from below, i.e. carry upward; figuratively, to take up, i.e. continue a discourse or topic; mentally, to assume (presume):--answer, receive, suppose.

Root Family

ὑπολαμβάνω (hypolambanō) — to take up, to receive, to assume, to answer

Root ὑπο-λαμβ- to take up, to receive, to assume, to answer

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G5274-02 ὑπολαβὼν upolabon V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG answering having taken up answering 1
G5274-05 ὑπολαμβάνω upolambano V PRS ACT IND 1P SG I suppose I take up I suppose 1
G5274-03 ὑπολαμβάνειν upolambanein V PRS ACT INF to support to take up to support 1
G5274-01 ὑπέλαβεν upelaben V AOR ACT IND 3P SG received he took up received 1
G5274-04 ὑπολαμβάνετε upolambanete V PRS ACT IND 2P PL suppose you are taking up suppose 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G5274-05 Luke 7:43 ὑπολαμβάνω upolambano V PRS ACT IND 1P SG I suppose I take up I suppose
G5274-02 Luke 10:30 ὑπολαβὼν upolabon V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG answering having taken up answering
G5274-01 Acts 1:9 ὑπέλαβεν upelaben V AOR ACT IND 3P SG received he took up received
G5274-04 Acts 2:15 ὑπολαμβάνετε upolambanete V PRS ACT IND 2P PL suppose you are taking up suppose
G5274-03 3 John 1:8 ὑπολαμβάνειν upolambanein V PRS ACT INF to support to take up to support
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