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Chapter 10 · Lesson 10.3 · Preposition
Preposition – ἐπί ‘on, upon’
ObjectivesLearning objectives
- The morphology, syntax, and semantics of the preposition ἐπί ‘on, upon’
VocabularyVocabulary
| Greek | Gloss | Part of speech | Paradigm |
|---|---|---|---|
| τὸ ὄνομα, -ατος | the name | noun | B.a.γ.i(a) |
| ἄλλος, -η, -ο | different | adjective | A.a.α |
| τὸ ἔλαιον, -ου | the olive oil | noun | B.a.β.ii |
| στρέφομαί σοι | (I) turn around to you (dat) | verb | C.a.η |
| πίμπλημι τὴν τῆς | (I) fill the (acc) with (gen) | verb | C.a.ε |
| ἀποστέλλω σε εἰς τόπον | (I) send you (acc) to a place (acc) | verb | C.a.ι |
Table 90 (continued)
NoteVerbs and their arguments: Location
As discussed in 7.4.3.3, the nature of the noun as either a person or a location is grammatically-significant in Greek – locations take the preposition εἰς and people take the preposition πρός. Verbs that require motion towards something, such as ἀποστέλλω, either involve movement towards a location or a person. Because of this, the argument structure of ἀποστέλλω could be written either as ἀποστέλλω σε πρὸς σε or ἀποστέλλω σε εἰς τόπον. Since locations are grammatically-significant like animate arguments, verbs that take locations as arguments will now be marked with τόπος just as verbs that take animate arguments are marked with 2nd person pronouns. In most cases, verbs of motion will alternate between εἰς τόπον and πρός σε, so the presence of the former in the vocabulary tables does not preclude the possibility of the latter.
MorphologyMorphology: Preposition – ἐπί
- ἐπί is an elision preposition (see 4.4.3.1)
| ἐπί + consonant | ἐπὶτράπεζαν |
|---|---|
| ἐπί + smooth vowel | ἐπ’οἶκον |
| ἐπί + rough vowel | ἐφ’ἵππον |
SyntaxSyntax: Preposition – ἐπί + accusative, dative, genitive
Many prepositions only take nouns in a single case, but there are some, like ἐπί, that allow for multiple cases. The meaning of the preposition will normally vary depending on the case of the noun that follows it. The preposition ἐπί can take nouns in the genitive, dative, and accusative.
SemanticsSemantics: Preposition – ἐπί + accusative, dative, genitive
As we have already said, the preposition ἐπί usually means ‘on’ something, and this basic idea holds regardless of the following noun’s case. There are, however, different nuances to the meaning of the preposition depending on the case.
NoteAccusative uses
With the accusative, ἐπί can be used to refer to a static location on another object:
There won’t be left here λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον [stone upon stone] (Matt 24:2)
In addition to one object being on top of another, ἐπί can also refer to being at or near an object:
Jesus stands ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν [at the door] (Rev 3:20)
With verbs that imply motion of some kind, it can also give the final endpoint of the motion, particularly when the motion involves someone or something going down:
The Spirit descended and, like a dove, came ἐπ’ αὐτόν [upon him] (Matt 3:16)
NoteGenitive uses
With the genitive case, ἐπί more commonly refers to a static location of something being ‘on’ something else, though the movement may take place on the surface of the location being referred to, as in the following example:
Jesus walks ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης [on the sea] (Matt 14:26)
The genitive is also used in legal contexts where someone stands before an authority figure:
Jesus witnessed ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου [before Pontius Pilate] (1 Tim 6:13))
Finally, ἐπί with the genitive can mean ‘on the basis of,’ as in 1 Tim 5:19 in Paul’s quotation of the Torah:
Accusations must be established ἐπὶ [on the basis of] two or three witnesses
NoteDative uses
The dative case is not used for direction towards something, but it is sometimes used for static locations just like the genitive and accusative. It can also introduce something on which something else depends, as in Matthew 4:4:
Man does not live only ἐπ’ ἄρτῳ [on bread]
It is also used to introduce an addition to something, as in Luke 3:20 where Herod’s evil deeds are enumerated:
[He] added this ἐπί [on top of] everything, namely he shut up John in prison
Although the preposition ἐπί is quite broad, many of its meanings map fairly closely to ‘on’ in English, whether the interpretations are describing a physical location or something metaphorical.
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New Testament text shown on hover: Greek from the SBLGNT, © 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0; English from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain).