Word Study for G1276 (διαπεράω)

diaperáō /dee-ap-er-ah'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom διά and a derivative of the base of πέραν

Meaningto cross entirely

KJV usagego over, pass (over), sail over.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of diaperáō — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word diaperáō, represented by G1276, means to cross entirely. It is derived from διά and a derivative of the base of πέραν. It appears 6 times across 6 unique verses in the Bible and is used to describe an action of going over, passing over, or sailing over a space.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, G1276 most often describes the physical act of crossing a body of water by boat. This is seen repeatedly in the Gospels as Jesus and his disciples travel. For example, after entering a ship, Jesus passed over to his own city Matthew 9:1. Similarly, Jesus passed over again by ship to the other side of the sea Mark 5:21. The word is also used to describe Paul's missionary travels, where he found a ship sailing over to Phenicia Acts 21:2. A unique and figurative use appears in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, where a great gulf is fixed so that no one can pass from one side to the other Luke 16:26.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context of crossing and travel:

G1224 diabaínō (to cross): This word also means to cross, but it is used in Luke 16:26 alongside G1276 to emphasize the complete impossibility of traversing the great gulf.
G1684 embaínō (to walk on, i.e. embark): This term often precedes the action of G1276, signifying the act of getting into a ship before the journey. Jesus and his disciples would first enter a ship and then pass over Matthew 9:1.
G4143 ploîon (a sailer, i.e. vessel): This is the word for the ship or vessel used to perform the action of G1276. The crossings described in Matthew 9:1, Mark 5:21, and Acts 21:2 are all explicitly connected with a ship.

Theological Significance

The significance of G1276 is found in its application to both literal and figurative journeys.

Ministerial Movement: The word frequently marks a transition in Jesus' physical location as He moves from one area of ministry to another. His crossings to places like Gennesaret were purposeful journeys to continue His work Matthew 14:34.
Apostolic Mission: In Acts, the term is applied to the travels of the apostles, demonstrating the continuation of this mission-focused movement as they carry the gospel to new regions Acts 21:2.
Irrevocable Separation: The most profound use of G1276 is in Luke 16:26. Here, its meaning of "to cross entirely" highlights a theological truth about the finality of one's state after death. The inability to pass the great gulf signifies an absolute and permanent separation.

Summary

In summary, G1276 is a specific verb that denotes a complete crossing. While most of its uses are literal, describing Jesus and the apostles sailing across water to fulfill their missions, its single figurative use provides a powerful image of an impassable spiritual barrier. The word effectively captures the theme of transition, whether it is a physical journey from one shore to another or the inability to cross a divide in the afterlife.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 6 occurrences, inflected in 5 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 2×
Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
Aorist Active Participle Genitive Singular Masculine 1×
Present Active Participle Accusative Singular Neuter 1×
Present Active Subjunctive 3rd Plural 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Genitive: Possession or source — often "of".
Accusative: The direct object of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Neuter: Neuter grammatical gender.
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Subjunctive: Possibility or purpose — "might", "should".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 6 verses across 4 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Matthew and Mark (2 verses each); never once in the other 23.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

Acts

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.