Word Study for G2018 (ἐπιφέρω)

epiphérō /ep-ee-fer'-o/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom ἐπί and φέρω

Meaningto bear upon (or further), i.e. adduce (personally or judicially (accuse, inflict)), superinduce

KJV usageadd, bring (against), take.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of epiphérō — 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 epiphérō, represented by G2018, means to bear upon or further. It appears 5 times across 5 unique verses in the Bible. Its meaning is versatile, encompassing the act of bringing a legal accusation, inflicting a punishment or suffering, and even the simple physical act of carrying an item to someone.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The usage of G2018 varies significantly by context. In a legal sense, it describes the act of lodging a formal complaint, as when Paul's accusers G2725 brought no accusation against him of the sort that Festus expected Acts 25:18. This is paralleled in Jude 1:9, where Michael the archangel did not dare to bring against the devil a railing accusation. The word is also used to denote inflicting something negative, such as Paul's opponents seeking to add affliction G2347 to his bonds Philippians 1:16, or questioning if God is unrighteous to taketh vengeance G3709 Romans 3:5. In a purely physical sense, it describes how handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from Paul's body to heal the sick Acts 19:12.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the different applications of epiphérō:

G2725 katḗgoros (a complainant at law; specially, Satan:--accuser): This word is used for the very accusers who failed to bring a valid charge against Paul, highlighting the legal context of G2018 Acts 25:18.
G2347 thlîpsis (pressure (literally or figuratively):--afflicted(-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble): This is the affliction that some intended to add to Paul, showing how G2018 can mean to superimpose suffering Philippians 1:16.
G3709 orgḗ (properly, desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind), i.e. (by analogy), violent passion (ire, or (justifiable) abhorrence); by implication punishment:--anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath): This is the vengeance that God taketh or inflicts, linking G2018 to the execution of divine judgment Romans 3:5.

Theological Significance

The theological concepts associated with G2018 revolve around authority, judgment, and the transference of power.

Delegated Authority: In the confrontation over Moses' body, Michael the archangel does not bring his own accusation but defers to a higher power, saying "The Lord rebuke thee" Jude 1:9. This demonstrates a principle of divine order and restraint in judgment.
Infliction of Consequences: The term is used for both the infliction of divine vengeance G3709 Romans 3:5 and the addition of human affliction G2347 Philippians 1:16, illustrating its connection to the application of both just and malicious outcomes.
Physical Conduits for Healing: The literal act of bringing items from Paul's body resulted in the departure of diseases G3554 and evil spirits Acts 19:12, showing that God can use physical means to manifest his spiritual power.

Summary

In summary, G2018 is a dynamic verb that moves beyond a simple definition of "to bring." It carries significant weight in legal proceedings, as seen in the failure to bring a proper accusation Acts 25:18. It also captures the essence of imposing something upon another, whether it is divine vengeance Romans 3:5, human affliction Philippians 1:16, or miraculous healing Acts 19:12. Through its few occurrences, epiphérō demonstrates how a single action of "bearing upon" can have profound legal, punitive, and spiritual ramifications.

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 4 occurrences, inflected in 4 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

2nd Aorist Active Infinitive 1×
Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Plural 1×
Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine 1×
Present Passive Infinitive 1×

Nominative: The subject of the verb.
Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Present: Action in progress or repeated — happening now or continually.
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Aorist: Action viewed as a single whole — usually a simple past event.
Active: The subject performs the action.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Indicative: A plain statement of fact.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
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 5 verses across 4 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Acts (2 verses); never once in the other 23.

Acts

Romans

Philippians

Jude

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.