Word Study for G4045 (περιπίπτω)

peripíptō /per-ee-pip'-to/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom περί and πίπτω

Meaningto fall into something that is all around, i.e. light among or upon, be surrounded with

KJV usagefall among (into).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of peripíptō — 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 peripíptō, represented by G4045, means to fall into something that is all around, i.e. light among or upon, be surrounded with. It is derived from the words περί and πίπτω. It appears 3 times across 3 unique verses in scripture, conveying a sense of being suddenly enveloped or caught within a particular circumstance.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The uses of G4045 in the Bible illustrate its meaning in distinct contexts. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, a certain man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among thieves G3027, who stripped and wounded him Luke 10:30. In the book of Acts, the ship carrying Paul was caught in a storm, falling into a place where two seas met G1337 and running aground Acts 27:41. The term is also used in a spiritual sense, where believers are instructed to count it all joy when they fall into divers temptations G3986 James 1:2.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the circumstances surrounding the act of falling into something:

G3986 peirasmós (a putting to proof; by implication, adversity): This word is the object that believers fall into in James 1:2, defining the event as a spiritual trial or temptation.
G3027 lēistḗs (a brigand): This identifies the hostile agents that the man in Jesus's parable fell among, highlighting the danger and violence of the situation Luke 10:30.
G1337 dithálassos (having two seas, i.e. a sound with a double outlet): This describes the specific, perilous geographic feature that the ship in Acts fell into, leading to its destruction Acts 27:41.
G761 asáleutos (unshaken, i.e. (by implication) immovable): This describes the state of the ship's forepart after it fell into the sandbar and became stuck fast and unmoveable Acts 27:41.

Theological Significance

The concept conveyed by G4045 carries significant weight, depicting scenarios where individuals are suddenly and completely encompassed by their surroundings.

Hostile Encounters: The word is used to describe an unexpected and violent event, where a person is suddenly surrounded by robbers, leading to harm and loss Luke 10:30.
Overwhelming Physical Peril: It portrays being caught in an inescapable physical situation, such as a ship being trapped in a treacherous location and broken by the violence G970 of the waves G2949 Acts 27:41.
Spiritual Adversity: The term is applied figuratively to the experience of a believer being encompassed by various trials. In this context, the focus shifts to the response, which is to count it G2233 all joy G5479 James 1:2.

Summary

In summary, G4045 describes more than a simple fall; it signifies being enveloped or entrapped by a situation. Whether it is a man falling into the hands of thieves, a ship being caught in a dangerous channel, or a believer being surrounded by trials, the word captures a sense of being beset by sudden and encompassing circumstances. It illustrates how one can be caught within physical danger, human hostility, or spiritual testing.

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 3 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

2nd Aorist Active Indicative 3rd Singular 1×
2nd Aorist Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine 1×
2nd Aorist Active Subjunctive 2nd Plural 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").
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.

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

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 3 verses across 3 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Luke, Acts, and James (1 verse each); never once in the other 24.

Luke

Acts

James

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.