ἐπί | τὰ βιβλία

ἐπί (before a smooth breathing ἐπ’, before a rough breathing ἐφ’),

prep. c. gen., dat., acc. (acc. most freq. in NT),

with primary sense of superposition, on, upon.

I. C. gen.,

1. of place, answering the question, where?

(a) of the place on which, on, upon: ἐπὶ (τ.) γῆς, Mt 6:10, 19, al.; τ. κεφαλῆς, I Co 11:10; τ. νεφελῶν, Mt 24:30, al.; like ἐν, in constr. praegn. after verbs of motion: βάλλειν, Mk 4:26; σπείρειν, ib. 31; ἔρχεσθαι, He 6:7, al.; fig., ἐπ’ ἀληθείας (MM, s.v. ἀ.); of the subject of thought or speech, Ga 3:16; of power or authority, over, πάντων, Ro 9:5: τ. γάζης, Ac 8:27; ἐξουσία, Re 2:26 20:6;

(b) of vicinity, at, by: τ. θαλάσσης, Jo 6:9; τ. ὁδοῦ, Mt 21:19; τοῦ βάτου, Mk 12:26 (v. Swete, in l.); c. gen. pers., in the presence of, before, Mt 28:14, Ac 23:30, I Co 6:1, al.

2. Of time,

(a) c. gen. pers., in the time of: ἐπὶ Ἐλισαίου, Lk 4:27; ἐπὶ Κλαυδίου, Ac 11:28; ἐπὶ Ἀβιάθαρ ἀρχιερέως, when A. was high priest, Mk 2:26;

(b) c. gen. rei, at, at the time of: Mt 1:11, He 1:2, II Pe 3:3; ἐπὶ τ. προσευχῶν, Ro 1:10, Eph 1:16, I Th 1:2, Phm 4.

II. C. dat., of place, answering the question, where?

(a) lit., on, upon: Mt 9:16, 14:8, al.; after verbs of motion (v. supr., I, 1, (a)), Mt 9:16 Ac 8:16; above, Lk 23:38; at, by, Mk 13:29, Jo 5:2, Ac 5:9, al.;

(b) metaph., upon, on the ground of, Lk 4:4^(LXX); in the matter of, Mk 6:52 (v. Swete, in l.); upon, of, concerning, Ac 5:35, 40; of the ground, reason or motive (Bl., §38, 2; 43, 3), Mt 18:3 19:9, Ro 12:12, al.; ἐφ’ ᾧ, for the reason that, because, Ro 5:12 II Co 5:4; after verbs of motion, over, Mt 18:13, Ro 16:19, al.; of a condition (cl.), Ro 8:20, I Co 9:10; ἐπὶ δυσὶ μάρτυσιν (v. Westc. on He 9:10), He 10:28; of purpose or aim, Eph 2:10, Phl 4:10; of authority, over, Mt 24:47 Lk 12:44; of hostility, c. dat. pers. (cl.), against, Lk 12:52; in addition to (cl.), II Co 7:13; of an adjunct, in, at, on, Phl 1:3 2:17.

III. C. acc.,

1. of place of motion upon or over, answering the question, whither?

(a) lit., upon, over: Mt 14:28, 29, Lk 5:19, al. mult.; in NT also, answering the question, where? (as c. gen., dat.), Mk 4:38 11:2, Lk 2:25, Jo 1:32; ἐπὶ τ. αὐτό, Ac 1:15 2:1, al.; of motion to a vicinity, to, Mk 16:2, Ac 8:36, al.;

(b) metaph. (in wh. "the acc. is more widely prevalent than it strictly should be," Bl., §43, 1); of blessings, evils, etc., coming upon one, c. acc. pers., Mt 10:13 12:28, Ac 2:17, Jo 18:4, Eph 5:6, al.; of addition (dat. in cl.), λύπη ἐπὶ λύπην, Phl 2:27; ἐπικαλεῖν ὄνομα ἐπί (v.s. ἐπικαλέω), Ac 15:17, Ja 2:7; καλεῖν ἐπί, to call after, Lk 1:59; of number or degree: ἐπὶ τρίς (cl. εἰς τ.), thrice, Ac 10:16 11:10; ἐπὶ πλεῖον, the more, further, Ac 4:17 II Ti 2:16 3:9 (v. also infr., 2, (a)); ἐφ’ ὅσον (v. infr., ib.), forasmuch as, Mt 25:40, 45, Ro 11:13; of power, authority, control, Lk 1:33, Ac 7:10 Ro 5:14, He 3:6, al.; of the direction of thoughts and feelings, unto, towards, Lk 1:17 23:28, Ac 9:35, 42, Ro 11:22, Ga 4:9, Eph 2:7, I Ti 5:5, al.; of purpose, for, Mt 3:7, Lk 23:48; ἐφ’ ὅ πάρει (Rec. ἐφ’ ᾧ, Mt 26:50; of hostility, against, Mt 24:7, Mk 3:24-26 10:11 13:8, Lk 9:5, Jo 13:18, Ac 7:54, I Co 7:36, II Co 1:23; Of reference, concerning, for (cl. usually dat.), Mk 9:12 15:24, Jo 19:24, Ro 4:9.

2. Of time,

(a) during, for: Lk 4:25 (WH, txt., omits ἐπί), Ac 13:31 16:18, He 11:30, al.; ἐφ’ ὅσον (χρόνον), as long as, for so long time as, Mk 9:15 Ro 7:1, al. (for ἐφ’ ὅ in another sense, v. supr., 1, (b)); ἐφ’ ἱκανόν (v.s. ἱ), Ac 20:11; ἐπὶ πλεῖον (v. supr., 1, (b)), yet longer, further, Ac 20:9 24:4;

(b) on, about, towards (cl. εἰς): Lk 10:35 Ac 3:1 4:5.

IV. In composition, ἐπί signifies: up, ἐπαίρω; upon, ἐπίγειος, ἐπιδημέω, ἐπικαθίζω; towards, επιβλέπω, ἐπεκτείνω; over (of superintendence), ἐπιστάτης; again, in addition, ἐπαιτέω; against, ἐπιορκέω, ἐπιβουλή.