What does ἐπιβάλλω (epibállō) mean in the Bible?
Epiballo means to put, lay, throw, place upon, or in some settings seize. Its range is concrete and contextual.
Greek · G1911
ἐπιβάλλω
To put on/seize
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ἐπιβάλλω G1911
Pronunciation epibállō
What does ἐπιβάλλω (epibállō) mean in the Bible?
Epiballo means to put, lay, throw, place upon, or in some settings seize. Its range is concrete and contextual.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐπιβάλλω (G1911) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1911?
The BSB source-word alignment has 18 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include laid (2), seized (2), [and] sews [it] (1), [the men] seized (1), arrested (1).
Where does ἐπιβάλλω (epibállō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 9:16. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (5), Acts (4), Mark (4), John (2).
What This Word Actually Means
Epiballo means to put, lay, throw, place upon, or in some settings seize. Its range is concrete and contextual. A patch is put on a garment. Cloaks are thrown over a colt. A hand is put to the plow. Hostile men lay hands on Jesus or His apostles. Paul can even use the verb when explaining that his instruction is not meant to place a restraint on believers. The word's value is that it keeps agency visible.
Something is placed on someone or something, whether cloth, a hand, a burden, or violent pressure. Teachers should avoid turning the word into a hidden doctrine of control. The passage decides whether the action is practical, hostile, disciplinary, or pastoral.
How the Bible Uses It
Epiballo describes putting, throwing, laying upon, or seizing according to context. The selected witnesses show practical placement, discipleship commitment, hostile arrest, and pastoral restraint language.
- Matt.26.50
“Friend,” Jesus replied, “do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested Him.
The men step forward, seize Jesus, and arrest Him. The verb belongs to the Passion conflict and hostile action against Christ.
- Mark.11.7
Then they led the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and He sat on it.
The disciples throw their cloaks over the colt before Jesus sits on it. The action is practical service in the triumphal entry.
- Luke.9.62
Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus warns that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom. The verb marks committed direction.
- John.7.30
So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
No one lays a hand on Jesus because His hour has not yet come. Human hostility is real but bounded by divine timing.
- Acts.4.3
They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in custody until the next day.
Authorities seize Peter and John and put them in custody. The word marks pressure against apostolic witness.
- 1Cor.7.35
I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but in order to promote proper decorum and undivided devotion to the Lord.
Paul says his counsel is not to restrict believers, but to promote undivided devotion. The placing image becomes pastoral restraint language.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It laid 2× John 7:30, John 7:44
seized 2× Matthew 26:50, Acts 21:27
[and] sews [it] 1× Luke 5:36
[the men] seized 1× Mark 14:46
arrested 1× Acts 5:18
he broke down 1× Mark 14:72
my 1× Luke 15:12
reached out 1× Acts 12:1
restrict 1× 1 Corinthians 7:35
sews 1× Matthew 9:16
They seized 1× Acts 4:3
they will seize 1× Luke 21:12
threw 1× Mark 11:7
to arrest 1× Luke 20:19
were breaking 1× Mark 4:37
who puts 1× Luke 9:62
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 9:16 ἐπιβάλλει to sews Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Matthew 26:50 ἐπέβαλον to seized Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Mark 4:37 ἐπέβαλλεν to were breaking Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Mark 11:7 ἐπιβάλλουσιν to threw Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Mark 14:46 ἐπέβαλαν to [the men] seized Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Mark 14:72 ἐπιβαλὼν to he broke down Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Luke 5:36 ἐπιβάλλει to [and] sews [it] Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Luke 9:62 ἐπιβαλὼν to who puts Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Luke 15:12 ἐπιβάλλον to my Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Neuter Singular Luke 20:19 ἐπιβαλεῖν to to arrest Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 9:16
Aligned rows 18
Books represented 6
Matthew 2 Mark 4 Luke 5 John 2 Acts 4 1 Corinthians 1
Source forms
ἐπέβαλεν 3x epebalen John 7:30, John 7:44, Acts 12:1
ἐπέβαλον 3x epebalon Matthew 26:50, Acts 4:3, Acts 5:18
ἐπιβάλλει 2x epiballei Matthew 9:16, Luke 5:36
ἐπιβαλὼν 2x epibalōn Mark 14:72, Luke 9:62
ἐπέβαλαν 1x epebalan Mark 14:46
ἐπέβαλλεν 1x epeballen Mark 4:37
ἐπέβαλον* 1x epebalon Acts 21:27
ἐπιβαλεῖν 1x epibalein Luke 20:19
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 5x Matthew 26:50, Mark 14:46, Acts 4:3, Acts 5:18
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 3x John 7:30, John 7:44, Acts 12:1
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Mark 14:72, Luke 9:62
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x Matthew 9:16, Luke 5:36
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active 1x Luke 20:19
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 7:35
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Luke 21:12
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Mark 4:37
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Ask whether the action places service, pressure, restraint, or violence on someone. The moral direction changes with the passage.
- Use authority carefully. Epiballo can help teachers examine whether they are clarifying obedience or adding a snare.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that epiballo always means arrest or seizure; several selected passages use practical or figurative placement.
- Do not claim that John 7:30 means Jesus avoided suffering permanently. John says His hour had not yet come.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to put on/seize
Strong's G1911
Lexical occurrences 18 verses Greek text appearances 18 times 16 shown below Word forms 4 forms 18 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to put on/seize
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 18 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 9:16 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐπιβάλλει epiballei
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Matthew 26:50 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπέβαλον epebalon
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Mark 4:37 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἐπέβαλλεν epeballen
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Mark 11:7 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπέβαλον epebalon
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Mark 14:46 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπέβαλον epebalon
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Mark 14:72 Verb Second Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἐπιβαλὼν epibalwn
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Luke 5:36 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐπιβάλλει epiballei
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Luke 9:62 Verb Second Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἐπιβαλὼν epibalwn
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Luke 15:12 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Singular Neuter
ἐπιβάλλον epiballon
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Luke 20:19 Verb Second Aorist Active Infinitive
ἐπιβαλεῖν epibalein
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Luke 21:12 Verb Third Person Plural Future Active Indicative
ἐπιβαλοῦσιν epibalousin
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse John 7:30 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπέβαλεν epebalen
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse John 7:44 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπέβαλεν epebalen
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Acts 4:3 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπέβαλον epebalon
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Acts 5:18 Verb Third Person Plural Second Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπέβαλον epebalon
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verse Acts 12:1 Verb Third Person Singular Second Aorist Active Indicative
ἐπέβαλεν epebalen
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 18 Tenses Aorist, Present, Imperfect, Future Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 13×
Aorist Active Matt 26:50 · Mark 14:46 · Acts 4:3 · Acts 5:18 · Acts 21:27 · John 7:30 · John 7:44 · Acts 12:1 8×
Present Active Matt 9:16 · Luke 5:36 · Mark 11:7 3×
Imperfect Active Mark 4:37 1×
Future Active Luke 21:12 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 3×
Aorist Active Mark 14:72 · Luke 9:62 2×
Present Active Luke 15:12 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Aorist Active Luke 20:19 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 1×
Aorist Active 1 Cor 7:35 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 18 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 12 present 4 future 1 imperfect 1
Voice
active 18
Mood
indicative 13 participle 3 subjunctive 1 infinitive 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 9:16 ἐπιβάλλει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 26:50 ἐπέβαλον aorist active indicative completed Mark 4:37 ἐπέβαλλεν imperfect active indicative background Mark 11:7 ἐπιβάλλουσιν present active indicative ongoing Mark 14:46 ἐπέβαλαν aorist active indicative completed Mark 14:72 ἐπιβαλὼν aorist active participle participle Luke 5:36 ἐπιβάλλει present active indicative ongoing Luke 9:62 ἐπιβαλὼν aorist active participle participle Luke 15:12 ἐπιβάλλον present active participle participle Luke 20:19 ἐπιβαλεῖν aorist active infinitive infinitive Luke 21:12 ἐπιβαλοῦσιν future active indicative prospective John 7:30 ἐπέβαλεν aorist active indicative completed John 7:44 ἐπέβαλεν aorist active indicative completed Acts 4:3 ἐπέβαλον aorist active indicative completed Acts 5:18 ἐπέβαλον aorist active indicative completed Acts 12:1 ἐπέβαλεν aorist active indicative completed Acts 21:27 ἐπέβαλον aorist active indicative completed 1 Corinthians 7:35 ἐπιβάλω aorist active subjunctive subjunctive
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
ἐπιβάλλω is built from these roots:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Epiballo keeps pressure and placement visible. In some passages, the action is ordinary and useful: a cloak placed on a colt, a hand placed on a plow. In others, it is hostile: hands laid on Jesus or apostles. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul denies that he is placing a restriction like a snare; his aim is undivided devotion to the Lord. The word therefore gives teachers a practical diagnostic.
Not every pressure is faithful, and not every laying upon is oppressive. The passage must name whether the action serves, arrests, commits, burdens, or protects. That distinction matters for preaching authority, discipleship, and pastoral care.
Anchor passage
John.7.30
Doctrinal connections
- G4084 Piazo, to seize: John 7:30 pairs attempted seizure with no one laying a hand on Jesus, reinforcing divine timing in the Passion path.
- G5495 Cheir, hand: hand imagery makes agency and pressure concrete in both hostile and discipleship settings.
- G932 Basileia, kingdom: Luke 9:62 ties the hand-to-plow image to kingdom fitness and undivided direction.
- G1199 Desmon, bond or custody: Acts 4:3 shows public witness facing restraint from authorities.
- G3803 pagis, snare: 1 Corinthians 7:35 helps explain Paul's refusal to place a restrictive snare on the church.
- John 7:30-44: repeated attempts to seize Jesus reveal hostility that cannot outrun His appointed hour.
The epi prefix plus ballo gives a placing-upon or throwing-upon force, but idiom and context determine whether the action is physical placement, hostile seizure, committed action, or figurative restraint.
From Old to New Testament
Scripture often speaks of hands, burdens, snares, and appointed times to show the moral direction of pressure. Epiballo joins that pattern by asking whether something laid upon another serves God's purpose, resists His witness, or burdens a conscience beyond the text.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain