What does ἐπιφώσκω (epiphṓskō) mean in the Bible?
ἐπιφώσκω (epiphṓskō) is a Greek word meaning "to begin to grow light".
Greek · G2020
ἐπιφώσκω
To begin to grow light
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ἐπιφώσκωG2020
Pronunciationepiphṓskō
What does ἐπιφώσκω (epiphṓskō) mean in the Bible?
ἐπιφώσκω (epiphṓskō) is a Greek word meaning "to begin to grow light".
Full entry for ἐπιφώσκω (G2020) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2020?
The BSB source-word alignment has 2 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include at dawn (1), was beginning (1).
Where does ἐπιφώσκω (epiphṓskō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 28:1. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (1), Matthew (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itat dawn1×Matthew 28:1
was beginning1×Luke 23:54
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowMatthew 28:1
Aligned rows2
Books represented2
Matthew1Luke1
Source forms
ἐπέφωσκεν1xepephōskenLuke 23:54
ἐπιφωσκούσῃ1xepiphōskousēMatthew 28:1
Parsing patterns
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular1xLuke 23:54
Verb - Present Participle Active - Dative Feminine Singular1xMatthew 28:1
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to begin to grow light
Strong'sG2020
Lexical occurrences2 versesGreek text appearances2 timesWord forms2 forms2 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
to begin to grow light
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
2 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 28:1Verb Present Active Participle Dative Singular Feminine
ἐπιφωσκούσῃepifwskoush
I dawn, am near commencing
Read verseLuke 23:54Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἐπέφωσκε.epefwsken
I dawn, am near commencing
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 groups2Aligned forms2TensesPresent, ImperfectVoicesActive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participleverbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality1×
Present ActiveMatt 28:11×
Indicativestates a fact or reality1×
Imperfect ActiveLuke 23:541×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 2 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
imperfect1present1
Voice
active2
Mood
indicative1participle1
NT Occurrences
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
ἐπιφώσκω is built from this root: