verb
epistēamō
Strong’sG2186
I stand by, am urgent, befall one, impend
stem epistē-21 times in the New Testamentin 4 of 27 books11 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
ἐφίστημι means to stand near or by someone, to be present, or to arrive or appear, often suddenly 1234. It describes someone simply standing beside another person or being present at a scene 123, but it can also carry a stronger, sometimes hostile force, as when someone or something comes upon another abruptly, assaults, or takes them by surprise 123. Dodson's gloss "I am urgent" reflects this same sense applied to pressing or standing by insistently 4.
The word is also used of danger, trouble, or time drawing near: it can mean to impend, be at hand, or befall someone, as when evil or the end of something is close upon a person 1234.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
ἐφ-ίστημι
[in LXX for נָצַב ni., שִׁית, נָתַן, etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G2186 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidef-is'-tay-mee
to stand upon, i.e. be present (in various applications, friendly or otherwise, usually literal);
King Jamesassault, come (in, to, unto, upon), be at hand (instant), present, stand (before, by, over).
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
Ionic dialect ἐπ-:
A causal in present, imperfect, future, and aorist 1 (also in the later perfect and pluperfect ἐφέστᾰκα, ἐφεστάκειν [ᾰ], see below 11.1, VI. 2):
A.I set, place upon, τεῖχος τείχει Refs 5th c.BC+
A.II set over, μ᾽ Ἀπόλλων τῷδ᾽ ἐπέστησεν τέλει Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive, βουλὴν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τῆς εὐκοσμίας Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, to be appointed, instituted, Refs 2nd c.BC+
A.II.2 bring in, ἡ τύχη ἐπιστήσασα Ῥωμαίους Refs 2nd c.BC+; Φίλιππον ἐ. τοῖς πράγμασι to let him have a hand in the business, Refs 4th c.BC+
A.II.3 bring in, cause, occasion, κατάπληξίν τισι Refs 1st c.BC+; κίνδυνον, ἀγῶνά τινι, Refs 2nd c.BC+
A.III set up, establish, ἀγῶνα Refs 5th c.BC+: with accusative et infinitive, ordain, prescribe, ὁ νόμος ἐφίστησι τὰ λοιπὰ κρίνειν τοὺς ἄρχοντας Refs 4th c.BC+; ἐπιστήσατε quid facere debeamus, Refs 1st c.AD+
A.IV set by or near to, ἐπιστήσαντες κύκλῳ τὸ σῆμα ἱππέας Refs 5th c.BC+; especially place in rear, of troops, τὴν φάλαγγα τούτοις κατόπιν ἐ. Refs 2nd c.BC+
A.V stop, cause to halt, ἐπιστῆσαι τὸ στράτευμα Refs 5th c.BC+; τὴν ὁδόν, τὴν πορείαν, Refs 1st c.BC+; ἐ. τὴν ὁρμήν check it, Refs 2nd c.BC+; τὴν διήγησιν interrupt it, Refs; check, ἔμμηνα Refs 1st c.AD+ having halted, Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, to be checked, stopped, Refs 3rd c.BC+; ἐὰν ἐφίστηται ἡ κοιλία Refs 2nd c.AD+
A.VI ἐφίστημι τὴν διάνοιαν κατά τι, περί τινος, fix one's mind upon it, attend to it, Refs 5th c.BC+ absolutely, give attention, τούτοις ἐπιστήσαντες Refs 2nd c.BC+; ἐπιστήσασι μᾶλλον λεκτέον one must speak with more care and accuracy, Refs 4th c.BC+ad Them.265b; ὅτι.. Refs 2nd c.AD+
A.VI.2 with accusative person, arrest the attention of, Refs 1st c.AD+; ἐπιστῆσαί τινα ἐπί τι call his attention to, Refs 2nd c.BC+; τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν διήγησιν ἐφεστακότος ἡμᾶς ἐπί τι having led us to.., Refs: hence, object, Refs 3rd c.AD+
B intransitive in middle and passive, ἐφίσταμαι, aorist 1 ἐπεστάθην [Refs 5th c.BC+, with perfect, pluperfect (Aeolic dialect pluperfect 3rd.pers. singular ἐπήστᾱκε Refs 2nd c.BC+pluperfect 3rd.pers. plural ἐφεστάκεον [ᾱ] Refs 4th c.BC+, and aorist 2 active: (the causal tenses are not found in Refs 8th c.BC+, the middle or passive only in imperfect ἐφίστατο Refs 8th c.BC+; elsewhere always aorist 2 or perfect active with Epic dialect infinitive ἐφεστάμεναι Refs 8th c.BC+:—stand upon, τεῖχος.. ῥύατ᾽ ἐφεσταότες Refs 8th c.BC+
B.2 to be imposed upon, μόχθων τῶν ἐφεστώτων ἐμοί Refs 5th c.BC+
B.3 stand on the top or surface, τὸ ἐπιστάμενον [τοῦ γάλακτος], i. e. cream, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐ. καθάπερ ὀρρὸς [γάλακτι] Refs 1st c.AD+; of vapour, form, Refs 4th c.BC+
B.II to be set over, ἐφίσταται πύλαις Refs 5th c.BC+participle, ὁ ἐφεστηκώς the person in authority, the officer in command, Refs 5th c.BC+; οἱ ἐφεστῶτες, Ionic dialect οἱ ἐπεστεῶτες, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.III stand by or near, ὣς πυκνοὶ ἐφέστασαν ἀλλήλοισιν Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας, ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας, Refs 5th c.BC+; especially of dreams or visions, appear to, εὕδοντι ἐπέστη ὄνειρος NT+8th c.BC+: absolutely, stand by, NT+5th c.BC+; without hostile sense, ἐπέστης NT+5th c.BC+; of troops, to be posted after or behind, κατόπιν ἐ. τοῖς θηρίοις Refs 2nd c.BC+
B.III.2 in hostile sense, stand against, τὰ φρονέοντες ἐφέστασαν ἀλλήλοισιν Refs 8th c.BC+; appear before, of an army, ἐπὶ τῇ πόλι Refs 5th c.BC+; come upon suddenly or by surprise, Refs 5th c.BC+; so of events, etc., αἰφνίδιος αὐτοῖς ἐ. ὄλεθρος NT+2nd c.BC+
B.III.3 metaphorically, of events, spring upon one, occur, πρίν μοι τύχη τοιάδ᾽ ἐπέστη Refs 5th c.BC+; in perfect, impend, be at hand, τὸν ἐφεστηκότα κίνδυνον τῇ πόλει NT+4th c.BC+; of a more remote future, to be in store, lie in wait for, κῆρες ἐφεστᾶσιν θανάτοιο Refs 8th c.BC+
B.IV halt, stop, as in a march, ἄλλοτε καὶ ἄλλοτε ἐφιστάμενος Refs 5th c.BC+
B.V fix one's mind on, give one's attention to, σφαγῇ Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπί τι Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπιστάς absolutely (i.e. τοῖς πράγμασι), Refs
C aorist 1 middle in causal sense, set up, τὰς θύρας Refs 5th c.BC+; set, post, φρουροὺς ἐπεστησάμην Refs; τέλος ἐπιστήσασθαι, Latin finem imponere, Refs 5th c.BC+present is once so used, τοῦ με τήνδ᾽ ἐφίστασαι βάσι; why dost thou cause me to halt? Refs 5th c.BC+
C.2 ἐπιστησάμενος, intransitive, having been ἐπιστάτης, Refs
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
1 rarer rendering are not shown; every occurrence below carries the English it was given there.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| epistēotōἐφίσταται | happening now · he/she/itpresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular | come upon | 1× |
| epistēataἐπέστη | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | stood | 2× |
| epistēalaἐπέστησαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | came | 5× |
| epistēatēἐφέστηκεν | has happened · he/she/itperfect active indicative 3rd person singular | come | 1× |
| epistēateiaἐπιστῇ | happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular | come | 1× |
| epistēasarἐπίστηθι | happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular | ready | 1× |
| epistēarantosἐπιστὰς | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | stood | 4× |
| epistēarantasἐπιστᾶσα | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular feminine | came up | 2× |
| epistēarantoisἐπιστάντες | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative plural masculine | came up | 2× |
| epistēarēntosἐφεστὼς | has happened · subjectperfect active participle nominative singular masculine | standing by | 1× |
| epistēarēntonἐφεστῶτα | has happened · objectperfect active participle accusative singular masculine | begun | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 140, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 9 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epistēamō | epistēame | epistēami | epistēama | epistēamē | epistēamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | epistēasō | epistēase | epistēasi | epistēasa | epistēasē | epistēaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epistēatō | epistēate | epistēati | epistēata2×ἐπέστη | epistēatē1×ἐφέστηκεν | epistēatelē |
| we 1st person plural | epistēanō | epistēane | epistēani | epistēana | epistēanē | epistēanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epistēavō | epistēave | epistēavi | epistēava | epistēavē | epistēavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | epistēalō | epistēale | epistēali | epistēala5×ἐπέστησαν | epistēalē | epistēalelē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epistēomō | epistēome | epistēomē | epistēomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | epistēosō | epistēose | epistēosē | epistēoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epistēotō1×ἐφίσταται | epistēote | epistēotē | epistēotelē |
| we 1st person plural | epistēonō | epistēone | epistēonē | epistēonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epistēovō | epistēove | epistēovē | epistēovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | epistēolō | epistēole | epistēolē | epistēolelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 1 occurrence
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epistēameiō | epistēameia | epistēameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | epistēaseiō | epistēaseia | epistēaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epistēateiō | epistēateia1×ἐπιστῇ | epistēateiē |
| we 1st person plural | epistēaneiō | epistēaneia | epistēaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epistēaveiō | epistēaveia | epistēaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | epistēaleiō | epistēaleia | epistēaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epistēomeiō | epistēomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | epistēoseiō | epistēoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epistēoteiō | epistēoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | epistēoneiō | epistēoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epistēoveiō | epistēoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | epistēoleiō | epistēoleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 1 occurrence
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | epistēasōr | epistēasar1×ἐπίστηθι | epistēasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epistēatōr | epistēatar | epistēatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | epistēavōr | epistēavar | epistēavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | epistēalōr | epistēalar | epistēalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | epistēosōr | epistēosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epistēotōr | epistēotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | epistēovōr | epistēovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | epistēolōr | epistēolēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epistēamoiō | epistēamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | epistēasoiō | epistēasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epistēatoiō | epistēatoia |
| we 1st person plural | epistēanoiō | epistēanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | epistēavoiō | epistēavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | epistēaloiō | epistēaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epistēomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | epistēosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epistēotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | epistēonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | epistēovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | epistēoloiō |
The “to …” form — infinitive, no occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | epistēarō | epistēari | epistēara | epistēarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | epistēorō | epistēorē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 10 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | epistēarōntos | epistēarintos | epistēarantos8×ἐπιστὰς | epistēarēntos2×ἐφεστὼς |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | epistēorōntos | epistēorēntos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
epistē is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
21 occurrences, every one of them listed
epistēotō“come upon”happening now · he/she/itpresent middle or passive indicative 3rd person singular1×
1 Thessalonians 5:3… Eirēnas kai asfaleias, tote aifnidios autoi epistēotō olethros hōsper tas ōdinas ta en …… saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on …
epistēata“stood”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular2×
Luke 2:9kai angelos kuriou epistēata autoi kai doxas kuriou perilampata autoin, …… then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of …
Acts 12:7kai idou angelos kuriou epistēata, kai fōtem lampata en te oikēme; …Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the …
epistēala“came”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural5×
Luke 20:1… laon en te hiere kai euangelizorōntou epistēala tois archierevois kai tois grammatevois sun …… and scribes, together with the elders, came up to Him.
Luke 24:4“stood by”… peri houteu kai idou androis duo epistēala autai en estha astraptarōnta.… puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.
Acts 4:1Lalarōntoiu de autoiu pros ton laon epistēala autoi tois hierevois kai tos stratēgos …… the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
Acts 10:17“stood”… Kornēliou dierōtarantois tan oikian tou Simōnou epistēala epi ton pulōnon,… puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and approached the gate.
Acts 11:11“arrived”kai idou exautēs treis androis epistēala epi tan oikian en ha ane, …Just then three men sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I …
epistēatē“come”has happened · he/she/itperfect active indicative 3rd person singular1×
2 Timothy 4:6“come”… kai tos kairos tau analusiau mu epistēatē.… drink offering, and the time of my departure is at …
epistēateia“come”happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular1×
Luke 21:34“come”… kai metha kai merimnai biōtikai, kai epistēateia epi vin aifnidias tas hēmeras ekeinas… by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life — and that day will spring upon you suddenly like …
epistēasar“ready”happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular1×
2 Timothy 4:2“ready”kērussasar ton logon, epistēasar eukairōs akairōs, elenchasar, epitimasar, parakalasar, en …Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form …
epistēarantos“stood”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine4×
Luke 4:39kai epistēarantos epanō autau epitimata to pureto, kai …and He stood over her and rebuked the fever …
Acts 22:13ercharantos pros min kai epistēarantos legata mi; Saoul adelfor, anablepasar; kamis …came and stood beside me. ‘Brother Saul,’ he said …
Acts 23:11Ta de epeiarōnta nukta epistēarantos auto tos kurios legata; Tharsasōr, hōs …The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage …
Acts 23:27… Ioudaioiu kai mellarōnton anairorō hupo autoiu epistēarantos sun te strateume exairema, matharantos hoti …… about to kill him when I came with my troops to rescue him …
epistēarantas“came up”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular feminine2×
Luke 2:38“came up”kai auta ta hōra epistēarantas anthomologote to theo kai lalate peri …… forward at that moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to …
Luke 10:40“approached”… de Marthas perispote peri pollan diakonian; epistēarantas de legata; Kurior, ouk meleiatō si …But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my …
epistēarantois“came up”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative plural masculine2×
Acts 6:12“came up”… toin presbuteroin kai toin grammatevoin, kai epistēarantois sunarpazala auton kai agala eis tem …… the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,
Acts 17:5“attacked”… kai ochlopoiarantois thorubale tan polan, kai epistēarantois ta oikia Iasōnou zētale autoin proagara …… the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.
epistēarēntos“standing by”has happened · subjectperfect active participle nominative singular masculine1×
Acts 22:20“standing by”… tou marturou su, kai autos ome epistēarēntos kai suneudokarōntos kai fulassarōntos teim himatieim …… blood of Your witness Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and watching over the garments of …
epistēarēnton“begun”has happened · objectperfect active participle accusative singular masculine1×
Acts 28:2“begun”… pantoin nin dia ton hueton ton epistēarēnton kai dia tem psuchem.… and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.