verb
epibalamō
Strong’sG1911
I throw upon, lay, strike upon
stem epibal-18 times in the New Testamentin 6 of 27 books10 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
Ἐπιβάλλω means, in its most basic sense, to throw, lay, or put something on or upon something else 124 — for example, throwing a garment or covering over something, or casting nets or waves breaking into a boat 13. From this comes the common idiom of laying a hand on someone, used of seizing or arresting a person 13.
It also has a reflective, mental sense: to put one's mind on something, to think on it or reflect 123, describing turning one's attention inward to dwell on something just said or recalled 13.
Finally, used impersonally, it means to fall to one's share, to belong to someone as a portion — that is, what is due or allotted to a person 123.
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
ἐπι-βάλλω
[in LXX for שָׁלַח, שִׁית, etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1911 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidep-ee-bal'-lo
to throw upon (literal or figurative, transitive or reflexive; usually with more or less force); specially (with G1438 implied) to reflect; impersonally, to belong to
King Jamesbeat into, cast (up-)on, fall, lay (on), put (unto), stretch forth, think on.
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
I. transitive, throw or cast upon, θριξὶ.., ἃς ἐπέβαλλον (i.e. πυρί) Refs 8th c.BC+ (Lyric poetry); ἐ. Refs 5th c.BC+ throwing on more and more, Refs 5th c.BC+
I.2. lay on, [ἡμιόνοις] ἐπέβαλλεν Refs 8th c.BC+; Ζεὺς ἐπὶ χεῖρα Refs 5th c.BC+ (but τῷ καρπῷ τοῦ νοσοῦντος τὴν χεῖρα, of feeling the pulse, NT+2nd c.BC+; impose as a tax tribute, LXX+5th c.BC+ (passive); inflict, θνατοῖς ἐ. ἀνάλγητα, λύπην, etc., Refs 5th c.BC+
I.3. ἐ. σφρηγῖδα, δακτύλιον, affix a seal, Refs 6th c.BC+; σύμβολόν τινι Refs
I.4. add, contribute, μικρὸν [ἀληθεία] Refs 4th c.BC+; νέον [φῶς] Refs 5th c.BC+, throw in, mention, τι uncertain in Refs 5th c.BC+, bid higher, Refs 4th c.BC+
I.5. place next in order, Refs 2nd c.BC+
I.6. let grow, Refs 3rd c.BC+; βλαστούς Refs
I.7. let loose, Refs 1st c.BC+
I.8. causal of Refs 5th c.BC+
II. throw oneself upon, go straight towards, with accusative, Refs 8th c.BC+: later with dative loci, Refs 3rd c.BC+; εἰς Ιταλίαν, ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον, Refs 2nd c.BC+
II.2. fall upon, ὅπου ἂν ὁ ἥλιος ἐ. Refs 4th c.BC+; especially in hostile sense, set upon, c.dative, Refs 1st c.BC+: absolutely, Refs 1st c.AD+ jostling, trampling, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.3. (i.e. τὸν νοῦν) set to a thing, devote oneself to it, with dative, Refs 1st c.BC+ (in full τὴν διάνοιαν ἐ. πρός τι Refs 1st c.BC+: generally, give one's attention to, think on, NT.Mark.14.72.
II.3.b. apprehend, Refs 4th c.BC+; attain by intuition, c.dative, Refs 5th c.AD+
II.4. fall in one's way, ὅταν ἐπιβάλλῃ περὶ τῆς τοιαύτης Refs 4th c.BC+.
II.5. follow, come next, Refs 2nd c.BC+; ἐφ᾽ ὃν ἐπιβαλὼν ἔφη said thereupon, Refs 2nd c.BC+; interrupt, Refs 3rd c.BC+.
II.6. belong to, fall to the share of, μόριον Refs 5th c.BC+; ἑκάστῳ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας ἐπιβάλλει τοσοῦτον ὅσονπερ ἀρετῆς Refs the portion that falls to one, NT+5th c.BC+, etc.; fall due, of payments, Refs 2nd c.BC+ which was payable by him, Refs 2nd c.BC+
II.6.b. participle ἐπιβάλλων, in Law, next-of-kin, ὁ ἐ., οἱ ἐ., Refs
II.7. impersonal with accusative et infinitive, τοὺς Δελφοὺς δὴ ἐπέβαλλε.. παρασχεῖν it concerned them to provide, Refs 5th c.BC+ et infinitive, Refs 3rd c.BC+; κοινῇ πᾶσιν Refs 2nd c.BC+: frequently in participle, ἐπιβάλλουσαν ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν στρατείαν τινί incumbent upon.., Refs 4th c.BC+; τὸ τῇ φύσει ἐ. Refs; appropriate, ὑποδοχαί TelesRefs 4th c.AD+ a specific form which ought to be present, Refs 3rd c.AD+
II.8. shut to, close, of the larynx, Refs 4th c.BC+
II.9. in Logic, λόγοι ἐπιβάλλοντες, -όμενοι, overlapping and overlapped, of syllogisms in a sorites, Refs 5th c.BC+ —middle, Refs
II.10. in Alchemy, make a `projection' (compare ἐπιβολή), Syn.Alch.p.68B.
III. middle, mostly like the intransitive usages, but also:
III.1. with genitive, throw oneself upon, desire eagerly, Refs 8th c.BC+.
III.2. with accusative, put upon oneself, ἐπιβαλλομέναν Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐπιβάλλεσθαι put on more wraps, Refs 4th c.BC+: metaphorically, take possession of, Refs 8th c.BC+; αὐθαίρετον δουλείαν ἐπιβαλεῖται will take upon himself, Refs 5th c.BC+
III.2.b. of trees, make fresh growth, Refs 4th c.BC+
III.3. c.accusative, also, attempt, undertake, Refs 6th c.BC+: c.infinitive, Decrees cited in Refs 4th c.BC+ though many have made the attempt, Refs 2nd c.BC+
III.4. with dative, put one's hand to, Refs 3rd c.BC+, apply or devote oneself to, Refs 2nd c.BC+, etc.
III.5. arrive at, [πολίεσσι] Refs 1st c.BC+.
III.6. ἐπὶ πᾶσι -εβάλοντο brought up the rear, Refs
IV. in passive, lie upon, be put upon, ἐπιβεβλημένοι τοξόται archers with their arrows on the string, Refs 5th c.BC+ having a rough cloak on, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ ἐν ψύχει κεῖσθαι -ημένον Refs 5th c.BC+.
IV.2. to be set over, Refs 2nd c.AD+.
IV.3. Rhet., ornate (see. ἐπιβολή), ἰδέα λόγων οὔτ᾽ ἐπιβεβλημένη 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| epibalatōἐπιβάλλει | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | puts | 2× |
| epibalalōἐπιβάλλουσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | threw … on | 1× |
| epibalateἐπέβαλλεν | was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular | breaking | 1× |
| epibalaliἐπιβαλοῦσιν | will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural | lay | 1× |
| epibalataἐπέβαλεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | laid | 3× |
| epibalalaἐπέβαλον | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | laid | 5× |
| epibalameiaἐπιβάλω | happened · Iaorist active subjunctive 1st person singular | put | 1× |
| epibalaraἐπιβαλεῖν | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | lay | 1× |
| epibalarōntemἐπιβάλλον | happening now · objectpresent active participle direct singular neuter | falls | 1× |
| epibalarantosἐπιβαλὼν | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | puts | 2× |
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 86, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 13 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epibalamō | epibalame | epibalami | epibalama | epibalamē | epibalamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | epibalasō | epibalase | epibalasi | epibalasa | epibalasē | epibalaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epibalatō2×ἐπιβάλλει | epibalate1×ἐπέβαλλεν | epibalati | epibalata3×ἐπέβαλεν | epibalatē | epibalatelē |
| we 1st person plural | epibalanō | epibalane | epibalani | epibalana | epibalanē | epibalanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epibalavō | epibalave | epibalavi | epibalava | epibalavē | epibalavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | epibalalō1×ἐπιβάλλουσιν | epibalale | epibalali1×ἐπιβαλοῦσιν | epibalala5×ἐπέβαλον | epibalalē | epibalalelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 1 occurrence
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epibalameiō | epibalameia1×ἐπιβάλω | epibalameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | epibalaseiō | epibalaseia | epibalaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epibalateiō | epibalateia | epibalateiē |
| we 1st person plural | epibalaneiō | epibalaneia | epibalaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | epibalaveiō | epibalaveia | epibalaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | epibalaleiō | epibalaleia | epibalaleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | epibalasōr | epibalasar | epibalasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epibalatōr | epibalatar | epibalatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | epibalavōr | epibalavar | epibalavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | epibalalōr | epibalalar | epibalalēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | epibalamoiō | epibalamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | epibalasoiō | epibalasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | epibalatoiō | epibalatoia |
| we 1st person plural | epibalanoiō | epibalanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | epibalavoiō | epibalavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | epibalaloiō | epibalaloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 1 occurrence
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | epibalarō | epibalari | epibalara1×ἐπιβαλεῖν | epibalarē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 3 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | epibalarōntos1× | epibalarintos | epibalarantos2×ἐπιβαλὼν | epibalarēntos |
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
epibal 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.
18 occurrences, every one of them listed
epibalatō“puts”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular2×
Matthew 9:16“puts”oudenos de epibalatō epiblēmem rakeu agnafeu epi himatie palaie; …No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the …
Luke 5:36“puts”… Oudenos epiblēmem apo himatieu kaineu schizarantos epibalatō epi himatiem palaiem; ei de mēge, …… a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will tear the new garment as well, and the patch from the new …
epibalalō“threw … on”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Mark 11:7… ton pōlon pros ton Iēsun, kai epibalalō auto teim himatieim autoiu, kai kathizata …… led the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and He …
epibalate“breaking”was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Mark 4:37… lailapas megas anemou, kai teim kumeim epibalate eis tem ploiem, hōste ēdē gemizorō …… came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it …
epibalali“lay”will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Luke 21:12“lay”Pro de houteiu panteiu epibalali epi vin tain cheirain autoiu kai …But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of …
epibalata“laid”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular3×
John 7:30zētale oun auton piazara, kai oudenos epibalata epi auton tan cheiran, hoti oupō …… to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His …
John 7:44… ek autoiu piazara auton, alla oudenos epibalata epi auton tain cheirain.… to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.
Acts 12:1“laid … on”Kata ekeinon de ton kairon epibalata Hērōdos tos basilevos tain cheirain kakara …About that time, King Herod reached out …
epibalala“laid”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural5×
Matthew 26:50“laid”… Hetairor, epi hem pareiasō. tote prosercharantois epibalala tain cheirain epi ton Iēsun kai …“Friend,” Jesus replied, “do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested Him.
Mark 14:46“laid … on”tois de epibalala tain cheirain auto kai kratala auton.Then the men seized Jesus and arrested Him.
Acts 4:3“laid … on”kai epibalala autoi tain cheirain kai tithela eis …… seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in custody until …
Acts 5:18“laid”kai epibalala tain cheirain epi toin apostoloin kai …and arrested the apostles and put them …
Acts 21:27“laid”… hiere sunchale panton ton ochlon kai epibalala epi auton tain cheirain,… at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,
epibalameia“put”happened · Iaorist active subjunctive 1st person singular1×
1 Corinthians 7:35“put”… sumforem legamō, ouk hina brochon vi epibalameia, alla pros tem euschēmōnem kai euparedrem …… own good, not to restrict you, but in order to promote proper decorum and undivided devotion …
epibalara“lay”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive1×
Luke 20:19“lay”… zētala tois grammatevois kai tois archierevois epibalara epi auton tain cheirain en auta …When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the people.
epibalarōntem“falls”happening now · objectpresent active participle direct singular neuter1×
Luke 15:12“falls”… to patro; Patror, dōasar mi tem epibalarōntem merem tau ousiau; tos de diairata …… to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property …
epibalarantos“puts”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine2×
Mark 14:72… fōnara dis tris min aparnesi, kai epibalarantos klaiate.… deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Luke 9:62legata de tos Iēsus; Oudenos epibalarantos tan cheiran epi arotrem kai bleparōntos …Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and …