What does ἐπί (epí) mean in the Bible?
Epi is a Greek preposition whose meaning changes with the case it governs and the relationship expressed in context. English may render it on, upon, over, against, at, before, because of, or in relation to.
Greek · G1909
ἐπί
Upon/to/against
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ἐπί G1909
Pronunciation epí
What does ἐπί (epí) mean in the Bible?
Epi is a Greek preposition whose meaning changes with the case it governs and the relationship expressed in context. English may render it on, upon, over, against, at, before, because of, or in relation to.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐπί (G1909) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1909?
The BSB source-word alignment has 890 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include on (277), to (87), in (81), over (48), at (46).
Where does ἐπί (epí) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 1:11. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (169), Luke (161), Revelation (144), Matthew (122).
What This Word Actually Means
Epi is a Greek preposition whose meaning changes with the case it governs and the relationship expressed in context. English may render it on, upon, over, against, at, before, because of, or in relation to. Matthew 16:18 speaks of building on this rock. Luke 4:18 declares that the Spirit of the Lord is on Jesus. Acts 2:17 promises the Spirit poured out on all people.
First Peter 5:7 directs believers to cast anxiety on God, and Hebrews 8:10 speaks of laws placed in minds and written on hearts. These are not interchangeable spatial pictures. Epi marks a relationship, while syntax, the governed noun, the verb, and the larger passage determine whether that relationship is location, basis, direction, burden, or another contextual force.
How the Bible Uses It
Epi marks relationships that may be spatial, directional, relational, causal, or figurative. Its case construction and governing clause determine how English should represent the connection.
- Matt.16.18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Jesus speaks of building His church on this rock. The preposition participates in the foundation image, while the verse and Gospel context govern the interpretation.
- Luke.4.18
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,
Jesus reads that the Spirit of the Lord is on Him. The preposition helps mark the Spirit's relation to the anointed Servant mission.
- Acts.2.17
‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Peter cites God's promise to pour out His Spirit on all people. The preposition supports the distribution language in the prophecy.
- 1Pet.5.7
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
The command to cast anxiety on Him uses the preposition within a pastoral call to trust God's care.
- Heb.8.10
For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
The covenant promise speaks of God's laws written on hearts. The preposition helps locate the promised inscription within the people.
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 on 277× Matthew 3:16, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 4:5, Matthew 5:45
to 87× Matthew 3:7, Matthew 3:13, Matthew 6:27, Matthew 10:29
in 81× Matthew 4:6, Matthew 18:5, Matthew 23:2, Matthew 24:5
over 48× Matthew 18:13, Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 1:33
at 46× Matthew 5:23, Matthew 7:28, Matthew 9:9, Matthew 22:33
. . . 44× Matthew 14:34, Matthew 26:50, Matthew 28:14, Mark 4:31
upon 34× Matthew 11:29, Matthew 12:28, Matthew 23:35, Matthew 23:36
against 32× Matthew 10:21, Matthew 12:26, Matthew 24:7, Mark 3:24
vvv 32× Matthew 9:15, Matthew 13:48, Matthew 26:39, Mark 12:32
for 29× Matthew 15:32, Matthew 19:9, Matthew 26:50, Mark 8:2
- 26× Mark 9:12, Luke 10:9, Luke 10:35, Luke 24:25
before 19× Matthew 10:18, Mark 13:9, Luke 12:11, Luke 21:12
by 11× Matthew 18:16, Matthew 21:19, Mark 10:22, John 4:6
about 8× Mark 6:52, Mark 9:13, Mark 12:26, John 12:16
of 8× Matthew 24:45, Matthew 24:47, Matthew 25:21, Matthew 25:23
with 8× Matthew 18:26, Matthew 18:29, Matthew 25:21, Matthew 25:23
together 5× Matthew 22:34, Acts 2:44, Acts 4:26, 1 Corinthians 7:5
around 4× Matthew 27:27, Mark 5:21, Mark 14:51, John 20:7
because of 4× Acts 26:6, 1 Corinthians 1:4, Philippians 1:5, Revelation 1:7
Above 3× Luke 23:38, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Revelation 10:1
because 3× Luke 5:5, Romans 5:12, 2 Corinthians 5:4
from 3× Matthew 10:27, Luke 12:3, 2 Corinthians 7:7
[be] on 2× Matthew 27:25, Acts 18:6
[is] against 2× Acts 13:11, 1 Peter 3:12
[you would] 2× Matthew 26:55, Mark 14:48
across 2× John 11:38, Acts 11:28
after 2× Luke 1:59, Luke 15:4
among 2× Matthew 13:7, Acts 1:21
as 2× 2 Corinthians 1:23, 2 Peter 1:13
During 2× Mark 2:26, Luke 3:2
in accordance with 2× Mark 12:14, Luke 20:21
into 2× Acts 10:10, Revelation 16:17
meaning 2× Galatians 3:16
on [the testimony of] 2× 1 Timothy 5:19, Hebrews 10:28
right at 2× Matthew 24:33, Mark 13:29
toward 2× 1 Corinthians 7:36, 2 Corinthians 10:2
under 2× Acts 11:28, Hebrews 9:15
whatever 2× Matthew 25:40, Matthew 25:45
( a gathering of 1× Acts 1:15
[ in the passage ] about 1× Luke 20:37
[and] for 1× Acts 13:31
[are] at 1× Acts 5:9
[are] on 1× 1 Peter 3:12
[as he leaned] on 1× Hebrews 11:21
[has given] 1× 2 Corinthians 9:14
[he sets it] on 1× Luke 11:33
[He] of 1× Hebrews 7:13
[in protest] against 1× Acts 13:51
[The man] on 1× John 1:33
[they set it] on 1× Matthew 5:15
[which] 1× 2 Timothy 2:14
[will be] on 1× Revelation 22:4
[will lie] in 1× Revelation 11:8
[you would] against 1× Luke 22:52
{You have lived} on 1× James 5:5
along 1× Mark 4:1
as long as 1× Galatians 4:1
at [the time] 1× Matthew 1:11
back to 1× Luke 1:16
beside 1× Revelation 15:2
between 1× Luke 12:14
But in 1× Hebrews 1:2
by [those who are] 1× Romans 10:19
by which 1× James 2:7
divided against 1× Luke 11:17
facedown 1× Matthew 17:6
from the [things] 1× Romans 6:21
further 1× 2 Timothy 3:9
in {leading} 1× 2 Timothy 2:14
In addition to 1× 2 Corinthians 7:13
in charge of 1× Acts 8:27
in front of 1× 1 Corinthians 6:6
in return for 1× 1 Thessalonians 3:9
in the time 1× Luke 4:27
Inasmuch 1× Romans 11:13
near 1× John 5:2
on the basis of 1× Philippians 3:9
on whom 1× Matthew 21:44
only 1× Romans 7:1
that for which 1× Philippians 3:12
time 1× Acts 28:6
to decide 1× Mark 15:24
to do 1× Ephesians 2:10
until 1× Hebrews 9:17
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 1:11 ἐπὶ to at [the time] Preposition Matthew 3:7 ἐπὶ to to Preposition Matthew 3:13 ἐπὶ to to Preposition Matthew 3:16 ἐπ’ to on Preposition Matthew 4:4 ἐπ’ to on Preposition Matthew 4:4 ἐπὶ to on Preposition Matthew 4:5 ἐπὶ to on Preposition Matthew 4:6 ἐπὶ to in Preposition Matthew 5:15 ἐπὶ to [they set it] on Preposition Matthew 5:23 ἐπὶ to at Preposition
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 1:11
Aligned rows 890
Books represented 26
Matthew 122 Mark 72 Luke 161 John 36 Acts 169 Romans 31 1 Corinthians 19 2 Corinthians 24 Galatians 8 Ephesians 11 Philippians 7 Colossians 6 1 Thessalonians 6 2 Thessalonians 4 1 Timothy 8 2 Timothy 6 Titus 2 Philemon 2 Hebrews 29 James 8 1 Peter 9 2 Peter 3 1 John 1 3 John 1 Jude 1 Revelation 144
Source forms
ἐπὶ 653x epi Matthew 1:11, Matthew 3:7, Matthew 3:13, Matthew 4:4
ἐπ’ 140x ep’ Matthew 3:16, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 9:18, Matthew 10:13
ἐφ’ 80x eph’ Matthew 9:15, Matthew 11:29, Matthew 12:26, Matthew 12:28
Ἐπὶ 4x Epi Matthew 18:16, Matthew 23:2, 2 Corinthians 7:13, 2 Corinthians 13:1
Ἐπ’ 3x Ep’ Luke 22:59, Acts 10:34, Jude 1:18
ἐπί 3x epi Acts 8:36, Acts 27:44, 2 Corinthians 10:2
«ἐπὶ 2x epi Mark 2:10, Acts 25:10
Ἐφ’ 2x Eph’ John 1:33, Hebrews 7:13
Parsing patterns
Preposition 890x Matthew 1:11, Matthew 3:7, Matthew 3:13, Matthew 3:16
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Explain the specific relationship epi marks in the clause rather than preaching a generic word picture.
- When the construction is debated, state the grammatical evidence and keep the conclusion proportional.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that epi always means “on.”
- Do not claim that the preposition by itself proves a passage’s doctrinal conclusion.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. upon/to/against
Strong's G1909
Lexical occurrences 885 verses Greek text appearances 898 times 16 shown below Word forms 1 form 885 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
upon/to/against
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 898 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 1:11 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 2:22 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 3:7 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 3:13 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 3:16 Preposition
ἐπ᾽ ep
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 4:4 Preposition
ἐπ᾽ ep
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 4:4 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 4:5 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 4:6 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 5:15 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 5:23 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 5:39 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 5:45 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 5:45 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 6:10 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
Read verse Matthew 6:19 Preposition
ἐπὶ epi
on, to, against, on the basis of, at
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 this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 885
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Matt 1:11 · Matt 3:7 · Matt 3:13 · Matt 3:16 · Matt 4:4 · Matt 4:5 · Matt 4:6 · Matt 5:15 · Matt 5:23 · Matt 5:45 · Matt 6:10 · Matt 6:19 · Matt 6:27 · Matt 7:24 · Matt 7:25 · Matt 7:26 885×
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
Epi is useful precisely because it refuses a single English picture. In Matthew 16:18, “on this rock” identifies the stated basis of Jesus’ building promise, though the identity of the rock must be argued from the entire exchange. Luke 4:18 and Acts 2:17 use “on” language in declarations of the Spirit’s anointing and outpouring. First Peter 5:7 directs the burden of anxiety onto the God who cares, making the prepositional relation part of a command grounded in His character.
Hebrews 8:10 uses placement language for God’s laws in minds and on hearts within the new covenant promise. The preposition contributes to each construction, but its theological meaning comes from the verb, object, covenant setting, and authorial argument.
Anchor passage
Matt.16.18
Doctrinal connections
- Matt.16.18 uses epi in Jesus’ promise to build His church on “this rock,” while the surrounding confession, wordplay, and promise govern the debated referent.
- Luke.4.18 places the Spirit of the Lord upon Jesus in the Nazareth proclamation, connecting anointing with His good-news mission.
- Acts.2.17 uses epi in the promised outpouring of the Spirit on all people, whose fulfillment Peter interprets through Joel and the exalted Christ.
- 1Pet.5.7 directs believers to cast every anxiety on God because He cares for them, grounding the transferred burden in divine concern.
- Heb.8.10 uses relational placement language in the new covenant promise that God will put His laws in minds and write them on hearts.
- 1Cor.3.11 speaks of the foundation already laid, Jesus Christ, providing a canonical control against making a preposition alone settle foundation theology.
Epi commonly governs genitive, dative, or accusative forms, and each construction has overlapping but distinct possibilities. It can express location on or over, contact, basis, authority, direction toward, extension, occasion, or relation. The local artifact currently groups about 885 occurrences. Lexical gloss lists are starting points only; the noun’s case, governing verb, idiom, and discourse context determine the best reading.
From Old to New Testament
Both Testaments speak of God’s Spirit coming upon servants, burdens placed upon another, words written on hearts, and structures established on foundations. The Septuagint and New Testament express many such relationships with Greek prepositions, but canonical theology arises from the narrated act and divine promise. Epi can make the relation visible in Greek while the covenant context explains its redemptive significance.
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