"(1) with the gen., upon, on, Mt. 4:6; 9:2; 27:19; in, of locality, Mk. 8:4; near upon, by, at, Mt. 21:19; Jn. 21:1; upon, over, of authority, Mt. 2:22; Acts 8:27; in the presence of, especially in a judicial sense, 2 Cor. 7:14; Acts 25:9; in the case of, in respect of, Jn. 6:2; G..."
Definition and meaning
(1) with the gen., upon, on, Mt. 4:6; 9:2; 27:19; in, of locality, Mk. 8:4; near upon, by, at, Mt. 21:19; Jn. 21:1; upon, over, of authority, Mt. 2:22; Acts 8:27; in the presence of, especially in a judicial sense, 2 Cor. 7:14; Acts 25:9; in the case of, in respect of, Jn. 6:2; Gal. 3:16; in the time of, at the time of, Acts 11:28; Rom. 1:10; ἐπ’ ἀληθείας, really, bona fide, Mk. 12:32; (2) with the dat., upon, on, Mt. 14:8; Mk. 2:21; Lk. 12:44; close upon, by, Mt. 24:33; Jn. 4:6; in the neighborhood or society of, Acts 28:14; over, of authority, Mt. 24:47; to, of addition, besides, Mt. 25:20; Eph. 6:16; Col. 3:14; supervening upon, after, 2 Cor. 1:4; 7:4; immediately upon, Jn. 4:27; upon, of the object of an act, towards, to, Mk. 5:33; Lk. 18:7; Acts 5:35; against, of hostile posture or disposition, Lk. 12:52; in dependence upon, Mt. 4:4; Lk. 5:5; Acts 14:3; upon the ground of, Mt. 19:9; Lk. 1:59; Phil. 1:3; Heb. 7:11; 8:6; 9:17; with a view to, Gal. 5:13; 1 Thess. 4:7; (3) with the acc., upon, with the idea of previous or present motion, Mt. 4:5; 14:19, 26; towards, of place, to, Mt. 3:13; 22:34; towards, of the object of an action, Lk. 6:35; 9:38; against, of hostile movement, Mt. 10:21; over, of authority, Lk. 1:33; to the extent of, both of place and time, Rev. 21:16; Rom. 7:1; near, by, Mt. 9:9; about, at, of time, Acts 3:1; in order to, with a view to, for the purpose of, Mt. 3:7; Lk. 7:44
In the original Greek the word is written: ἐπί
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of epi (G1909) across the King James Bible.
And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
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Common questions
Strong's G1909 (epi) is a Greek word that means: (1) with the gen., upon, on, Mt. 4:6; 9:2; 27:19; in, of locality, Mk. 8:4; near upon, by, at, Mt. 21:19; Jn. 21:1; upon, over, of authority, Mt. 2:22; Acts 8:27; in the presence of, especially in a j... It appears 773 times in the King James Bible.
The word epi (G1909) appears 773 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G1909 is epi, a Greek word defined as: (1) with the gen., upon, on, Mt. 4:6; 9:2; 27:19; in, of locality, Mk. 8:4; near upon, by, at, Mt. 21:19; Jn. 21:1; upon, over, of authority, Mt. 2:22. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
epi is a Greek word found in the New Testament.