"to lie upon, be placed upon, Jn. 11:38; 21:9; to press, urge upon, Lk. 5:1; Acts 27:20; be urgent, importunate upon, Lk. 23:23; to be imposed upon, be imposed by law, Heb. 9:10; by necessity, 1 Cor. 9:16"
Definition and meaning
to lie upon, be placed upon, Jn. 11:38; 21:9; to press, urge upon, Lk. 5:1; Acts 27:20; be urgent, importunate upon, Lk. 23:23; to be imposed upon, be imposed by law, Heb. 9:10; by necessity, 1 Cor. 9:16
In the original Greek the word is written: ἐπίκειμαι
Historical context
Luke wrote as a historian addressing a Greek audience. He carefully interviewed eyewitnesses and arranged events in order. The social and economic realities he describes — Roman taxation, Jewish religious hierarchy, the marginalization of women and the poor — are consistent with first-century Judea under Roman administration.
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 epikeimai (G1945) across the King James Bible.
And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.
Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
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Common questions
Strong's G1945 (epikeimai) is a Greek word that means: to lie upon, be placed upon, Jn. 11:38; 21:9; to press, urge upon, Lk. 5:1; Acts 27:20; be urgent, importunate upon, Lk. 23:23; to be imposed upon, be imposed by law, Heb. 9:10; by necessity, 1 Cor. 9... It appears 7 times in the King James Bible.
The word epikeimai (G1945) appears 7 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G1945 is epikeimai, a Greek word defined as: to lie upon, be placed upon, Jn. 11:38; 21:9; to press, urge upon, Lk. 5:1; Acts 27:20; be urgent, importunate upon, Lk. 23:23; to be imposed upon, be. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
epikeimai is a Greek word found in the New Testament.