"on the verge of falling, unsteady; met. insecure, hazardous, dangerous, Acts 27:9*"
Definition and meaning
on the verge of falling, unsteady; met. insecure, hazardous, dangerous, Acts 27:9*
In the original Greek the word is written: ἐπισφαλής
Historical context
The Roman Empire provided infrastructure no previous civilization had built — roads, sea routes, a common language in Greek, and relative peace across the Mediterranean. Jewish synagogues existed in every major city, giving Paul a starting point everywhere he traveled. The early church had no buildings, no political power, no social standing — and spread faster than any movement in ancient history.
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 episphales (G2000) across the King James Bible.
Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,
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Common questions
Strong's G2000 (episphales) is a Greek word that means: on the verge of falling, unsteady; met. insecure, hazardous, dangerous, Acts 27:9* It appears 1 times in the King James Bible.
The word episphales (G2000) appears 1 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G2000 is episphales, a Greek word defined as: on the verge of falling, unsteady; met. insecure, hazardous, dangerous, Acts 27:9*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
episphales is a Greek word found in the New Testament.