Tag Archives: Acts 20:10

Καταβὰς δὲ ὁ Παῦλος ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ καὶ συμπεριλαβὼν εἶπε· μὴ θορυβεῖσθε· ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐστιν. (Acts 20:10)

But Paul went down, fell upon him, and embracing him said, “Do not be alarmed, for his soul is in him.”

Urgent Movement and Physical Compassion καταβὰς… ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ The aorist participle καταβάς (“having gone down”) describes Paul’s descent, likely from an upper floor. The verb ἐπέπεσεν (aorist active indicative of ἐπιπίπτω) literally means “fell upon.” This combination is dramatic and recalls Old Testament prophetic gestures (cf. 1 Kings 17:21, Elijah and the dead child). In Classical Greek, ἐπιπίπτω can suggest aggression or urgency—here it denotes compassionate immediacy.… Learn Koine Greek