διαπλέω
I sail over
Definition
The verb διαπλέω means 'to sail across' or 'to sail through' a body of water. It specifically denotes the act of navigating a ship from one side to the other, often implying a completed journey across a stretch of sea. In its single New Testament occurrence in Acts 27:5, it describes Paul and his companions sailing across the open sea between Cyprus and the coast of Pamphylia. The prefix διά (through) emphasizes the motion through or across the maritime space, not merely sailing along a coast.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Acts 27:5, within the narrative of Paul's voyage to Rome. The context is a detailed travelogue of a sea journey: 'And when we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia.' Its usage is purely descriptive of maritime travel in a historical narrative, with no figurative or theological application observed elsewhere in the biblical text.
Etymology
Derived from the preposition διά (G1223), meaning 'through' or 'across,' combined with the verb πλέω, meaning 'to sail.' It is a compound verb literally meaning 'to sail through.' Cognates include other sailing-related terms like ἀναπλέω (G321, to sail up) and καταπλέω (G2658, to sail down). The construction straightforwardly indicates the action of sailing through a medium, in this case, the sea.
Semantic Range
In the 1st-century Roman world, sea travel was a common but perilous mode of transportation and commerce. Sailing 'across' open water, as opposed to coast-hugging, often involved greater risk and required favorable winds. The term reflects the practical realities of ancient navigation and geography. Understanding this term enriches the reading of Acts by highlighting the specific, sometimes dangerous, stages of Paul's journeys, grounding the narrative in the tangible experiences of travel in the ancient Mediterranean.
πλέω (pleō, G4126) — The simpler root verb meaning 'to sail' or 'to voyage,' without the specific sense of crossing through. ἀποπλέω (apopleō, G636) — Means 'to sail away' or 'to set sail from,' focusing on the point of departure rather than the crossing itself.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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