Bible Word Study
ὑπάντησις
ypantēsis · a meeting
ὑπάντησις
a meeting
Definition
The Greek noun ὑπάντησις (ypantēsis) specifically denotes a formal or official meeting, often with the nuance of going out to meet someone. It describes an encounter where one party moves toward another, typically to welcome, honor, or receive them. In the New Testament, it is used exclusively in John 12:13 to describe the crowd going out to formally meet Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, carrying palm branches and shouting 'Hosanna!' This paints a picture of a celebratory, public reception.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the New Testament, in John 12:13. It is used in the context of Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where a great crowd came out from the city to formally meet and welcome him. The usage here is highly specific, describing a deliberate, public act of reception and acclamation directed toward a significant figure.
Etymology
Derived from the verb ὑπαντάω (hypantaō), meaning 'to meet' or 'to go to meet.' The noun form ὑπάντησις emphasizes the act or occasion of meeting. It is a compound word, but its core meaning is straightforward, focusing on the encounter itself.
Semantic Range
While a simple noun, its single biblical occurrence in John 12:13 is theologically significant. It captures the moment of public, albeit misunderstood, royal acclamation of Jesus as the Messiah entering his capital city. Understanding this as a formal 'meeting' or 'reception' enriches the scene, highlighting the crowd's intentional action and the event's symbolic importance as a fulfillment of prophecy (Zechariah 9:9), even as it precedes Jesus's suffering. In the Greco-Roman world, a formal ὑπάντησις was a recognized custom for welcoming a visiting dignitary, king, or conquering hero into a city. Citizens would go out from the city gates to meet the important person and escort them back in a public procession. The crowd's actions in John 12:13 directly mirror this cultural practice, treating Jesus as an honored royal figure entering his domain. συναντή (synantē, G4876) — a general meeting or encounter, often less formal. ἀπάντησις (apantēsis, G529) — a very close synonym also meaning 'a meeting,' used in Matthew 25:6 and Acts 28:15 for going out to meet someone.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]