ἐπαυτοφώρῳ
epautophṓrōi
G1888
SILEX Entry
Definition
In the very act (of wrongdoing); caught at the exact moment of committing an offense, especially a crime or morally reproachable deed. The term refers primarily to being apprehended in flagrante delicto, i.e., while the act is being committed. The semantic range may extend to accusations or legal situations where proof is established by direct apprehension during the act itself.
Semantic Range
caught in the very act, apprehended while doing a crime, caught red-handed, in flagrante delicto
Root / Etymology
Formed from the preposition ἐπί (upon, at), the pronoun αὐτός (self, himself), and related to the root φώρ (thief), in dative singular form (effectively 'at the very act [of being a wrongdoer]').
Historical & Contextual Notes
This adverbial expression is rare, found chiefly in legal and forensic contexts of the Hellenistic and Roman worlds, meaning someone was caught 'red-handed' or 'in the very act' of an illicit deed. In the New Testament, it appears in John 8:4, where a woman is said to have been caught 'in the very act' of adultery. The expression may have been influenced by Greek and Roman legal terminology, where 'flagrante delicto' or similar phrasing established indisputable guilt. The term occurs more generally in Hellenistic Greek than in classical texts, and is closely related in function to constructs like αὐτοφώρῳ or αὐτοφώρως. English translations often use 'in the very act' or 'caught in the act', but do not always convey the strong legal connotation implied by the Greek term.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἐπί and αὐτός and (the dative case singular of) a derivative of (a thief); in theft itself, i.e. (by analogy) in actual crime:--in the very act.
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 total occurrences
No occurrences found.