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ἐπιοῦσα

epioûsa

G1966 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

Feminine singular participle (used substantively) meaning 'the coming' or 'approaching' (typically of a day or night), i.e., 'the next' or 'following' (day/night). The term properly denotes the day or night that is about to arrive as reckoned from the present moment, particularly in narrative or calendrical contexts.

Semantic Range

approaching, coming (of day or night), following, next (day or night); the ensuing day/night, the day/night about to dawn

Root / Etymology

Formed from the prefix ἐπί ('upon, on, over') and the participial form of the verb εἶμι ('to go, to come'), yielding the sense of 'the (time) that is about to come or follow upon.' Not a standard comparitive formation, but an idiomatic construction in Koine Greek. Related to the full phrase ἡ ἐπιοῦσα (ἡμέρα), 'the coming (day)'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The word ἐπιοῦσα is almost exclusively used in reference to the day or night that immediately follows the time of speaking. The phrase ἡ ἐπιοῦσα (ἡμέρα) appears in the New Testament (e.g., Acts 20:15; 21:26) and in LXX Greek, where it marks temporal transitions in narrative. In both sources, it signifies the day immediately following rather than a vaguely future day. The term was not widely used in classical Greek but became a technical and idiomatic expression in post-classical and Koine Greek literary and administrative contexts. Standard English translations such as 'next day,' 'following,' or 'ensuing' capture the basic sense, but do not convey the participial, anticipatory nuance carried in the Greek. Unlike more general temporal expressions like μετὰ ταῦτα ('after these things') or ἐξῆς ('next, in turn'), ἐπιοῦσα specifies the immediately forthcoming day or night.

Translation Consistency

primary "come" 5 occurrences

The lemma denotes the day/night that is about to arrive — the ‘coming’ or ‘next’ one. ‘Come’ naturally and idiomatically covers the primary sense (approaching/coming) used in narrative and calendrical contexts and will yield natural English forms (e.g. the coming day, the day to come) across all inflections.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine singular participle of a comparative of ἐπί and (to go); supervening, i.e. (ἡμέρα or νύξ being expressed or implied) the ensuing day or night:--following, next.

Root Family

ἐπιοῦσα (epiousa) — to come upon, to follow, to approach

Root ἐπ- to go upon, to come upon, to follow

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1966-01 ἐπιούσῃ epiouse V PRS ACT PTCP DAT F SG following to the coming day to the coming day 5

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1966-01 Acts 7:26 ἐπιούσῃ epiouse V PRS ACT PTCP DAT F SG following to the coming day to the coming day
G1966-01 Acts 16:11 ἐπιούσῃ epiouse V PRS ACT PTCP DAT F SG following to the coming day to the coming day
G1966-01 Acts 20:15 ἐπιούσῃ epiouse V PRS ACT PTCP DAT F SG following to the coming day coming day
G1966-01 Acts 21:18 ἐπιούσῃ epiouse V PRS ACT PTCP DAT F SG following to the coming day the coming day
G1966-01 Acts 23:11 ἐπιούσῃ epiouse V PRS ACT PTCP DAT F SG following to the coming day the coming
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