ὑπολαμβάνω
hypolambánō
G5274 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To take up from below or to support physically; in extended usage, to take up or carry on (e.g., a subject, speech, or task); to receive or take upon oneself; to assume or suppose something (often mentally); to answer, responding by taking up a previous statement or idea. The core sense centers on taking up, whether physically or by extension in thought or discourse.
Semantic Range
to take up from below, to carry, to receive, to assume or imagine, to presume, to answer or respond (esp. by taking up a previous statement or idea), to take responsibility for, to support (literally or figuratively)
Root / Etymology
From ὑπό ('under, beneath') and λαμβάνω ('take, grasp, receive'). The compound literally means 'to take from under' or 'to take up from below,' with metaphorical and transferred extensions in discourse and mental operations.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, ὑπολαμβάνω is attested from the 5th century BCE, primarily with the sense of taking up or catching from below, whether an object or a task left by another. In Hellenistic and Koine Greek, the word frequently extends to the realm of conversation and cognition: to intercept or answer (by taking up what was previously said), or to assume/suppose something to be so. In the Septuagint, usage is mostly literal or as a translation of Hebrew terms for 'taking up.' In the New Testament, it often signals a response, especially to what has just been stated (e.g., 'answering, he said'—a formula in reported speech), and also the notion of assuming or presuming something mentally. English translations sometimes render it simply as 'answer' or 'suppose,' which does not always reflect the underlying nuance of 'taking up' either the thread of discourse or an idea. Unlike ἀποκρίνομαι ('to answer, reply'), ὑπολαμβάνω can emphasize the demeanor of picking up or responding to a prior assertion or assumption, sometimes with an overtone of presumption or mental inference.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ὑπό and λαμβάνω; to take from below, i.e. carry upward; figuratively, to take up, i.e. continue a discourse or topic; mentally, to assume (presume):--answer, receive, suppose.
Root Family
ὑπολαμβάνω (hypolambanō) — to take up, to receive, to assume, to answer
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5274-02 |
ὑπολαβὼν | upolabon | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
answering | having taken up | 1 |
G5274-05 |
ὑπολαμβάνω | upolambano | V PRS ACT IND 1P SG |
I suppose | I take up | 1 |
G5274-03 |
ὑπολαμβάνειν | upolambanein | V PRS ACT INF |
to support | to take up | 1 |
G5274-01 |
ὑπέλαβεν | upelaben | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
received | he took up | 1 |
G5274-04 |
ὑπολαμβάνετε | upolambanete | V PRS ACT IND 2P PL |
suppose | you are taking up | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5274-05 |
Luke 7:43 | ὑπολαμβάνω | upolambano | V PRS ACT IND 1P SG |
I suppose | I take up |
G5274-02 |
Luke 10:30 | ὑπολαβὼν | upolabon | V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG |
answering | having taken up |
G5274-01 |
Acts 1:9 | ὑπέλαβεν | upelaben | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
received | he took up |
G5274-04 |
Acts 2:15 | ὑπολαμβάνετε | upolambanete | V PRS ACT IND 2P PL |
suppose | you are taking up |
G5274-03 |
3 John 1:8 | ὑπολαμβάνειν | upolambanein | V PRS ACT INF |
to support | to take up |