ὑποπλέω (G5284) — Greek Lexicon

ὑποπλέω

hypopléō

G5284 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

to sail past or along the sheltered side of an island, promontory, or landmass (i.e., to navigate in such a way as to be protected from prevailing winds or rough seas by staying under the lee). In extended use, to voyage by passing along underneath or close to a coastline for protection. The primary meaning is navigational, referring to the strategy of moving a vessel along the sheltered side of a land feature to avoid adverse conditions at sea.

Semantic Range

to sail under the lee of (nautical context), to sail along the sheltered side of a landmass, to travel by sea while under the protection of an island or coast

Root / Etymology

from ὑπό ('under, below') and πλέω ('to sail')—literally, 'to sail under (something).'

Historical & Contextual Notes

ὑποπλέω is primarily found in literary and nautical contexts of the Hellenistic and Roman periods, with rare appearances in extant Greek literature due to its technical nature. In the New Testament, the term appears in Acts (Acts 27:16), referring specifically to navigating a ship under the protection (under the lee) of the island of Clauda during a storm. The term utilizes common maritime vocabulary: πλέω (to sail) is a standard verb for sea travel, while ὑπό as preposed in compounds often indicates motion 'under' or 'below'. This compound expresses a tactical maneuver significant for ancient navigation and would have been readily understood by those familiar with seafaring. English translations typically render ὑποπλέω as 'sail under the lee of,' which conveys the technical maritime sense, but the nuance of protection or shelter by the landmass might be lost unless explicitly explained. The word has no known metaphorical extension beyond its literal nautical sense in Koine Greek sources.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ὑπό and πλέω; to sail under the lee of:--sail under.

Root Family

ὑποπλέω (hypopleō) — to sail, to sail under, to pass beneath while voyaging

Root ὑποπλε- to sail, to pass beneath, to move under while traveling by sea

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G5284-01`	ὑπεπλεύσαμεν	upepleusamen	`V AOR ACT IND 1P PL`	sailed under	we sailed under the lee	we sailed under the lee	2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G5284-01`	Acts 27:4	ὑπεπλεύσαμεν	upepleusamen	`V AOR ACT IND 1P PL`	sailed under	we sailed under the lee	we sailed under the lee
`G5284-01`	Acts 27:7	ὑπεπλεύσαμεν	upepleusamen	`V AOR ACT IND 1P PL`	we sailed under	we sailed under the lee	we sailed under the lee

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