ἀπάντησις (G529) — Greek Lexicon

ἀπάντησις

apántēsis

G529 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ἀπαντη- to meet, to go out to meet, to encounter

Definition

A meeting, encounter; specifically, the act of going out to meet someone arriving. The term refers to an organized or deliberate coming forth to receive or greet someone, often in formal, public, or ceremonial contexts. Used of greeting a dignitary, guest, or returning figure, and typically implies a group or delegation sent out to meet the person.

Semantic Range

meeting, encounter, an act of going out to receive; ceremonial or formal greeting, a group's welcoming of an arriving figure, public reception, formal escort

Root / Etymology

From ἀπαντάω (to go to meet, to encounter) + the noun-forming suffix -σις, indicating the action or process; thus, 'the act of meeting/encounter.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἀπάντησις refers generally to a meeting or encounter, but in Hellenistic and especially Koine contexts, it acquires the technical nuance of a ceremonial or official greeting—particularly the event where citizens or a delegation go out from a city to welcome and escort a notable person (such as a ruler, guest, or returning dignitary) back into the city. This is reflected in its use in the Septuagint (e.g., 1 Macc 4:21; 13:51) and in the New Testament (notably 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Matthew 25:6). The standard English translation 'to meet' does not capture the full social and ceremonial connotation of the Greek, which often involves a group's organized act of honoring and escorting an arriving figure. This nuance distinguishes ἀπάντησις from more generic terms for meeting such as συνάντησις or συνέντευξις, which can refer to any meeting or encounter. Critical scholarship on the New Testament has noted that the word carries implications of formal reception, rather than simply an incidental meeting. The word is rare in classical literature but more common in Hellenistic and Roman-period documents, including papyri describing civic rituals.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀπαντάω; a (friendly) encounter:--meet.

Root Family

ἀπάντησις (apantēsis) — meeting, encounter, going out to meet, formal reception

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`G529-01`	ἀπάντησιν	apantesin	`N ACC F SG`	meet	a formal reception	3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`G529-01`	Matthew 25:6	ἀπάντησιν	apantesin	`N ACC F SG`		a formal reception
`G529-01`	Acts 28:15	ἀπάντησιν	apantesin	`N ACC F SG`	meet	a formal reception
`G529-01`	1 Thessalonians 4:17	ἀπάντησιν	apantesin	`N ACC F SG`	meet	a formal reception

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