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Greek verb · G1994

ἐπιστρέφω

epistrephoep-ee-stref'-o

trans., to turn about, round or towards, hence metaphorically; Intrans.

36 uses in the Greek text, one for each word STEP Bible has tagged with this key

Concordance spelling: epistréphō

Word page · Part of the concordance, one page for every word of the Hebrew and Greek text. Strong's G1994is this word's number in James Strong's 1890 index of the King James Bible.

  • 12 of 27
    New Testament books
  • 19
    spellings
  • 2
    meanings

The definition in full

Strong's key (1890) · G1994

to revert (literally, figuratively or morally)

The King James renders it: come (go) again, convert, (re-)turn (about, again).

James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), public domain. Strong indexed the King James text, and this site quotes his entry as that index.

Summary

epistrepho is rendered "trans., to turn about, round or towards, hence metaphorically; Intrans.". It stands 36 times in the Greek text, across twelve books.

  • Eleven of the uses stand in Acts, more than in any other book.
  • The lexicon lists two meanings for it, beginning with "trans., to turn about, round or towards, hence metaphorically".
  • Its first use in canonical order opens the ledger below.Matthew 10:13If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; but if it is not, let your peace return to you.
  • The Greek text spells it nineteen different ways.

The first use

If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; but if it is not, let your peace return to you.

Matthew 10:13ἐπιστραφήτω

The first use, in the order of the New Testament's books.

Where the word stands

Eleven of the word's thirty-six uses are in Acts.

The other 15 New Testament books never use the word.

What the word means

The word carries two meanings: trans., to turn about, round or towards, hence metaphorically, and Intrans..

Each meaning, and the words it is translated by

The English STEP Bible gives each use, word by word, and how many times.
trans., to turn about, round or towards, hence metaphoricallyTagged as
  • to turn4
  • he should return3
  • are turning1
  • do turn again1
  • do you turn1
  • having brought back1
  • having returned1
  • Having turned back1

and 14 more, 27 uses in all

WhereMalachi 3:24
Intrans.__(a) to turn, turn oneself aroundTagged as
  • having turned6
  • turned2
  • I turned1
WhereMark 5:30At once Jesus was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked…

The words built on the same word-part

Each word below begins with the same letters this one begins with. A shared word-part shows a family. It does not settle what any one of them means, so each word carries its own uses on its own page. Scholars call that shared part the stem.

ἐπιστολήepistoleepistleUses24
ἐπίσταμαιepistamaito know/understandUses14
ἐπισκέπτομαιepiskeptomaito visit/care forUses11
ἐπισυνάγωepisynagoto gatherUses8
ἐπιστάτηςepistatesmasterUses7
ἐπισκιάζωepiskiazoto overshadowUses5
ἐπίσκοποςepiskoposoverseerUses5
ἐπισκοπήepiskopeoversightUses4
ἐπιστηρίζωepisterizoto strengthenUses4
ἐπιστέλλωepistelloto write toUses3
ἐπίσημοςepisemosnotableUses2
ἐπισκοπέωepiskopeoto oversee/care forUses2

and 12 more on the stem.

All 36, in canonical order

Every use, in order

Every use, grouped by book, with its verse.

19 spellings and their grammar

STEP Bible tags every word of the Hebrew and Greek text with its spelling and its grammar. Both lists below count the rows printed underneath, written out in English, with the code beside each one as it was tagged.

How it is spelled

  • ἐπιστρέψας6
  • ἐπιστραφεὶς3
  • ἐπιστρεψάτω3
  • ἐπιστρέψῃ3
  • ἐπιστρέψωσιν3
  • ἐπέστρεψαν2
  • ἐπέστρεψεν2
  • ἐπιστρέφειν2
  • ἐπιστρέψαι2
  • ἐπεστράφητε1
  • ἐπέστρεψα1
  • ἐπεστρέψατε1

and 7 more spellings in the ledger below.

The grammar of each form

  • verb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singular6V-AAP-NSM
  • verb · aorist passive, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singular3V-2APP-NSM
  • verb · aorist active, command · 3rd person singular3V-AAM-3S
  • verb · aorist active, infinitive (“to…”)3V-AAN
  • verb · aorist active, subjunctive · 3rd person plural3V-AAS-3P
  • verb · aorist active, subjunctive · 3rd person singular3V-AAS-3S
  • verb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person plural2V-2AAI-3P
  • verb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singular2V-2AAI-3S
  • verb · aorist active, indicative · 1st person singular1V-2AAI-1S
  • verb · aorist active, indicative · 2nd person plural1V-2AAI-2P
  • verb · aorist passive, indicative · 2nd person plural1V-2API-2P
  • verb · aorist passive, command · 3rd person singular1V-2APM-3S

Matthew

four uses
  • If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; but if it is not, let your peace return to you.

    Matthew 10:13

    • ἐπιστραφήτωepistraphetoverb · aorist passive, command · 3rd person singulartagged: should return
  • Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order.

    Matthew 12:44

    • ἐπιστρέψωepistrepsoverb · future active, indicative · 1st person singulartagged: I will return
  • For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

    Matthew 13:15

    • ἐπιστρέψωσινepistrepsosinverb · aorist active, subjunctive · 3rd person pluraltagged: may return
  • And let no one in the field return for his cloak.

    Matthew 24:18

    • ἐπιστρεψάτωepistrepsatoverb · aorist active, command · 3rd person singulartagged: he should return

Mark

four uses
  • so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”

    Mark 4:12

    • ἐπιστρέψωσινepistrepsosinverb · aorist active, subjunctive · 3rd person pluraltagged: they may turn
  • At once Jesus was aware that power had gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, “Who touched My garments?”

    Mark 5:30

    • ἐπιστραφεὶςepistrapheisverb · aorist passive, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: having turned
  • But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

    Mark 8:33

    • ἐπιστραφεὶςepistrapheisverb · aorist passive, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: having turned
  • And let no one in the field return for his cloak.

    Mark 13:16

    • ἐπιστρεψάτωepistrepsatoverb · aorist active, command · 3rd person singulartagged: he should return

Luke

seven uses
  • Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.

    Luke 1:16

    • ἐπιστρέψειepistrepseiverb · future active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: he will turn
  • And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

    Luke 1:17

    • ἐπιστρέψαιepistrepsaiverb · aorist active, infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to turn
  • When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

    Luke 2:39

    • ἐπέστρεψανepestrepsanverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: they returned
  • Her spirit returned, and at once she got up. And He directed that she be given something to eat.

    Luke 8:55

    • ἐπέστρεψενepestrepsenverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: returned
  • Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

    Luke 17:4

    • ἐπιστρέψῃepistrepseverb · aorist active, subjunctive · 3rd person singulartagged: shall return
  • On that day, let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind.

    Luke 17:31

    • ἐπιστρεψάτωepistrepsatoverb · aorist active, command · 3rd person singulartagged: he should return
  • But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

    Luke 22:32

    • ἐπιστρέψαςepistrepsasverb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: you have turned back

John

one use
  • Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. He was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper to ask, “Lord, who is going to betray You?”

    John 21:20

    • Ἐπιστραφεὶςepistrapheisverb · aorist passive, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: Having turned

Acts

eleven uses
  • Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,

    Acts 3:19

    • ἐπιστρέψατεepistrepsateverb · aorist active, command · 2nd person pluraltagged: do turn again
  • and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

    Acts 9:35

    • ἐπέστρεψανepestrepsanverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person pluraltagged: turned
  • Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.

    Acts 9:40

    • ἐπιστρέψαςepistrepsasverb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: having turned
  • The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

    Acts 11:21

    • ἐπέστρεψενepestrepsenverb · aorist active, indicative · 3rd person singulartagged: turned
  • “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.

    Acts 14:15

    • ἐπιστρέφεινepistrepheinverb · present active, infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to turn
  • It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

    Acts 15:19

    • ἐπιστρέφουσινepistrephousinverb · present active, participle · dative (“to / for”) · masculine pluraltagged: are turning
  • Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.”

    Acts 15:36

    • ἐπιστρέψαντεςepistrepsantesverb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine pluraltagged: Having turned back
  • She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.

    Acts 16:18

    • ἐπιστρέψαςepistrepsasverb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: having turned
  • to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

    Acts 26:18

    • ἐπιστρέψαιepistrepsaiverb · aorist active, infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to turn
  • First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.

    Acts 26:20

    • ἐπιστρέφεινepistrepheinverb · aorist active, infinitive (“to…”)tagged: to turn
  • For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

    Acts 28:27

    • ἐπιστρέψωσινepistrepsosinverb · aorist active, subjunctive · 3rd person pluraltagged: may turn

2 Corinthians

one use
  • But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

    2 Corinthians 3:16

    • ἐπιστρέψῃepistrepseverb · aorist active, subjunctive · 3rd person singulartagged: shall have turned

Galatians

one use
  • But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

    Galatians 4:9

    • ἐπιστρέφετεepistrepheteverb · present active, indicative · 2nd person pluraltagged: do you turn

1 Thessalonians

one use
  • For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

    1 Thessalonians 1:9

    • ἐπεστρέψατεepestrepsateverb · aorist active, indicative · 2nd person pluraltagged: you turned

James

two uses
  • My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,

    James 5:19

    • ἐπιστρέψῃepistrepseverb · aorist active, subjunctive · 3rd person singulartagged: shall bring back
  • consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

    James 5:20

    • ἐπιστρέψαςepistrepsasverb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: having brought back

1 Peter

one use
  • For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

    1 Peter 2:25

    • ἐπεστράφητεepestrapheteverb · aorist passive, indicative · 2nd person pluraltagged: you have returned

2 Peter

one use
  • Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”

    2 Peter 2:22

    • ἐπιστρέψαςepistrepsasverb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: having returned

Revelation

two uses
  • Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,

    Revelation 1:12

    • ἐπέστρεψαepestrepsaverb · aorist active, indicative · 1st person singulartagged: I turned
    • ἐπιστρέψαςepistrepsasverb · aorist active, participle · nominative (subject) · masculine singulartagged: having turned

Where it leads

How the numbers are counted

Every count on this page comes from STEP Bible's tagged Hebrew and Greek text, the same text the ledger prints. A use is counted once each time the tagging marks a word with this key.

Spellings are counted as the Greek text spells them, with the sentence's own punctuation taken off the word first, so a form that ends a clause is not counted as a second spelling.

The family is read from the lexicon by the stem the two words share, with the accents off, and a person or a place named on the stem is left out.

Hebrew and Greek text, word tagging and grammar: STEP Bible (www.STEPBible.org), Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0. Their grammar codes are written out in English here and shown as tagged beside each one.

Meaning and senses: STEP Bible TBESG (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0), the Brief lexicon based on Abbott-Smith (1922).

Dictionary key: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890, public domain). English verse text: Berean Standard Bible (public domain, 2023).

Revised 2026-09-05. Every cited work, the sources registry →