ἀναφαίνω (anaphainō)
anaphainō
to appear
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb anaphainō carries the sense of bringing something into view or making it manifest. In its active voice, it often describes the physical act of sighting land after a voyage, as when the travelers in Acts 21:3 finally sighted Cyprus. This concrete nautical usage grounds the word’s broader meaning: to reveal what was previously hidden or unseen.
In the passive form, the focus shifts to the result rather than the actor. Here it means to appear or become apparent. Luke uses this sense in Luke 19:11, where people expect the kingdom of God to appear immediately. The word implies a sudden or clear emergence into visibility, whether referring to a distant shore coming into view or a spiritual reality becoming evident.
Its root combines an- (up) and phainō (to show), suggesting a lifting up into sight. This structure reinforces the idea of transition from obscurity to clarity. Translators typically render it as "appear" or "sight," depending on whether the subject is actively revealing or passively becoming visible.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word anaphainō describes the moment something hidden steps into the light. It captures that sudden clarity when a distant shore finally comes into view after a long journey at sea. This physical image helps us understand how spiritual truths can move from obscurity to clear recognition in our own lives.
In Luke 19, this concept challenges our impatience. The crowd expected the Kingdom to appear instantly, but Jesus used a parable to show that God’s timing often involves a process of revelation rather than an immediate display. We learn to trust the journey even when the destination is not yet fully visible.
Similarly, Acts 21 records Paul’s ship sighting Cyprus. This moment marks a transition from uncertainty to safety. For your faith, this word reminds us that God brings realities into view when the time is right. We do not need to force clarity; we simply wait for what He chooses to reveal.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to appear.1×
- Having sighted1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἀναφάναντες1×
- ἀναφαίνεσθαι.¶1×
Key Verses
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Luke 19:11
As they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately.
This verse uses the passive sense of the word to describe the crowd's expectation that God’s Kingdom would become visibly apparent without delay.
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Acts 21:3
When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for the ship was there to unload her cargo.
Here the active sense describes the physical act of sighting land, marking a clear transition from the uncertainty of the sea to the visibility of Cyprus.