διαπλέω (diapleō)
diapleō
to sail across
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb διαπλέω (diapleō) means to sail across a stretch of water from one shore to the other. It occurs only once in the New Testament, in Acts 27:5, where Luke describes how Paul’s ship sailed across the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia before putting in at Myra in Lycia.
The word is built from διά (dia, “through”) and πλέω (pleō, “to sail”), emphasizing a full crossing rather than coasting from port to port. In the Acts passage, the vessel left Cyprus behind and needed to traverse the broad expanse of water south of the Anatolian coast—a direct, open-sea passage captured by this compound verb.
Classical Greek authors used διαπλέω in a wider sense. Plato could speak of “sailing across life” (διαπλεῖν τὸν βίον), taking the literal act of crossing water as a picture for navigating one’s entire existence. That metaphorical usage does not appear in the New Testament, but it reflects how naturally the image of a completed sea crossing lent itself to describing life’s journey.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When Luke writes that they “sailed across” the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, he chooses a word that means more than just drifting along the coast. This was a direct crossing of open water, leaving the safety of one shore for another. For Paul and his companions, it was a small step in a much larger voyage—one that would end in shipwreck, yet also in God’s deliverance. The literal act of sailing across can remind us that God often leads His people through wide, uncertain stretches, not just the sheltered inlets.
You may be in a season that feels like open water—no landmarks, no quick refuge. The same God who guided that fragile ship saw Paul safely to Rome. He does not promise a storm-free passage, but He does promise His presence across the whole span. When you look back, you may see that the crossing itself was part of His good purpose. You are not adrift; you are being brought through.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- having sailed across [the sea]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- διαπλεύσαντες1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 27:5
When we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
This lone New Testament occurrence captures the ship’s open-sea crossing from Cyprus toward Myra, marking a decisive move away from the coast and into deeper waters on Paul’s providential journey to Rome.