ἐπιλείπω (epileipō)
epileipō
be insufficient
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb epileipō means to fall short or to be insufficient for a given purpose. In the New Testament, it appears only once, in Hebrews 11:32, where the author notes that listing every example of faith would take too much time. Here, the word describes how words themselves fail to capture the full scope of these heroes’ deeds.
Its meaning comes from its parts: epí ("upon") and leipō ("to leave behind"). The sources indicate it carries the sense of leaving something behind because one cannot fully hold or express it. This usage highlights the limits of human language when faced with overwhelming reality, suggesting that some truths exceed what can be adequately stated.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When we read Hebrews 11:32, the writer uses a word that means to fall short or be insufficient. He lists giants of faith like Gideon, Samson, and David, then admits that telling their full stories would take too much time. This honest admission reminds us that human language has limits. No matter how hard we try, our words often cannot fully capture the depth of God’s work in a life.
This realization brings comfort rather than frustration. It means you do not need perfect vocabulary to express your trust in God. The heroes of faith were not defined by their eloquence but by their reliance on Him. Their stories point beyond themselves to a reality that words can only hint at. We are invited to look past the limitations of speech and focus on the One who is always sufficient.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Will fail1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐπιλείψει1×
Key Verses
-
Hebrews 11:32
What more shall I say? For the time would fail me if I told of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets—
The word highlights the inability of human speech to contain the vast scope of faith demonstrated by biblical figures like Gideon and David.