ἐπιρράπτω (epirraptō)
epirraptō
to sew on
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb epirraptō means to sew something onto another surface, specifically in the context of patching fabric. It describes the physical act of attaching a piece of cloth to an existing garment using thread and needle.
This word appears only once in the New Testament, in Mark 2:21. Jesus uses it as part of a parable about new wine and old wineskins, but the imagery relies on the common practice of mending clothes. A patch is not merely placed on top; it is stitched securely to the old fabric.
The term highlights the tangible connection between the two materials. In the passage, Jesus explains that sewing a new piece of cloth onto an old garment will only tear the new from the old, and the tear becomes worse. The word underscores the incompatibility of joining fundamentally different substances in this way.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When Jesus spoke about sewing a patch onto old clothing, He was using a detail everyone in His day understood. A new piece of cloth shrinks when washed. If you stitch it to an old, already-shrunk garment, the tension pulls them apart. The result is not a repair, but a larger tear. This image helps us see that some things simply do not mix well together.
In our own lives, we often try to force new ways of living onto old habits or mindsets. We might attempt to add fresh faith to an unyielding heart, expecting it to hold. Yet Jesus shows that genuine change requires a new foundation. It is not about patching up what was there before, but allowing God to create something entirely new within us.
This reminder brings comfort. You do not need to struggle to make old patterns fit your new life in Christ. Instead of trying to mend the past with temporary fixes, you can trust that God is making all things new. He offers a fresh start that does not rely on the strength of what has already worn out.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- sews1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐπιράπτει1×
Key Verses
-
Mark 2:21
No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made.
This verse illustrates the physical impossibility of joining unshrunk cloth to old fabric, serving as a metaphor for the incompatibility of old religious forms with the new life of the Gospel.