Exploring the Meaning of Anapempo in Greek

ἀναπέμπω expresses the action of sending someone back. In the New Testament it appears in a cluster of courtroom and custody scenes (Luke 23; Acts 25) and in a personal appeal about receiving a returned person (Philemon 1).

Root and Related Words

ἀναπέμπω is formed from ana (ἀνά), “each” (Strong’s G303), and pempo (πέμπω), “to send” (Strong’s G3992).

Occurrences

“When he found out that he was in Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.” (Luke 23:7)

Here ἀναπέμπω functions inside a jurisdictional decision. The movement of the prisoner is not random travel but an official transfer keyed to authority: once Pilate learns the accused belongs to “Herod’s jurisdiction,” the sending is directed to the ruler who has standing over that region. The verb carries the procedural force of redirecting a case to the proper forum, and the note that Herod was “also in Jerusalem during those days” highlights how this sending can occur promptly within the same city.

“Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate.” (Luke 23:11)

In this scene ἀναπέμπω is the final act after contempt and display: humiliation, mocking, and the clothing all precede the return. The sending back marks a completed cycle—Pilate has sent the prisoner to Herod, and Herod now returns him to Pilate. The verb is colored by what happens in Herod’s court: the one being returned comes back not merely as a detainee but as someone publicly derided, with his treatment framing the return as a dismissive handoff rather than a dignifying referral.

“Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him.” (Luke 23:15)

Here ἀναπέμπω appears in Pilate’s speech as he explains his earlier action and draws a conclusion from it. The verb points back to the prior transfer as a deliberate step of inquiry—Pilate had routed the accused to Herod, and the outcome now serves as evidence in Pilate’s argument. The return (implied by the present setting and the subsequent reasoning) supports the stated verdict: “nothing worthy of death has been done by him.” In this way the sending back is part of a chain of official evaluation, and the verb supports the logic of a multi-authority review that fails to find a capital offense.

“But when Paul had appealed to be kept for the decision of the emperor, I commanded him to be kept until I could send him to Caesar.” (Acts 25:21)

In Acts 25:21 ἀναπέμπω is tied to custody and appeal. Paul’s request determines his status—he is “to be kept”—and the speaker’s command aligns with that legal posture. The verb describes the anticipated next step: sending Paul onward to “Caesar.” Because the verse pairs “be kept” with “until I could send,” ἀναπέμπω here implies a controlled transfer that happens only when conditions are met. The return-language is felt in the directionality: the prisoner is moved along the administrative chain to the supreme decision-maker, and the verb underscores that this is not release but re-dispatch under guard and authority.

“I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,” (Philemon 1:12)

In Philemon 1:12 ἀναπέμπω is framed as a personal act with relational weight. The sender identifies the returned person so closely with himself that receiving him is described as receiving “my own heart.” The verb still denotes the concrete action of returning someone, yet the scene is not a courtroom transfer but an appeal for welcome. The sending back becomes the hinge between separation and renewed reception, and the command “receive him” shows the return is meant to restore a relationship within the receiving household.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages ἀναπέμπω consistently marks a directional sending that reverses or redirects an earlier placement: the person is moved from one authority or setting to another with an expectation of continued handling by the recipient. In Luke 23, the verb works as a technical action within a cascade of jurisdictions—Pilate routes the accused to Herod, and Herod returns him. The repeated use in the same episode makes the verb feel like an administrative relay: responsibility is passed, assessed, and passed again, with the returned person remaining under official control throughout.

Acts 25:21 extends this administrative sense beyond a local hearing toward the emperor’s decision. The verb pairs naturally with confinement (“I commanded him to be kept”) because the sending is not an optional courtesy but part of a binding process. The emphasis falls on timing and authority: the sender can only dispatch when he is able, and the recipient is the one empowered to render the sought decision.

Philemon 1:12 shows that the same action—sending back—can operate in a non-governmental setting where the key issue is reception. Even there, the verb retains its relational geometry: someone is returned to a prior place or person, and the return implicitly asks what response will meet the arrival. The appeal “receive him” interprets the return as an opportunity for welcome rather than for mere transfer of custody.

Imagery

The passages attach ἀναπέμπω to movement under another’s authority: a prisoner is sent from one ruler to another (Luke 23:7), returned after being mocked (Luke 23:11), and held until he can be sent onward for a higher ruling (Acts 25:21). In Philemon 1:12, the returned person is associated with the sender’s own affection (“my own heart”), giving the act of sending back a human immediacy even while it remains a concrete, directed return.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).