epistrephō · turn around

What it means

epistrephō (ἐπιστρέφω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “turn around”.

Turn, turn around; turn back (to God).

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To turn around, or go back.
2. To come back to God, or bring others back to him.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• turn ×12
• turned ×7
• turning ×6
• turns ×4
• returned ×3
• I will return ×1
• Let us go back ×1
• let return ×1
• returns ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×4
• Mark×4
• Luke×7
• John×1
• Acts×11
• 2 Corinthians×1
• Galatians×1
• 1 Thessalonians×1
• James×2
• 1 Peter×1
• 2 Peter×1
• Revelation×2

• Matthew 10:13

  And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

• Matthew 12:44

  Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’ And when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

• Matthew 13:15

  For the heart of this people has grown dull, and with their ears they have heard with difficulty, and they have closed their eyes, so that they do not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I will heal them.’

• Matthew 24:18

  and let the one in the field not turn back to take his cloak.

• Mark 4:12

  so that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they turn and it be forgiven them.’”

• Mark 5:30

  And at once Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and was saying, “Who touched my garments?”

• Mark 8:33

  But he, turning around and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not thinking the things of God but the things of men.”

• Mark 13:16

  and let the one in the field not turn back to take his cloak.

• Luke 1:16

  And many of the sons of Israel he will turn to the Lord their God.

• Luke 1:17

  And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

• Luke 2:39

  And when they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town, Nazareth.

• Luke 8:55

  And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and he directed that something be given her to eat.

• Luke 17:4

  And if seven times a day he sins against you and seven times turns back to you, saying, ‘I change my mind,’ you will forgive him.”

• Luke 17:31

  On that day, the one who is on the housetop, and his goods in the house, must not come down to take them; and likewise the one in the field must not turn back to the things behind.

• Luke 22:32

  but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

• John 21:20

  Peter, turning around, sees the disciple whom Jesus loved following, the one who had also leaned back at the supper against his chest and said, “Lord, who is the one who is handing you over?”

• Acts 3:19

  So change your minds and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out,

• Acts 9:35

  And all who lived in Lod and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

• Acts 9:40

  But Peter put all outside, and kneeling down he prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, get up.” And she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.

• Acts 11:21

  And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

• Acts 14:15

  and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of the same nature as you, announcing the good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them;

• Acts 15:19

  Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the nations who are turning to God,

• Acts 15:36

  And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back now and visit the brothers in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.”

• Acts 16:18

  And she kept doing this for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed and turning to the spirit, said, “I command you in the name of Jesus the Messiah to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

• Acts 26:18

  to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me.’

• Acts 26:20

  but to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and to the nations, I declared that they should change their minds and turn to God, doing works worthy of the change of mind.

• Acts 28:27

  For the heart of this people has grown dull, and with their ears they have heard with difficulty, and they have closed their eyes, so that they do not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I will heal them.”’

• 2 Corinthians 3:16

  but whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

• Galatians 4:9

  But now, having come to know God, or rather having been known by God, how is it that you are turning back again to the weak and poor elements, to which you want to be slaves all over again?

• 1 Thessalonians 1:9

  For they themselves report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve as slaves a living and true God,

• James 5:19

  My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,

• James 5:20

  let him know that whoever turns back a sinner from the wandering of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

• 1 Peter 2:25

  For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

• 2 Peter 2:22

  The saying of the true proverb has happened to them: A dog returns to its own vomit, and a sow, after washing, to wallowing in the mire.

• Revelation 1:12

  And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me; and having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,

And 1 more times.