Abarim Publications' online Biblical Greek Dictionary
ριπτω
The verb ριπτω (rhipto) means to throw, cast or hurl. In the classics this verb is used in every general way, from tossing about in a fever to throwing off weaponry, pesty tenants from one's estate or a fortune from one's heaving purse. In the New Testament, this verb also expresses a "downcast" or depressed state of mind.
Our verb ριπτω (rhipto) stems from a more basic verb ρεπω (rhepo), to sink or lower, which is thought to relate to the English verb to warp (and perhaps to rip), the German werfen and the Dutch werpen (both meaning to throw), which are ultimately of Proto-Indo-European extraction and stem from a root that conveyed a general meaning of to bend or throw something along a curved trajectory. From this same PIE root comes the verbs ρεπω (repo), to incline, and ρεμβω (rembo), to turn in circles (and note that the name Galilee stems from the verb גלל, galal, to roll or encircle). These latter two verbs do not occur in the New Testament but may have reminded a create Koine speaker of the name Rephan or Remphan (also see our article on ρομφαια, romphaia, a spear-like sword used by the Thracians).
Still, since the Greek alphabet is an adaptation of the Hebrew one, and certainly came with a slew of seminal terms, our Greek verb ριπτω (ripto) may very well not be European at all and have instead come to pass from an exposure to the Hebrew verb רפה (rapa), to lower or sink down.
Our verb ριπτω (rhipto) is used 7 times in the New Testament, see full concordance, and from it derive:
- Together with the preposition απο (apo), mostly meaning from: the verb απορριπτω (aporripto), meaning to throw off or cast away (Acts 27:43 only).
- Together with the preposition επι (epi) meaning on or upon: the verb επιρριπτω (epirrhipto), meaning to cast upon (Luke 19:35 and 1 Peter 5:7 only). The latter cites Psalm 55:22: "cast your cares upon him". Note the similarity between this word and επιρραπτω (epirrhapto), to sew upon (see below).
- The noun ριπη (rhipe), which expresses a brief and sudden flick, fling, hurl or toss. In the classics this word may describe the flight of a flung spear, the strike of a bird's wings, a gust of passion, or a brisk sweep of the thieving northern wind Boreas. And it may describe the blink of an eye, which is how it is used in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 15:52 only).
- The noun ριπις (ripis), which described a fan for ladies to cool themselves with, or for servants to raise a fire with. This noun is not used in the New Testament, but from it derives:
- The verb ριπιζω (rhipizo), meaning to fan. In the classics this verb is used nearly exclusively in the context of fires (and warm ladies), but in the New Testament this verb occurs in James 1:6 only, where it describes oceanic waves being fanned up by the wind, albeit as a metaphor for a fretting brother.
- The verb ριπτεω (rhipteo), which is a variant of the parent verb and means the same (poets gratefully used this variant to make their metres align). It occurs in the New Testament in Acts 22:23 only, but it's not clear why Luke resorted to this variant. Spiros Zodhiates (The Complete Wordstudy Dictionary) declares that this variant expresses repetition, and that the men of Jerusalem repeatedly tossed their garments in the air, which, knows Zodhiates, "was customary in theatres and other assemblies".
ραπτω
The verb ραπτω (rapto) means to sew together, to stich and stems from the same PIE root as the above. It does not occur independently in the New Testament but is used regularly in the classics. Since the act of stitching or sewing had to do with uniting ends that naturally didn't, this verb also came to denote a conniving or concocting with an emphasis on telling stories and inventing explanations — the expressions "to sew a beard on" or "sew one's lip up" appear to have had to do with assuming disguises or repairing one's busted lip, but clearly carry the connotation of spinning yard or "sewing one on".
Possibly a stronger or more important connotation to sewing came from the appearance of a caravan of camels (see גמל, gamal, camel) that in the distant desert may have resembled a thread-and-needle that sewed patches of commercial production together into one unified global commercial "robe of camel's hair". Humanity's conscious mind is likewise a unified affair, the effect of a global market of words, if you will. Along with exotic objects, traders would bring stories, literature and reports from distant lands, and local scribes would weave any fresh themes into the tapestry of theatre and hone old ones into archetypes and the global imagination into the gem that would be the Logos. The link between global trade and the global formation of the unified Logos is in the New Testament obviously told in the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth; see our article on the noun αρραβων (arrabon), pledge or collateral, for more on this.
As said, this verb does not occur independently in the New Testament but from it drive:
- Together with the particle of negation α (a), meaning not or without: the adjective αρραφος (arraphos), meaning unstitched, without seams (John 19:23 only). This word would describe a tunic that was woven in one piece, which required very serious weaving skills and specialized technology: a 3D-weaver, essentially. Note that from the PIE root for to weave, namely "tek-" stem our words textile, technology and text (and the noun τεκτων, tekton, or assembler, which was the earthly profession of both Jesus and Joseph), indicating that Jesus' famous seamless garment is closely associated to the ever waxing but ever seamless global library of narrative. This seamless narrative is the foundation of the global library of scientific knowledge. Note the obvious albeit accidental but certainly poetically provocative similarity between this word and the aforementioned noun αρραβων (arrabon), pledge or collateral.
- Together with the preposition επι (epi) meaning on or upon: the verb επιρραπτω (epirrapto), meaning to sew upon (Mark 2:21 only). The image of sewing a new patch upon an old garment comes from the same stock as the camel that goes with difficulty through the eye of a needle: it's a metaphor for the unwise introduction of a new product into an established market, rather than the wiser creation of a new market for the new product (customers hate to switch, even when the new thing is notably better than the old). Note the similarity between this word and επιρριπτω (epirrhipto), to cast upon (see above), and note that the Hebrew words for goat, namely שעיר (sa'ir) and hair, namely שער (se'ar), relate to the noun שער (sa'r), meaning horror, whereas from the Greek word for goat, namely τραγος (tragos), comes our English word "tragedy".
- The noun ραφις (raphis), a needle (Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25 and Luke 18:25 only). The older and more established word for needle was βελονη (belone), which is an adaptation of the noun βελος (belos), a dart or anything hurled, from the familiar verb βαλλω (ballo), to throw or cast, which in usage is clearly alike the verb ριπτω (rhipto), to throw, cast or hurl, as discussed above. This noun βελος (belos) could describe anything hurled but mostly covered items of weaponry. Note the striking similarity between our noun ραφις (raphis), needle, and the noun ραπις (rapis), which sometimes means rod but most other times refers to a slapping soldier's boot (an obvious pun on the name Caligula).