G399 — ἀναφέρω (anaphérō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G399
Original: ἀναφέρω
Transliteration: anaphérō
Pronunciation: an-af-er'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: ἀνά (aná, "up") + φέρω (phérō, "to bear/carry")
Occurrences: 9 unique verses (12 tokens) across 6 NT books
First Occurrence: Matt 17:1 — "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἀνά (G303) and φέρω (G5342); to take up (literally or figuratively): bear, bring up, carry up, lead up, offer up.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - Not attested in the Louw-Nida database.

UBS Semantic Domains: - [015] Linear Movement - [053] Religious Activities

Other words in [015]: ἄγω (G71), ἀθροίζω (G4867), αἴρω (G142), ἀκολουθέω (G190), ἅλλομαι (G242), ἀναβαίνω (G305)

Other words in [053]: ἁγιάζω (G37), ἁγιασμός (G38), ἅγιος (G40), ἁγιωσύνη (G42), ἁγνίζω (G48), ἁγνισμός (G49)

Morphological Distribution¶

Form	Parsing	Count	Occurrences
ἀναφέρει	Pres Act Ind 3S	2	Matt 17:1, Mark 9:2
ἀνεφέρετο	Impf Pass Ind 3S	1	Luke 24:51
ἀναφέρειν	Pres Act Inf	1	Heb 7:27a
ἀνενέγκας	Aor Act Ptcp NSM	2	Heb 7:27b, Jas 2:21
ἀνενεγκεῖν	Aor Act Inf	1	Heb 9:28
ἀναφέρωμεν	Pres Act Subj 1P	1	Heb 13:15
ἀνενέγκαι	Aor Act Inf	1	1 Pet 2:5
ἀνήνεγκεν	Aor Act Ind 3S	1	1 Pet 2:24

Active voice dominates (11 of 12 tokens). The single passive occurrence (Luke 24:51) describes Jesus being carried up into heaven. Aorist forms cluster in sacrificial/offering contexts (Hebrews, James, 1 Peter); present forms appear in the literal "lead up" usage (Synoptics) and the hortatory subjunctive (Heb 13:15).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
offer up	2	22%
up (with another verb)	2	22%
bare	1	11%
bear	1	11%
bringeth	1	11%
carried up	1	11%
leadeth	1	11%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Peter	2	1.9
Hebrews	3	1.0
James	1	0.9
Matthew	1	0.1
Mark	1	0.1
Luke	1	0.1

Hebrews accounts for one-third of all uses. The epistolary concentration (Hebrews, 1 Peter, James) is entirely sacrificial/theological; the Synoptic uses are all literal spatial movement upward.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Offer Up Sacrifice¶

The dominant NT sense — presenting an offering to God, whether literal or figurative.

Heb 7:27 — "Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself."
Heb 13:15 — "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
1 Pet 2:5 — "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
Jas 2:21 — "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?"

2. Bear / Carry Sin¶

Vicarious sin-bearing — taking upon oneself the sins of others, language drawn from Isa 53.

Heb 9:28 — "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
1 Pet 2:24 — "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."

3. Lead / Carry Upward (Literal Spatial Movement)¶

Physical upward motion — leading someone up a mountain or being taken up into heaven.

Matt 17:1 — "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart"
Mark 9:2 — "And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves"
Luke 24:51 — "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἁμαρτία (hamartia)	G266	3x (33%)	"offer up for sins" / "bear sins" — sin as object of sacrificial action
θυσία (thysia)	G2378	3x (33%)	"offer up sacrifice" — thysia as the direct object being offered
Ἰησοῦς (Iesous)	G2424	3x (33%)	Jesus as subject — he is the one who offers/bears
ὄρος (oros)	G3735	2x (22%)	"up into a high mountain" — literal upward destination
ὑψηλός (hypselos)	G5308	2x (22%)	"high mountain" — modifying the upward destination

Word Family / Cognates¶

G5342 φέρω (phérō) — root verb: to bear, carry, bring
G4374 προσφέρω (prosphérō) — to bring to, present, offer (the more common NT offering verb, 45v)
G1627 ἐκφέρω (ekphérō) — to carry out
G4393 προφέρω (prophérō) — to bring forth
G1533 εἰσφέρω (eisphérō) — to bring in

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
προσφέρω (prosphérō)	G4374	"offer"	prosphérō = bring toward/present to (general offering verb, 45v); anaphérō = bear upward (offering as ascending to God, or bearing sin vicariously, 9v)
φέρω (phérō)	G5342	"bear, bring"	phérō = general carrying/bearing; anaphérō adds the directional prefix ἀνά "upward" — either spatially or sacrificially

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
עֹלָה (ʻolah)	H5930	57	21.26
עָלָה (ʻalah)	H5927	80	18.01
קָטַר (qatar)	H6999	25	17.27
מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeach)	H4196	43	16.99
חֶלֶב (cheleb)	H2459	13	13.24
שֶׁלֶם (shelem)	H8002	13	12.54

The primary Hebrew source is עֹלָה (ʻolah, H5930) — the burnt offering, literally "that which goes up." The etymological connection is precise: anaphérō (bear upward) translates ʻolah (ascending offering). The LXX translators chose anaphérō for the upward-ascending nature of the sacrifice consumed entirely by fire.