WG: Oversight / Visitation¶
Overview¶
The oversight/visitation concept in the NT is carried by a cognate family built on the root ἐπί (epi, "upon") + σκοπέω/σκέπτομαι (scopeō/skeptomai, "look at/examine"). Four words cover the full scope: the act of visiting/inspecting (episkeptomai), the ongoing function of oversight (episkope), the activity of overseeing (episkopeō), and the person who oversees (episkopos). All four map back to the Hebrew paqad/pequddah word group through the LXX.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1980 | ἐπισκέπτομαι | episkeptomai | verb | 11 | The act — to visit, inspect (divine or human) | TODO(need G1980 study) |
| G1984 | ἐπισκοπή | episkope | noun (f) | 4 | The function/event — visitation or office of oversight | G1984 |
| G1983 | ἐπισκοπέω | episkopeō | verb | 2 | The activity — to oversee, look diligently | TODO(need G1983 study) |
| G1985 | ἐπίσκοπος | episkopos | noun (m) | 7 | The person — overseer, bishop | TODO(need G1985 study) |
Relationships¶
Shared Root¶
All four words share the compound root ἐπι-σκοπ-/σκεπ- ("looking upon"). G1980 episkeptomai uses the -skeptomai verbal form; G1983 episkopeō, G1984 episkope, and G1985 episkopos use the -skop- form.
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
No direct co-occurrences — these four words never appear together in the same verse. However, episkopos (G1985) and the shepherd verb poimainō (G4165) appear together in Acts 20:28 ("the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church"), and episkopos pairs with poimēn (G4166) in 1 Pet 2:25 ("the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls").
Shared Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶
| Hebrew Word | Strong's | Greek Members Mapped | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| פָּקַד (paqad) | H6485 | episkeptomai (110x), episkope (16x), episkopos (5x) | Primary Hebrew root: "to visit, oversee, muster" (305v OT) — the dual "visitation/oversight" sense of the Greek family is directly inherited from this Hebrew verb |
| פְּקֻדָּה (pequddah) | H6486 | episkope (6x) | Hebrew cognate noun: "visitation, office, oversight" (32v OT) — direct semantic equivalent of episkope |
Roles in the Concept¶
- Act/Event: episkeptomai (ἐπισκέπτομαι) — the initial visiting, whether divine mercy (Luke 1:68 "he hath visited and redeemed his people") or human care (Matt 25:36 "I was sick, and ye visited me"; Jas 1:27 "to visit the fatherless and widows")
- Function/Office: episkope (ἐπισκοπή) — the position of oversight or the decisive moment of divine inspection ("the time of thy visitation" Luke 19:44; "the office of a bishop" 1 Tim 3:1)
- Activity: episkopeō (ἐπισκοπέω) — the ongoing exercise of oversight ("taking the oversight" 1 Pet 5:2; "looking diligently" Heb 12:15)
- Person: episkopos (ἐπίσκοπος) — the one who holds the oversight position ("the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers" Acts 20:28; "the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" 1 Pet 2:25)
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words or Concepts Appear Together¶
- 1 Peter 2:12,25 — [episkope v.12 + episkopos v.25] "glorify God in the day of visitation" ... "returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" — the same chapter uses both the event (visitation) and the person (Bishop/overseer), both applied to Christ
- 1 Peter 5:2 — [episkopeō] "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof" — the oversight activity linked to the shepherd word group (poimainō/poimnion)
- Acts 20:28 — [episkopos] "the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God" — episkopos paired with poimainō, establishing the pastoral-oversight identity
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, gather_word_data.py Last updated: 2026-05-05