Foot, Feet
Foot, Feet
besides its literal meaning, is used, by metonymy, of “a person in motion,” Luk 1:79; Act 5:9; Rom 3:15; Rom 10:15; Heb 12:13. It is used in phrases expressing subjection, 1Co 15:27, RV; of the humility and receptivity of discipleship, Luk 10:39; Act 22:3; of obeisance and worship, e.g., Mat 28:9; of scornful rejection, Mat 10:14; Act 13:51. Washing the “feet” of another betokened the humility of the service and the comfort of the guest, and was a feature of hospitality, Luk 7:38; Joh 13:5; 1Ti 5:10 (here figuratively).
Note: In Act 7:5 bema, “a step,” is used with podos, the genitive case of pous, lit., “the step of a foot,” i.e., “a foot breadth,” what the “foot” can stand on, “(not so much as) to set his foot on.”
lit., “a step” (akin to baino, “to go”), hence denotes that with which one steps, “a foot,” and is used in the plural in Act 3:7.
signifies “reaching to the feet,” from pous, and aro, “to fit” (akin to A, No. 1), and is said of a garment, Rev 1:13. In the Sept. it is used of the high priest’s garment, e.g., Exo 28:4.
an adjective, “on foot,” is used in one of its forms as an adverb in Mat 14:13; Mar 6:33, in each place signifying “by land,” in contrast to “by sea.” Cp. pezeuo, “to go on foot,” Act 20:13, RV, “to go by land” (marg., “on foot”).
Notes: (1) In Act 20:18, the RV “set foot in” expresses more literally the verb epibaino (lit., “to go upon”) than the AV “came into.” So again in Act 21:4 (some mss. have anabaino here). (2) In Luk 8:5, katapateo, “to tread down” (kata, “down,” pateo, “to tread, trample”), is translated “was trodden under foot,” RV (AV, “was trodden down”).