Quick Definition
προσπίπτω v. I fall down before, beat against
Strong's Definition
from 4314 and 4098; to fall towards, i.e. (gently) prostrate oneself (in supplication or homage), or (violently) to rush upon (in storm)
KJV Usage: beat upon, fall (down) at (before)
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | aor. προσέπεσον · fem.ptc. προσπεσοῦσα | πίπτω
17.22 · Stances and Events Related to Stances · Prostrate as an Act of Reverence or Supplication
to prostrate oneself before, to fall down before to prostrate oneself before someone, implying supplication A strictly literal translation of προσπίπτω[a] or πίπτω[c], namely, ‘to fall down before,’ can be entirely misleading in that it may suggest an accident caused by stumbling or tripping. It may therefore be necessary in a number of languages to translate ‘to bow down low before’ or ‘to bow down to the ground before.’
MRK 3:11 · MRK 5:33 · MRK 7:25 · LUK 5:8 · LUK 8:28 · LUK 8:47 · ACT 16:29
19.11 · Physical Impact · Hit, Strike
to strike against, to hit against to strike against some object
1 πίπτω[c] and προσπίπτω[a] (17.22) differ to some extent from προσκυνέω[b] (17.21) in that they focus primarily upon the actual position rather than upon the intent of showing reverence or making supplication. προσκυνέω[b] is the more formal term and focuses more upon the attitude of reverence or honor.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
προσ-πίπτω : impf. προσέπιπτον ; 2 aor., 3 pers. sing. προσέπεσε, 3 pers. plur. (Mt. vii. 25) προσέπεσον RG, -σαν T Tr WH [see πίπτω, init.], ptep. fem. προσπεσοῦσα; fr. Hom. down; prop. to fall towards, fall upon, [πρός, IV. 11 1.6. 1. to fall forward, to fall down, prostrate one’s self before, in homage or supplication : with the dat. of a pers., at one’s feet, Mk. iii. 11; v. 33; LK. viii. 28,47; Acts xvi. 29, (Ps. xciv. (xev.) 6; Polyb., Plut., al.) ; τοῖς γόνασί τινος, Lk. ν. 8 (Eur. Or. 1332; Plut.) ; πρὸς τοὺς πόδας τινός, Mk. vii. 25. 5. ΠῚ rush upon, beat against : τῇ οἰκίᾳ (of winds beating against a house), Mt. vii. 25 [not Lehm.; ef. προσπαίω ].
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
προσπίπτω prospiptō 8x
to fall or impinge upon or against a thing; to fall down to any one, Mk. 3:11; 7:25; to rush violently upon, beat against, Mt. 7:25
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
προσ-πίπτω,
[in LXX for נפל, נגע hi., כּרע;]
to fall upon, strike against: c. dat., of wind, Mt 7:25.
to fall down at one's feet, fall prostrate before: absol., seq. πρός, Mk 7:25; c. dat. pers., Mk 3:11 5:33, Lk 8:28, 47, Ac 16:29; τ. γόνασιν, Lk 5:8.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
προσπίπτω. For the literal meaning ‘fall upon” in Mt 735 see s.v. προσπαίω, and for the derived sense ‘fall at one’s feet,” “‘supplicate,” cf. the Christian amulet BGU III. 954% (vi/A.D.) (= Selections, p. 134) ἅγιε Σέρηνε, πρόσπεσε ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα τελείως ὑγιανῶ. The verb is common in our sources =“ befall,” ‘“‘happen,” e.g. PSI VI. 61.418 (iii/B.c. )sypade δὲ kal “Hpaydpar, ἐάν τί σοι προσπίπτηι τῶν καθ᾽ αὑτόν, ἐπιμελῶς, 26. TV. 3401" : (B.C. 257-6) ὥστε] μηδεμίαν ὑποψίαν ἐκείνωι γε προσπεσεῖν, P Hib I. 784 (B.c. 244-3) ὅταν λειτουργία προσπέσηι ἀπολύειν αὐτούς, “to release them when service falls to their lot,” P Par 399 (8.6. 161) (= UPZ i. p. 143) καθότι προσπίπτει μοι, BGU IV. 120618 (B.c. 28) ἐάν τι ἄλλο προσπέσῃ, σημανῶι σοι, and 26. III. τοῖ τῖϊ: 15 (ii/A.D.) κἄν τί σοι προσπίπτηι περὶ τῶν ἐναντίων. In P Cairo Zen 590317 (B.C. 258) reference is made to some iron as a necessary part of a boat’s equipment—rd[v σί]δη[ρ]ον dv {a]vaykatov ἣν ὑπάρχειν ἐν τῶι πλοίωι πρὸς τὰς προσπιπτούσας χρείας. P Petr Il. 38 verso (c)! (Ptol.) τὰ προσπί[ίπτἼ]ον[τα describes cases ‘‘falling” to a judge to decide. An interesting use of the verb shows it = ‘‘come to my ears or to my knowledge,” e.g. P Par 6339 (B.c. 164) (=P Petr III. p. 20) ἡμῖν προσπέπτωκεν, Witkowski? p. 968 (B.c. 131-0) (= P Revill Mél p. 295, Archiv ii. p-. 518) προσπέπτωκεν <yap> Παὼν ἀναπλεῖν ἐν τῶ τῦβι <p(qvi)>, and P Oxy VII. 1027? (i/aA.D.) προσέπεσέν μοι.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
προσπίπτω (prospiptō) — to fall/beat. προσπίπτω, Doric dialect ποτιπίπτω [Refs 4th c.BC+]: future -πεσοῦμαι[Refs 5th c.BC+], see at {προσπτήσσω}:—fall upon, strike against, ἔς τι variant in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τινι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; fall against, as a mound against a wall, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; but πρὸς τὸ οὖς προσπίπτων is uncertain reading in [Refs 4th c.BC+]
2. fall upon, attack, assault, πόλεσιν, ὁπλίταις, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
3. simply, run to, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. fall upon, embrace, τινι [Refs 5th c.BC+] join the party of another, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also, fasten on, in argument, τῇ διαφορᾷ [Refs 1st c.BC+]
5. fall in with, meet with, encounter, μὴ λάθῃ με προσπεσών [Refs 5th c.BC+]; fall in with, δυστυχεστάτῳ κλήρῳ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; δήγματι to be bitten, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with a preposition, πρὸς τὰς τῶν φυλάκων ψυχάς [Refs 5th c.BC+]; εἰς βράχεα, πρὸς τὰ κοινά, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]
II. of things,
II.1. of events, accidents, etc., come suddenly upon, befall one, τινι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; αἱ συμφοραὶ προσπίπτουσαι misfortunes by befalling, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; αἱ π. τύχαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ π. ἐπιθυμία [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πρὸς τὰ προσπίπτοντα according to circumstances, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; τὰ π. εἰς τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον [Refs 4th c.BC+]; προσπεσούσης μοι τῆς.. ἐπιστολῆς when the letter came to hand, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
II.2. of expenses, to be incurred, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.3. of money, to be paid in to an account, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
II.4. of rights and duties, etc., pass to, devolve or fall upon, ὅταν λειτουργία προσπέσῃ ἀπολύειν αὐτούς [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; ὥστε μηδεμίαν ὑποψίαν ἐκείνῳ γε προσπεσεῖν [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; κληρονομίας -πεσούσης μοι [Refs 3rd c.AD+]
II.5. come to one's ears, be told as news, εἴ τισιν ἀπιστότερος προσπέπτωκεν ὁ λόγος [Refs 4th c.BC+] news came that.., with accusative et infinitive, [Refs]; προσπέπτωκεν Παῶν ἀναπλεῖν Wilcken [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; προσπεσόντων τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ τῶν γεγονότων [LXX]
II.5. b π. δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ or αὐτόθεν to be self-evident, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II.6. sit or fit closely, of a bandage, προσπεπτωκός, opposed to χαλαρόν, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.7. Geometry texts, meet, πόλος πρὸς ὃν αἱ γραμμαὶ προσπίπτουσιν [Refs 4th c.BC+]; of lines, to be drawn to meet, πρὸς κύκλον [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; π. ἐπὶ.. pass through a point, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
II.8. of the pulse, ={ὑποπίπτω}, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; of the womb, ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα π. [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III. fall down at another's feet, prostrate oneself, προσπίπτων προσκυνέει τὸν ἕτερον [Refs 5th c.BC+]; compare προσπίτνω.