| 85 | The primary and literal meaning of ἀναπέμπω (anapempō) is “to send up”—originally in a spatial or directional sense, often from a lower to a higher place. The verb is compounded from:
Core semantic range:
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Literal spatial use – e.g., sending or moving someone or something upward:
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to higher ground (Xen. Cyr. 7.5.34)
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from the coast inland, or toward a metropolis like Rome (Plb. 1.7.12)
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in military, physical, or geographic contexts
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Institutional/jurisdictional metaphor – From this concrete idea of "sending upward," it developed a figurative legal-administrative use:
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“remit,” “refer to a higher authority,” especially judicially or politically
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E.g., Luke 23:7,15: “Pilate sent him up to Herod”, reflecting this juridical protocol of referral to someone of higher or equivalent rank
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Frequently seen in papyrological texts from the Hellenistic and Roman periods (PHib., PTeb., BGU, etc.)
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Extended metaphorical uses:
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Transmit (e.g., ideas, impressions)
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Ascribe (e.g., attributing something upwards or to a higher source)
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Trace back (e.g., genealogy—“send [a lineage] up toward someone”)
(cf. LSJ ἀναπέμπω)
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