πλέω

πλέω impf. 1 pl. ἐπλέομεν; fut. 3 sg. πλευσεῖται Ath. 22, 8; aor. 3 sg. ἔπλευσεν 4 Macc 7:3 and Ath. 22:8; inf. πλεῦσαι Jon 1:3 (Hom.+) travel by sea, sail abs. (X., An. 5, 1, 4; Herodian 8, 2, 3) Lk 8:23; Ac 27:24; AcPl Ha 5, 16. W. the destination given (X., Hell. 1, 1, 8; Jos., Ant. 18, 111 εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην) εἰς Συρίαν 21:3. εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν 27:6. εἰς τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν τόπους vs. 2. W. the point of departure given as well as the destination (Appian, Liby. 113 §535 ἀπὸ Σικελίας ἐς Ἰτύκην [Utica]) ἀπὸ Τρῳάδος εἰς Νεάπολιν IPol 8:1.—As subst. πᾶς ὁ ἐπὶ τόπον πλέων everyone who sails to a place = seafarer, sea traveler (prob. a ref. to tourists who travel to take in the sights at ‘Babylon’ [on touring in the Roman world, s. LFriedländer, Roman Life and Manners under the Early Empire⁷, tr. LMagnus, 1907, I 323–94]). These are mentioned beside sailors and merchants Rv 18:17. The vv.ll. (τὸν ποταμόν, τῶν πλοίων, πόντον [for the textual problems, s. RBorger, TRu 52, ’87, 51–53]) have led to various interpretations. Some render: everyone who sails along the coast (deWette, HHoltzmann, Bousset, Lohmeyer et al. For πλ. ἐπί w. acc. of place s. Thu. 1, 53, 2; 4 Macc 7:3. In FPhGr I 489, 28 we have πλέοντες παρὰ τόπον. On the v.l. ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν πλοίων πλέων cp. Lucian, Ver. Hist. 1, 34; SIG 409, 5f ἔπλευσεν ἐπὶ τῶν νεῶν. Ms. 469 has ἐπὶ πόντον, partially supported by Primasius’ ‘super mare’. See EbNestle, Einführung in das Griech. NT 1909, 182; AFridrichsen, K. Hum. Vetensk.-Samf. i Upps. Årsb. ’43, 31 note ὁ ἐπίτοπον πλέων=one who sails occasionally, a passenger. S. also IHeikel, StKr 106, ’34/35, 317).—LCasson, Travel in the Ancient World ’74. B. 680f. DELG. M-M.