Bible Dictionaries
Walk (2)

　　WALK.—1. παράγων παρά, ‘passing along by’ (Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης in Mk. and Jn., περιπατῶν’ (Swete, St. Mark, 130). Cf. LXX Septuagintἐδάφους ἑπὶ θαλάσσης, Job 38:16 ἐν βάθες ἀβύσσων περιεπάτησα. Particular OT events also form suggestive parallels: Exodus 14:22 (cf. Psalms 77:19-20, Habakkuk 3:15), Joshua 3:16, 2 Kings 2:8; 2 Kings 2:14.

　　Our Lord’s walking on the sea reveals Him as making material nature an instrument through which His interest in us is shown (Illingworth, Div. Immanence1περιεπάτησεν ἐπὶ τὰ ὓδατα), so that it is incorrect to say that Peter merely ‘attempted’ to walk on the water: the words imply that he made some progress in going to Jesus. By the invitation ‘Come!’ Jesus expressed His warm sympathy with Peter in his desire for closer fellowship with Him, and gave a pledge that He would support him in the enterprise of his faith. The cause of his temporary failure was his betaking himself again to his own resources after having committed himself to a course that involved full dependence on Christ’s strength. Then, after the grasp of our Lord’s hand had revived his faith, he was really enabled to carry through what he had undertaken, probably walking on the sea with Jesus in returning to the boat (cf. A. B. Davidson, Waiting upon God, 241, 250). Two texts, John 15:5 and Philippians 4:13, show how we should apply this narrative to ourselves. τῶν θελόντων περιπατεῖν ἐν στολαῖς (Luke 20:46 || Mark 12:38 ‘love to go in long clothing,’ Authorized Versionοὑς ἁντιβάλλετε … ἰσχύσατε … περιπατεῖν is peculiar to St. John. In John 11:9-10 Jesus speaks in parabolic fashion, first of His having a full working day (cf. John 9:4) of twelve hours, during; which He walks in the light of life without fear of danger in the path of His heavenly Father’s will, and then of the coming on of the night of death, when walking, as regulated by present conditions, will be ended for Him; because it is His enemies’ ‘hour,’ coinciding with that permitted to ‘the power of darkness’ (Luke 22:53; cf John 13:30; Plummer, St. Luke, 513; Camb. Bib. St. John, 230). John 6:66 ‘many went back,’ περιπατεῖν is also found in Revelation 2:1 of our Lord’s life of activity in His exalted state: ‘walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks,’ as if journeying forth by the circular route which, after traversing all the Churches mentioned, returns to Ephesus (Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, ‘Letter to the Church in Ephesus,’ Introduction). It is likewise used by our Lord of Peter’s working life (John 21:18 ἐμοῦ ἐν λευκοῖς; cf. Zechariah 3:4; Zechariah 3:7), which is thus suggestively represented as a life of action conjoined with purity (cf. 1 John 3:2-3).

　　(4) ‘To act and behave in any particular manner,’ ‘to pursue a particular course of life’: Mark 7:5 (the only passage in the Synoptic Gospels where κατὰ indicating conformity with a standard [as in Romans 8:4; Romans 14:15, 2 Corinthians 10:2-3, Ephesians 2:2; Win.-Moul. 500]. περιπατεῖν is used of the conduct of life; Aquila, Genesis 5:22 (Enoch) εὐηρεστησε (cf. Hebrews 11:5); LXX Septuagintστοιχεῖν, ‘to march in file’). This word ‘may imply a more studied following of a prescribed course than περιπατεῖν (3) in Luke 13:33 ‘I must walk to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following’; ‘I must go on my way,’ Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 Proverbs 10:9 (with Barrow’s Sermon) 14:2, Micah 6:8 .

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　　James Donald.