The Greek verb ekneuo means to slip away, withdraw, or turn aside — originally used of a swimmer or person turning the head aside to avoid something. It appears only once in the NT (John 5:13), describing Jesus slipping away from the crowd after healing the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda.
Jesus' deliberate withdrawal after the healing at Bethesda is theologically significant. He healed the man on the Sabbath, then disappeared before the religious leaders could confront Him — though the confrontation came later (John 5:16). Jesus consistently controlled the timing of His public exposure. His hour had not yet come (John 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20). This pattern of strategic withdrawal is not cowardice but sovereign timing: the Son of God moved according to the Father's timetable, not the crowd's agenda. Ekneuo captures the hiddenness of Jesus in his ministry — present, healing, then gone before human forces could contain or prematurely crown Him.