Epimenō combines epi (upon/in) + menō (to remain, abide). It means to continue remaining in a place or state — to persist, stay on, abide with intention. It appears 17 times in the NT. The intensifying epi prefix distinguishes it from simple menō by emphasizing the deliberate, sustained nature of the remaining.
Paul uses epimenō in one of his most daring rhetorical moves: "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!" (Romans 6:1). The word he uses is epimenōmen — shall we persistently remain in sin? His answer is a thundering no. Yet the same word describes the positive call to persist in faith (Acts 13:43), in prayer (Romans 12:12), and in grace (Acts 13:43). Epimenō captures both the danger of remaining in sin and the glory of remaining in God. Abiding is the fundamental posture of the Christian life (John 15:4-5).