A compound verb from ana (up) and bainō (to go), meaning to ascend, climb up, go up, or rise. Used for physical ascent (going up to Jerusalem, climbing a mountain, boarding a ship) and spiritual/theological ascent (Jesus ascending to the Father, prayers ascending to God, thoughts arising in the heart).
Jerusalem sits in the Judean hills, so every journey there was a literal going up — the Psalms of Ascent (120-134) were sung during these pilgrimages. Jesus 'went up' to Jerusalem for the final Passover (Mark 10:32-33), knowing what awaited Him. After the resurrection, the Ascension becomes the definitive anabainō: 'I ascend unto my Father' (John 20:17). Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 — 'When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive' (Eph 4:8) — interpreting Christ's ascension as cosmic victory. In Revelation, prayers ascend like incense (Rev 8:4), and the two witnesses ascend to heaven (Rev 11:12). The trajectory is clear: the redeemed are being drawn upward — from earth to God's presence.