The verb anapiptō means to recline (as at a meal), to fall back, or to lean back. It appears approximately 12 times in the New Testament, most significantly in the Gospel accounts of the feeding of the 5,000 and the Last Supper, where it describes the posture of those reclining at table.
The act of reclining at table (anapiptō) was the customary Greco-Roman dining posture — guests leaned on their left side, supporting their head on the left arm, leaving the right hand free to eat. This posture of vulnerable repose — lying down rather than sitting upright — required trust. At the Last Supper, John the beloved disciple "reclined" next to Jesus in this position of intimate trust (John 13:25). The feeding of the 5,000, where Jesus commanded the crowd to recline on the grass before distributing bread, anticipates the eschatological banquet where all God's people will recline at the table of the Lord.