This verb means 'to fall asleep,' particularly in the sense of dozing off unintentionally. Luke uses it in the account of Jesus calming the storm: 'as they sailed, He fell asleep' (ἀφύπνωσεν, Luke 8:23). The term emphasizes the naturalness of Jesus' sleep—exhausted from ministry, He drifts off in the boat, fully human in His need for rest. Classical usage includes both falling asleep and waking from sleep, but the New Testament sense is clearly 'dozed off.' The detail is theologically rich: Jesus sleeps through the storm, at peace even as the disciples panic, manifesting both His humanity and His sovereign calm.