Lexicon eperótéma: Inquiry, question, appeal, pledge Original Word: ἐπερώτημα Strong's Exhaustive Concordance an inquiryFrom eperotao; an inquiry -- answer. see GREEK eperotao HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 1906 eperṓtēma – a response to an inquiry. See 1905 (eperōtaō). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom eperótaó Definition an inquiry, a demand NASB Translation appeal (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1906: ἐπερώτημαἐπερώτημα, ἐπερωτεματος, τό (ἐπερωτάω); 1. an inquiry, a question: Herodotus 6,67; Thucydides 3, 53. 68. 2. a demand; so for the Chaldean שְׁאֵלָא in Daniel 4:14 Theod.; see ἐπερωτάω, 2. 3. As the terms of inquiry and demand often include the idea of desire, the word thus gets the signification of earnest seeking, i. e. a craving, an intense desire (so ἐπερωτᾶν εἰς τί, to long for something, 2 Samuel 11:7 — (but surely the phrase here (like לְ שָׁאַל) means simply to ask in reference to, ask about)). If this use of the word is conceded, it affords us the easiest and most congruous explanation of that vexed passage 1 Peter 3:21: "which (baptism) now saves us (you) not because in receiving it we (ye) have put away the filth of the flesh, but because we (ye) have earnestly sought a conscience reconciled to God" (συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς genitive of the object, as opposed to σαρκός ῤύπου). It is doubtful, indeed, whether εἰς Θεόν is to be joined with ἐπερώτημα, and signifies a craving directed unto God (Winer's Grammar, 194 (182) — yet less fully and decidedly than in edition 5, p. 216f), or with συνείδησις, and denotes the attitude of the conscience toward (in relation to) God; the latter construction is favored by a comparison of Acts 24:16 ἀπρόσκοπον συνείδησιν ἔχειν πρός τόν Θεόν. The signification of ἐπερώτημα which is approved by others, viz. stipulation, agreement, is first met with in the Byzantine writers on law: "moreover, the formula κατά τό ἐπερώτημα τῆς σεμνοτάτης βουλῆς, common in inscriptions of the age of the Antonines and the following Caesars, exhibits no new sense of the word ἐπερώτημα; for this formula does not mean 'according to the decree of the senate' (exsenatusconsulto, the Greek for which is κατά τά δόξαντα τῇ βουλή), but 'after inquiry of or application to the senate,' i. e. 'with government sanction.'" Zezschwitz, Petri quoted in de Christi ad inferos descensu sententia (Lipsius 1857), p. 45; (Farrar, Early Days of Christianity, i. 138 n.; Kähler, Des Gewissen, i. 1 (Halle 1878), pp. 331-338. Others would adhere to the (more analogical) passive sense of ἐπερώτημα, viz. 'the thing asked (the demand) of a good conscience toward God' equivalent to the avowal of consecration unto him). Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for ἐπερώτημα, the concept of making an appeal or pledge to God can be related to Hebrew terms such as שָׁאַל (sha'al, Strong's H7592), meaning "to ask" or "to inquire," and נֶדֶר (neder, Strong's H5088), meaning "vow" or "pledge." These terms capture the essence of seeking divine favor or making a commitment to God, similar to the New Testament usage of ἐπερώτημα in the context of baptism. Usage: The word ἐπερώτημα appears in the New Testament in 1 Peter 3:21, where it is used to describe the nature of baptism as an appeal to God for a good conscience. Context: The Greek term ἐπερώτημα is found in the New Testament in 1 Peter 3:21, which states: "And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (BSB). In this context, ἐπερώτημα is translated as "pledge" or "appeal," emphasizing the internal, spiritual commitment made by the believer during baptism. This appeal is not merely a ritualistic act but a profound, conscious decision to seek a clear conscience before God, facilitated by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. |
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