Lexical Summary apeileó: To threaten Original Word: ἀπειλέω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance threaten. Of uncertain derivation; to menace; by implication, to forbid -- threaten. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom apeilé Definition to threaten NASB Translation uttered...threats (1), warn (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 546: ἀπειλέωἀπειλέω, ἀπείλω: imperfect ἠπειλουν; 1 aorist middle ἠπειλησαμην; to threaten, menace: 1 Peter 2:23; in middle, according to later Greek usage ((Appendix, bell. 104:3, 29); Polyaen. 7, 35, 2), actively (Buttmann, 54 (47)): Acts 4:17 (ἀπειλή (L T Tr WH omit) ἀπειλεῖσθαι, with the dative of person followed by μή with infinitive, with sternest threats to forbid one to etc., Winers Grammar, § 54, 3; (Buttmann, 183 (159))). (From Homer down.) (Compare: προσαπειλέω.) Topical Lexicon Overview of Usage Strong’s Greek 546 (ἀπειλέω, apeileō) occurs twice in the New Testament, always in the active sense of issuing threats. Both occurrences contrast human intimidation with godly confidence and restraint, thereby illuminating Christian responses to persecution. Acts 4:17 – Threats of the Sanhedrin After the healing of the lame man, the council confessed, “But to prevent this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.” (Acts 4:17). Their threats expose a reliance on coercion rather than truth, underscoring the impotence of human authority against God’s purposes. The apostles’ subsequent resolve (“We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard,” Acts 4:20) highlights Spirit-empowered boldness that refuses to bow to intimidation. 1 Peter 2:23 – The Silence of Christ Peter sets Christ’s passion before suffering believers: “When He was reviled, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23). The verb appears in the negative—Jesus deliberately refrained from threatening. His submission models righteous endurance, proving that strength is manifested in entrusting vengeance to God rather than in retaliatory speech. Historical Background • Acts 4 depicts the earliest collision between the Jerusalem church and the Jewish leadership (circa A.D. 30-33). Threats were a standard legal tactic of the Sanhedrin to preserve religious control. Theological Significance 1. Human intimidation cannot override divine commission (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29). Related Biblical Themes • Bold witness amid hostility – Acts 4:29; 2 Timothy 1:7 Ministry Application • Pastoral leadership must not surrender gospel proclamation under threat but obey God above men. Summary The brief biblical footprint of ἀπειλέω paints a vivid moral contrast: worldly powers employ threats to stifle truth, while the Son of God and His people answer hostility with courageous proclamation and quiet trust in divine justice. This pattern equips the church to face opposition without fear or retaliation, confident that the gospel cannot be chained and that God will vindicate His servants in His perfect time. Forms and Transliterations απειλεί απειληθήναι απειλήσει απειλησωμεθα απειλησώμεθα ἀπειλησώμεθα απειλών ηπειλει ηπείλει ἠπείλει apeilesometha apeilesṓmetha apeilēsōmetha apeilēsṓmetha epeilei epeílei ēpeilei ēpeíleiLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Acts 4:17 V-ASM-1PGRK: τὸν λαόν ἀπειλησώμεθα αὐτοῖς μηκέτι NAS: the people, let us warn them to speak KJV: let us straitly threaten them, INT: the people let us warn them no longer 1 Peter 2:23 V-IIA-3S Strong's Greek 546 |
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