πείθω

πείθω (Hom. et al.; ins, pap, LXX, EpArist, Philo, Joseph., Test12Patr) impf. ἔπειθον; fut. πείσω; 1 aor. ἔπεισα, impv. πεῖσον; 1 pf. 3 sg. πέπεικε(ν) (Just., D. 53, 5; 58, 2); 2 pf. πέποιθα; plpf. ἐπεποίθειν Lk 11:22 and ἐπεποίθησα Job 31:24 (cp. Judg 9:26 A; Zech 3:3). Mid. and pass. impf. ἐπειθόμην. Pass.: 1 fut. πεισθήσομαι; 1 aor. ἐπείσθην; pf. πέπεισμαι; plpf. 1 pl. (ἐ)πεπείσμεθα (Ath. 31, 2).

① act., except for 2 perf. and plpf.: to cause to come to a particular point of view or course of action.

ⓐ convince w. acc. of pers. (X., Mem. 1, 2, 45 al.) ISm 5:1. ἔπειθεν Ἰουδαίους καὶ Ἕλληνας he tried to convince Jews and Gentiles Ac 18:4. πείθων αὐτοὺς περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ trying to convince them about Jesus 28:23 (π. τινὰ περί τινος as Jos., C. Ap. 2, 153). Without acc. πείθων περὶ τῆς βασιλείας 19:8 v.l. With acc. of thing τὰ περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ 28:23 v.l. and τῆς βασιλείας 19:8 (on acc. of thing cp. Hdt. 1, 163; Pla., Apol. 27, 37a). Abs. (Jos., Vi. 19) πείθων, οὐ βιαζόμενος convincing, not compelling Dg 7:4.—Also of convincing someone of the correctness of the objectionable teachings, almost=mislead (Ps.-Clem., Hom. 1, 22) Ac 19:26. τινά τινι someone with someth. Hs 8, 6, 5.

ⓑ persuade, appeal to, also in an unfavorable sense cajole, mislead (so TestDan 1:8; ApcMos 21; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 201) τινά someone ἀνθρώπους (Ael. Aristid. 34, 19 K.=50 p. 552 D.) 2 Cor 5:11; perh. also Gal 1:10 (but s. c below). Cp. MPol 3:1; 8:2, 3. τινά w. inf. foll. (X., An. 1, 3, 19; Polyb. 4, 64, 2; Diod S 12, 39, 2; 17, 15, 5; Herodian 2, 4, 2; Jos., Ant. 8, 256; Just., A II 2, 10, D. 112, 3; Tat. 21, 3) Ac 13:43; MPol 4; 5:1. ἔπειθεν (sc. αὐτὸν) ἀρνεῖσθαι he tried to induce him to deny 9:2. Perh. this is the place for the textually uncertain pass. Ac 26:28 ἐν ὀλίγῳ με πείθεις Χριστιανὸν ποιῆσαι you lose no time trying to make me play the Christian (cp. the tr. in Beginn. IV 322, w. reff. to 3 Km 20:7 and patristic authors cited in Soph., Lex. s.v. ποιέω 3; s. also Lampe s.v. ποιέω C). Because of apparent misunderstanding of the idiom, this wording is simplified in a widespread v.l. in which ποιῆσαι is replaced with γενέσθαι in a short time you are persuading (or trying to persuade) me to become a Christian (cp. Jos., Vi. 151 πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐπείθοντο=‘they were nearly persuaded’), prob. meant ironically. Bauer considered it prob. that the rdg. of the text be understood as a combination of the two expressions ‘in a short time you are persuading me to become a Christian’ and ‘in a short time you will make me a Christian’, so that the sense is someth. like you are in a hurry to persuade me and make a Christian of me (so Goodsp, Probs. 137f [but it is not clear whether “make” here is to be understood in the sense ‘play the part of’]. S. the lit. s.v. ὀλίγος 2bβ and under 3a below, also AFridrichsen, SymbOsl 14, ’35, 49–52, ConNeot 3, ’39, 13–16 [w. ref. to X., Mem. 1, 2, 49; cp. PBenoit, RB 53, ’46, 303]; DHesseling, Neophilol 20, ’37, 129–34; JHarry, ATR 28, ’46, 135 f; EHaenchen ad loc.). Instead of the inf. we have ἵνα (Plut., Mor. 181a πείθωμεν ἵνα μείνῃ) Mt 27:20 (B-D-F §392, 1e; Rob. 993).

ⓒ win over, strive to please (X., Cyr. 6, 1, 34; 2 Macc 4:45) Ac 12:20. τοὺς ὄχλους 14:19. So perh. also Gal 1:10 (s. b above.—π. τὸν θεόν=persuade God: Jos., Ant. 4, 123; 8, 256; Ps.-Clem., Hom. 3, 64).—BDodd, NTS 42, ’96, 90–104.

ⓓ conciliate, pacify, set at ease/rest (Hom. et al.) τὸν δῆμον (cp. X., Hell. 1, 7, 7 τοιαῦτα λέγοντες ἔπειθον τὸν δῆμον) MPol 10:2. τὴν καρδίαν (v.l. τὰ καρδία) ἡμῶν 1J 3:19 (but the text is not in good order). Conciliate, satisfy Mt 28:14 (unless π. ἀργυρίῳ bribe is meant: schol. on Pla. 18b; 2 Macc 10:20; Jos., Ant. 14, 281; 490).

② The 2 pf. (w. plpf.) has pres. mng. (B-D-F §341; Rob. 881), to be so convinced that one puts confidence in someth.

ⓐ depend on, trust in w. dat. of pers. or thing (Hom. et al.; 4 Km 18:20; Pr 14:16; 28:26; Sir 32:24; Wsd 14:29; Is 28:17) τίνι θεῷ (in) which God Dg 1 (here πέπ. w. dat. almost = believe in, a sense which πέπ. also approximates in the LXX; cp. Jos., Ant. 7, 122). τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου Phil 1:14. τῇ ὑπακοῆ σου Phlm 21. ἐπί τινι (in) someone or someth. (PSI 646, 3 ἐπὶ σοὶ πεποιθώς; LXX; SibOr 3, 545; Syntipas p. 52, 5; Just., D. 8, 2) Mt 27:43 v.l.; Mk 10:24 v.l.; Lk 11:22; 2 Cor 1:9; Hb 2:13 (Is 8:17); B 9:4; ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι 1 Cl 57:7; w. ὅτι foll. (Syntipas p. 32, 6; 35, 7) Lk 18:9. ἐπί τινα (Ps 117:8; Acta Christophori [ed. HUsener 1886] 68, 10) Mt 27:43; 1 Cl 60:1, cp. 58:1; Hm 9:6; Hs 9, 18, 5; w. ὅτι foll. 2 Cor 2:3; 2 Th 3:4. ἔν τινι (Jdth 2:5) (in) someone or someth. Phil 3:3f; w. ὅτι foll. 2:24. εἴς τινα (Wsd 16:24 v.l.) w. ὅτι foll. Gal 5:10.

ⓑ be convinced, be sure, certain foll. by acc. and inf. Ro 2:19. W. ὅτι foll. Hb 13:18 v.l. πεποιθὼς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ὅτι being sure of this very thing, that Phil 1:6. τοῦτο πεποιθὼς οἶδα ὅτι convinced of this, I know that 1:25. εἴ τις πέποιθεν ἑαυτῷ Χριστοῦ εἶναι if anyone is convinced within of belonging to Christ 2 Cor 10:7 (cp. BGU 1141, 17 [14 B.C.] πέποιθα γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ).

③ pass. and mid., except for the pf.: to be won over as the result of persuasion.

ⓐ be persuaded, believe abs. (Pr 26:25) Lk 16:31; Ac 17:4; Hb 11:13 v.l. μὴ πειθομένου αὐτοῦ since he would not be persuaded Ac 21:14. πεισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς τοῦ Νάβαλ AcPl Ha 6, 23. W. dat. of the thing by which one is persuaded (opp. ἀπιστεῖν; τοῖς γραώδεσι μύθοις Iren. 1, 16, 3 [Harv. I 162, 8]) τοῖς λεγομένοις (Hdt. 2, 146, 1; Jos., Bell. 7, 415) Ac 28:24. πείθομαι I believe w. ὅτι foll. Hb 13:18; Hs 8, 11, 2. Ac 26:28 v.l. (s. 1b above), construed w. inf. ἐν ὀλίγῳ με πείθῃ Χριστιανὸν ποιῆσαι in too short a time you believe you are making a Christian of me (so Bachmann, Blass). οὐ πείθομαι w. acc. and inf. I cannot believe Ac 26:26.

ⓑ obey, follow w. dat. of pers. or thing (Hom. et al.; Diod S 4, 31, 5 τῷ χρησμῷ=the oracle; Maximus Tyr. 23, 2d τῷ θεῷ; 36, 6g τ. νόμῳ τοῦ Διός; Appian, Iber. 19 §73 θεῶ; pap; 4 Macc 10:13; 15:10; 18:1; Just., D. 9, 1; Mel., P. 93, 705; π. θεῷ Did., Gen. 225, 17; τῇ ἀδικίᾳ Theoph. Ant. 1, 14 [p. 92, 5]) Ro 2:8 (opp. ἀπειθεῖν, as Himerius, Or. 69 [=Or. 22], 7); Gal 3:1 v.l.; 5:7; Hb 13:17; Js 3:3; 2 Cl 17:5; Dg 5:10; IRo 7:2ab; Hm 12, 3, 3.

ⓒ Some passages stand betw. a and b and permit either transl., w. dat. be persuaded by someone, take someone’s advice or obey, follow someone Ac 5:36f, 39; 23:21; 27:11 (objection of a passenger, to which the crew paid no attention and suffered harm as a result: Chion, Ep. 4, 1 οἳ δʼ οὐκ ἐπείθοντο. Of relation between heretical leaders and their adherents Iren. 3, 12, 5 [Harv. II 58, 10]).

④ perf. pass. πέπεισμαι to attain certainty in ref. to something, be convinced, certain (Pla.+; pap, LXX) πεπεισμένος τοῦτο convinced of this B 1:4. πέπεισμαί τι περί τινος be convinced of someth. concerning someone Hb 6:9. περί τινος be sure of a thing IPol 2:3. Foll. by acc. and inf. (Diod S 12, 20, 2 πεπεῖσθαι θεοὺς εἶναι; PPetr II, 11, 4 [III B.C.]; EpArist 5; Just., D. 58, 2; Mel., HE 4, 26, 11; Ath. 36, 1f) Lk 20:6. W. περί τινος and acc. w. inf.: περὶ ὧν πέπεισμαι ὑμᾶς οὕτως ἔχειν concerning this I am certain that it is so with you ITr 3:2. W. ὅτι foll. (X., Oec. 15, 8; Just., D. 65, 2; Tat., 20, 2) Ro 8:38; 14:14 (w. οἶδα); 2 Ti 1:5, 12 (cp. w. ὡ foll. Did., Gen. 131, 8); Pol 9:2. πέπεισμαι περὶ ὑμῶν ὅτι Ro 15:14.—B. 1206; 1339. DELG s.v. πείθομαι. M-M. EDNT. TW. Spicq.