πειράω

πειράω in our lit. only πειράομαι (Hom.+) fut. mid. πειράσομαι; 1 aor. pl. ἐπειράθημεν 1 Macc 12:10; pf. πεπείραμαι 1 Km 17:39; in one place perh. as pass.: impf. 3 sg. ἐπειρᾶτο Ac 9:26 v.l.; pf. ptc. πεπειραμένος.

① to try to do someth., try, attempt, endeavor w. inf. foll. (Hom.+; ins, pap, 2 Macc 2:23; 10:12; 3 Macc 2:32; 4 Macc 12:2; EpArist 297; Philo, Sacr. Abel. 123; Jos., C. Ap. 1, 70; 2, 283) Ἰουδαῖοί με ἐπειρῶντο διαχειρίσασθαι Ac 26:21. Cp. 9:26 v.l. (for ἐπείραζεν); 2 Cl 17:3; MPol 13:2; Qua 1.

② to have an experience, to experience. The sense of the wording is difficult in Hb 4:15 v.l. (for πεπειρασμένον), which describes Christ as πεπειραμένος κατὰ πάντα. Starting fr. the mng. ‘put someone or someth. to the test, in order to know the same better’, the mid. can = go through an experience and learn someth. by it (Aesop, Fab. 105 H./437 P./p. 190 ln. 6 H-H.) and the perf. mid.=have experienced, know from experience, know (Hes., Hdt. et al.; X., Hiero 1, 2; 2, 6; Pla., Ep. 6 p. 323a). For our pass. this would result in the mng. who was experienced in all respects. The pass. sense tried, tested, tempted is hardly in accord w. Gk. usage. S. πειράζω 2b and 4 on the Hb pass.—B. 652f. DELG s.v. πεῖρα. M-M. TW.