πειράω
peiráō
G3987 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To make an attempt; to try or test by experiment, inquiry, or effort. In various contexts, it may refer to making an attempt to do something, putting something or someone to the test in order to ascertain quality, character, or truth, or subjecting to examination or trial. In some cases, it conveys the sense of attempting to do something or proving by trial.
Semantic Range
to try, to attempt (to do something), to make a trial, to test for quality or character, to assay, to examine, to make an effort
Root / Etymology
Derived from the noun πεῖρα (peira, 'a trial, attempt, test, experience'), which comes from the root πειρ- signifying 'to try' or 'to attempt.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, πειράω primarily meant 'to make an attempt' or 'to try,' and this sense remains in Hellenistic and Koine Greek, including the Septuagint and New Testament. The verb can take a direct object (to try something) or function with an infinitive (to attempt to do something). It may also be used in the sense of putting someone or something to a test (sometimes for examination, sometimes in a more neutral sense than negative). In non-biblical Koine literature, it is closely related to the usage in earlier periods. The sense of 'assay' (as in testing metals) is specialized and less prominent in biblical material but known from broader Greek. Standard English translations like 'attempt' or 'try' capture its active sense of effort; the connotation of 'tempt' is normally reserved for its cognate πειράζω, which takes on a more negative meaning in later literature. The noun πεῖρα and its compounds are frequent in both Greek philosophical, forensic, and everyday writings, denoting both purposeful trial and experimental learning.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from πεῖρα; to test (subjectively), i.e. (reflexively) to attempt:--assay.
Root Family
πειράω (peiraō) — to try, to attempt, to test
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3987-01 |
ἐπειρῶντο | epeironto | V IMPF MID IND 3P PL |
went about | they were attempting for themselves | they were attempting | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3987-01 |
Acts 26:21 | ἐπειρῶντο | epeironto | V IMPF MID IND 3P PL |
went about | they were attempting for themselves | they were attempting |