Lexicon epispaomai: To draw over, to pull over, to cover Original Word:ἐπισπάομαι
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:epispaomai
Pronunciation:eh-pee-SPAH-oh-my
Phonetic Spelling:(ep-ee-spah'-om-ahee)
Definition:To draw over, to pull over, to cover
Meaning:(lit: I draw over), mid: I become as uncircumcised. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance become uncircumcised. Fromepi andspao; to draw over, i.e. (withakrobustia implied) efface the mark of circumcision (by recovering with the foreskin) -- become uncircumcised. see GREEKepi see GREEKspao see GREEKakrobustia Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1986: ἐπισπάωἐπισπάω, ἐπίσπω: from Aeschylus down; to draw on: μήἐπισπάσθω, namely, ἀκροβυστίαν, let him not draw on his foreskin ( Hesychiusμήἐπισπάσθω. Μήἑλκυέτωτόδέρμα) ( A. V.let him not become uncircumcised), 1 Corinthians 7:18. From the days of Antiochus Epiphanes ( ) down (1 Macc. 1:15;Josephus, Antiquities 12, 5, 1), there had been Jews who, in order to conceal from heathen persecutors or scoffers the external sign of their nationality, sought artificially to compel nature to reproduce the prepuce, by extending or drawing forward with an iron instrument the remnant of it still left, so as to cover the glans. The rabbis called such personsמְשׁוּכִים, fromמָשַׁךto draw out, see Buxtorf, Lex. Talm., p. 1274 ((edited by Fischer ii., 645f). Cf.BB. DD. under the word, especially McClintock and Strong's Cyclopaedia, ibid. II. 2.)STRONGS NT 1986a: ἐπισπείρωἐπισπείρω: 1 aoristἐπεσπειρα;to sow above or besides:Matthew 13:25LTTrWH. (Herodotus,Theophrastus, (others).)
Topical Lexicon Word Origin:Derived from the Greek preposition ἐπί (epi, meaning "upon" or "over") and the verb σπάω (spaō, meaning "to draw" or "to pull").Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries:There is no direct Hebrew equivalent for ἐπισπάομαι, as the concept of reversing circumcision is not addressed in the Hebrew Scriptures. However, discussions of circumcision itself can be linked to Strong's Hebrew entries such asH4135 מוּל (mûl), which means "to circumcise." Usage:The term ἐπισπάομαι is used in the New Testament to describe the act of attempting to reverse circumcision, a practice that was sometimes undertaken by Jewish men in the Greco-Roman world to assimilate into non-Jewish society and avoid social stigma. Context:The term ἐπισπάομαι appears in the New Testament in the context of discussions about circumcision and the cultural pressures faced by early Christians, particularly those of Jewish heritage. In1 Corinthians 7:18, the Apostle Paul addresses the issue directly: "Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised." (BSB). Here, Paul emphasizes that physical circumcision or its reversal is irrelevant to one's standing before God, highlighting the spiritual nature of the Christian faith over physical rituals. The practice of ἐπισπάομαι reflects the tension between maintaining Jewish identity and conforming to the surrounding Hellenistic culture. Paul's teaching encourages believers to focus on their calling in Christ rather than external modifications, promoting a message of spiritual transformation over physical conformity. Forms and Transliterations επεσπάσατο επίσπασαι επισπασθω επισπάσθω ἐπισπάσθω επισπεύδοντες επισπλαγχνιζόμενος επισπουδαζομένη επισπουδαστής επισπώμενοι epispastho epispasthō epispástho epispásthōLinks Interlinear Greek •Interlinear Hebrew •Strong's Numbers •Englishman's Greek Concordance •Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •Parallel Texts |
