BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY

Temptation

Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term

How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.

GREEK · G3985

πειράζω

peirazō — to test/tempt: tempt

πειράζω poët. and late prose form of πειράω, which see, [in LXX for נָסָה pi. ;] 1. to make proof of (Hom.). 2. to try, attempt (Luc., Polyb., with inf. (see M, Pr., 205; B1., § 69, 4), Act.9:26 16:7 24:6. 3. In LXX and NT, like Heb. נָסָה, with accusative of person(s), to test, try, prove; (a) in a good sense : Jhn.6:6, 2Co.13:5, Heb.11:17, Rev.2:2; esp. of trials and af6ictions sent or permitted by God (Gen.22:1, Exo.20:20, Wis.3:5, al.), 1Co.10:13, Heb.2:18 4:15 11:17, 37, Rev.3:10; (b) in a bad sense (Apoll. Rhod., 3, 10): of the attempts made to ensnare Jesus in his speech, Mat.16:1 19:3 22:18, 35 Mrk.8:11 10:2 12:15, Luk.11:16, Jhn.8:6; of temptation to sin, to tempt, Jas.1:13-14 (see Hort, in l), Gal.6:1, Rev.2:10; esp. of temptations of the devil, Mat.4:1, 3 Mrk.1:13, Luk.4:2, 1Co.7:5, 1Th.3:5; ὁ πειράζων, the tempter, Mat.4:3, 1Th.3:5; (with) in bad sense also (Exo.17:2, 7, Num.14:22, al.), of distrustful testing, trying or challenging of God: Act.15:10, 1Co.10:9 (WH, mg., ἐξεπείρασαν), Heb.3:9; τ. πνεῦμα Κυρίου, Act.5:9 (of. ἐκ-πειράζω).† SYN.: δοκιμάζω, q.v (AS)

33 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G3986

πειρασμός

peirasmos — temptation/testing: temptation

πειρασμός, -οῦ, ὁ (πειράζω), [in LXX for מַסָּה, עִנְיָן ;] 1. = πεῖρα, an experiment Diosc.). 2. a trial, of ethical purpose and effect, whether good or evil (see Hort on Jas.1:13) (a) in good or neutral sense: Gal.4:14, Jas.1:12, 1Pe.4:12; esp. of afflictions sent by God (Deu.7:19, Sir.21:1-28, al.): 2Pe.2:9, Rev.3:10; pl., Luk.22:28, Act.20:19, Jas.1:2, 1Pe.1:6; (b) of trial regarded as leading to sin, temptation: Luk.8:13, 1Co.10:13, 1Ti.6:9; of the temptation of Jesus by the devil, Luk.4:13; εἰσφέρειν (ἔρχεσθαι, εἰσέρχ-) εἰς π., Mat.6:13 26:41, Mrk.14:38, Luk.11:4 22:40, 46; (with) of the testing or challenge of God by man (see: πειράζω, 3, with) : Heb.3:8 (LXX: Psa.95:9, where κατα τ. ἡμέραν πειρασμοῦ = מַסָּה the day of Massah).† SYN.: δοκίμιον (AS)

20 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G442

ἀνθρώπινος

anthrōpinos — human

ἀνθρώπινος, -η, ον (ἄνθρωπος), [in LXX for אָדָם, אֱנוֹשׁ ;] human, belonging to man: χεῖρες, Act.17:25; σοφία, 1Co.2:13; φύσις, Jas.3:7; κτίσις, 1Pe.2:13 (MM, VGT, see word); ἀ. ἡμέρα, opposite to ἡ ἡμ. (1Co.3:13, God's Judgment-Day), human judgment, 1Co.4:3 (see Lft., Notes, 198); πειρασμὸς ἀ., temptation such as man can bear (AV, such as is common to man, see Field, Notes, 175), 1Co.10:13; ἀνθρώπινον λέγω, I speak in human fashion, with words not properly weighed, Rom.6:19 (see Field, Notes, 156).† (AS)

7 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H4532

מַסָּה

mas.sah — Massah

§ Massah = "temptation" the place in the wilderness where the Israelites tested Jehovah also 'Meribah'

5 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G8189

λῆμμα

lēmma — a concern

anything received, income , (Aeschulus Tragicus); λ. καὶ ἀνάλωμα receipt and expense, (Plato Philosophus): generally, gain, profit , Lat. lucrum, (Sophocles Tragicus), etc.; παντὸς ἥττων λήμματος unable to resist any temptation of gain , (Demosthenes Orator); often in plural, (Demosthenes Orator) (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

Historical dictionary entry

(1.) Trial; a being put to the test. Thus God “tempted [Gen. 22: 1; R.V., ‘did prove’] Abraham;” and afflictions are said to tempt, i.e., to try, men (James 1:2, 12; comp. Deut. 8:2), putting their faith and patience to the test. (2.) Ordinarily, however, the word means solicitation to that which is evil, and hence Satan is called “the tempter” (Matt. 4:3). Our Lord was in this way tempted in the wilderness. That temptation was not internal, but by a real, active, subtle being. It was not self-sought. It was submitted to as an act of obedience on his part. “Christ was led, driven. An unseen personal force bore him a certain violence is implied in the words” (Matt. 4:1-11). The scene of the temptation of our Lord is generally supposed to have been the mountain of Quarantania (q.v.), “a high and precipitous wall of rock, 1,200 or 1,500 feet above the plain west of Jordan, near Jericho.” Temptation is common to all (Dan. 12:10; Zech. 13:9; Ps. 66:10; Luke 22:31, 40; Heb. 11:17; James 1:12; 1 Pet. 1:7; 4:12). We read of the temptation of Joseph (Gen. 39), of David (2 Sam. 24; 1 Chr. 21), of Hezekiah (2 Chr. 32:31), of Daniel (Dan. 6), etc. So long as we are in this world we are exposed to temptations, and need ever to be on our watch against them.

Scripture references

Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.

Compare other reference traditions

Look up Temptation in Smith’s Bible Dictionary and ISBE →