Greek word · G1326

διεγείρω

diegeirō

to arouse

To wake someone fully from sleep; to rouse or stir up; in the passive, of a sea, to be stirred up (BDAG).

Appears 6 times in 5 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

δι-εγείρω

[in LXX: Judith 1:4, Esther 1:1, 2Ma.7:21 2Mac 15:10, 3Ma.5:15 * ;]

to arouse completely, arouse as from rest or sleep: Luke 8:24; pass., Mark 4:39, Luke 8:24; of the sea, John 6:18. Metaphorical, of the mind: ἐν ὑπομνήσει, 2 Peter 1:13 3:1.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Peter 3:1

Range of meaning

To wake someone fully from sleep; to rouse or stir up; in the passive, of a sea, to be stirred up (BDAG).

Against the English

"Stir up" (KJV, WEB, ESV, NASB) keeps the image. NIV/BSB "stimulate"/"stir you to" are adequate. The underlying picture of waking a sleeper is easy to lose.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 4:39 and Luke 8:24 (the disciples wake Jesus in the storm); John 6:18 (the sea stirred by wind); 2 Pet 1:13 (same phrase: "to stir you up by reminding").

From the study of John 6:18

Range of meaning

To wake someone fully; to rouse; to stir up or excite. It is used literally of waking a sleeper and figuratively of stirring a person or their mind into action (2 Pet 1:13; 3:1, 'stir up by way of reminder').

Against the English

BSB 'grew agitated', ESV and NIV 'became/grew rough', WEB 'was tossed' and KJV 'arose' all give the general sense. YLT 'was being raised' and NASB 'began to be stirred up' best keep the continuing process and the idea of something being roused.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Mark 4:39 Jesus 'woke up' (diegertheis) and rebuked the wind, and in Luke 8:24 the disciples 'woke him' (diēgeiran). The same verb is used of the sea in this storm-and-sea setting. In the Septuagint it is used for rousing or stirring up (e.g. Esther 1:1 in the Greek additions, Mordecai's dream).

From the study of 2 Peter 1:13

Range of meaning

To wake someone up completely from sleep. Also to stir or rouse something into motion, such as a sea whipped up by wind, or a person's courage or spirit. The prefix dia- ("through") makes it stronger: fully, thoroughly awake.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT say "stir you up", and ESV and NASB also use "stir up". BSB and NIV have "refresh your memory", which is smooth but loses the picture of waking someone. In modern English "stir up" can sound like causing trouble ("stir up a crowd"), which is not the sense here.

How it drifted

"Stir up" was once a normal phrase for rousing someone. Today it leans toward agitation or provoking. "Refresh your memory" is milder than the Greek and lets go of the waking-from-sleep image.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the New Testament it is used of the disciples waking Jesus during the storm (Mark 4:39; Luke 8:24), and of the sea "being roused" by a strong wind (John 6:18). In 2 Maccabees 7:21 the mother of the seven martyrs "roused" her reasoning with courage, and in 15:10 Judas "stirred up" his men's spirits before battle. 2 Peter itself repeats the exact phrase "I stir up ... by way of reminder" at 3:1.

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 4:39 διεγερθεὶς having been awoken

    Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.

    Here: "Having been woken up" or "waking up". It is a stronger form of the verb used in v.38 ("they woke him"). The point is that he goes from deep sleep to action, not that he stood up, though Greek readers could take both. John 6:18 uses the same verb for a sea being "stirred up".

Luke · 2

  1. Luke 8:24 διήγειραν διεγερθεὶς they awoke, having arisen up

    The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm.

    Here: “They roused him.” The prefix dia- makes it thorough: they shook him fully awake. Jesus had fallen into real sleep (v. 23), and it takes effort to wake him.

John · 1

  1. John 6:18 διεγείρετο. was agitated.

    A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.

    Here: The main verb, 'was being roused'. The tense shows a continuing process, so the sea kept getting rougher; it was not one sudden wave. Elsewhere the verb is used for waking someone fully from sleep, so the picture is of the lake 'waking up' and churning.

2 Peter · 2

  1. 2 Peter 1:13 διεγείρειν to stir up

    I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of my body,

    Here: "To wake up thoroughly, to rouse." The same verb is used of the disciples waking Jesus in the storm. Peter wants to shake drowsy minds fully awake. Present tense: he means to keep doing it.

  2. 2 Peter 3:1 διεγείρω I am stirring up

    Beloved, this is now my second letter to you. Both of them are reminders to stir you to wholesome thinking

    Here: "I am waking up" or "rousing." Elsewhere the word is used for waking someone from sleep (Mark 4:39) and for a sea whipped up by wind (John 6:18). The picture is minds that might drift off being jolted awake.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.