Greek word · G1969
ἐπιπλήσσω
epiplēssō
to rebuke
Literally 'to strike at' or 'strike upon', as with a whip or blow. Figuratively, to rebuke sharply, upbraid, berate or chastise with words.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
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 1 Timothy 5:1
- Range of meaning
Literally 'to strike at' or 'strike upon', as with a whip or blow. Figuratively, to rebuke sharply, upbraid, berate or chastise with words.
- Against the English
'Rebuke' (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV) is not wrong, but it is too broad. Modern English uses 'rebuke' for almost any correction. NASB's 'sharply rebuke', NIV's 'rebuke… harshly' and NLT's 'speak harshly' keep the violent edge of the verb.
- How it drifted
English 'rebuke' has softened into a general word for reproof, so a plain 'do not rebuke' can sound like 'do not correct at all'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
BDAG traces it from Homer, where it is used both for striking with a whip and for verbally upbraiding someone, through classical prose. It also appears in Philo and Josephus. It occurs only here in the New Testament. Elsewhere Paul uses other verbs for legitimate correction: elenchō ('expose, reprove', 1 Tim 5:20; 2 Tim 4:2) and epitimaō ('rebuke, warn', 2 Tim 4:2).
Where it appears
1 Timothy · 1
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1 Timothy 5:1 ἐπιπλήξῃς you may rebuke
Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers,
Here: Literally 'to strike upon', used of a verbal blow: a harsh dressing-down. The form (a negative with an aorist subjunctive) bans the action outright: never do this. This verb appears only here in the New Testament.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.