Greek word · G3893

παραπικραίνω

parapikrainō

to rebel

Literally 'to embitter' (para + pikrainō, 'make bitter'). In Greek usage it means to make someone bitter or angry: to provoke, to defy, to rebel against. In biblical Greek it almost always describes Israel provoking God by refusing to obey him.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

παρα-πικραίνω

[in LXX chiefly for מָרַד qal., hi., מְרִי, most frequently in Psa and Eze ;]

to embitter, provoke: absol. (yet sc. τ. θεόν, cf. Psalms 106:7, Ezekiel 2:5, al., and with τὸν θ. added, Psalms 5:4, Ezekiel 20:21, al.), Hebrews 3:16 (cf. παραπικρασμός).†

(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 Hebrews 3:16

Range of meaning

Literally 'to embitter' (para + pikrainō, 'make bitter'). In Greek usage it means to make someone bitter or angry: to provoke, to defy, to rebel against. In biblical Greek it almost always describes Israel provoking God by refusing to obey him.

Against the English

BSB, NIV and WEB say 'rebelled.' KJV and YLT say 'provoke,' and NASB has 'provoked [Him].' 'Rebelled' names the act and 'provoked' names its effect on God. The Greek holds both: defiance that embitters.

How it drifted

In current English 'provoke' often means to stir up any reaction ('thought-provoking'). The KJV meant 'to anger, to challenge in defiance,' which is the stronger older sense.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX) uses it mainly for the Hebrew mārâ, 'to be rebellious' (e.g. Deut 31:27; Ps 78[77]:17, 40, 56; Ezek 2:3–8). It is likely the translators linked mārâ with the similar-sounding mārar, 'to be bitter,' which would explain the 'bitter' root of the Greek word. The related noun parapikrasmos in Ps 95[94]:8 translates the place name Meribah ('quarrel'). Hebrews quotes that line in 3:8 and 3:15, so the verb here is chosen to echo the Psalm.

Similar words

Where it appears

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 3:16 παρεπίκραναν; rebelled?

    For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?

    Here: 'They embittered / provoked [God].' The verb echoes the noun 'the rebellion' (parapikrasmos) in v.15, which the Greek Psalm uses for Meribah. It means defiant rebellion that angers someone, not just a passing complaint.

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