Greek word · G3981
πειθός
peithos
persuasive
'Persuasive' or 'convincing', formed from peithō, 'to persuade'. The adjective appears nowhere else in surviving Greek. The closely related noun peithō, 'persuasion', was a standard term for what rhetoric aimed to produce, and Peithō was even a goddess of persuasion.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament.
What it means
πειθός (πιθός, WH), -ή, -όν
(πείθω), = cl. πιθανός,
persuasive: 1 Corinthians 2:4 (not found elsewhere).†
(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 1 Corinthians 2:4
- Range of meaning
'Persuasive' or 'convincing', formed from peithō, 'to persuade'. The adjective appears nowhere else in surviving Greek. The closely related noun peithō, 'persuasion', was a standard term for what rhetoric aimed to produce, and Peithō was even a goddess of persuasion.
- Against the English
KJV 'enticing' suggests seduction to a modern ear. 'Persuasive' (BSB, WEB, NASB) and 'plausible' (ESV) are closer. 'Plausible' adds a hint that the words only seem true.
- How it drifted
In 1611 'enticing' meant 'alluring' or 'winning'. It has since narrowed toward temptation, which makes Paul sound as if he were condemning deceit as such rather than reliance on rhetorical technique.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The word is unique, so it cannot be traced in other texts. Ancient definitions of rhetoric as 'the craftsman of persuasion' (peithous dēmiourgos, Plato, Gorgias 453a) show what persuasion meant in Paul's world: a teachable skill for moving an audience, whatever the merits of the case.
Similar words
Where it appears
1 Corinthians · 1
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1 Corinthians 2:4 πειθοῖς persuasive
My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
Here: 'Persuasive'. The adjective is not found anywhere else in Greek, which is why some scholars think the original read the noun peithoi, 'persuasion' (see textual notes). Either way, it means the art of winning people over by technique.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.