Greek word · G4264

προβιβάζω

probibazō

to prompt

Literally "to make go forward, push forward" (pro-, forward, plus bibazō, to cause to go). From there it came to mean urging someone on, putting someone forward, prompting or instigating. In Jewish Greek it could also mean "to instruct, drill, teach."

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

προ-βιβάζω causal of προβαίνω,

[in LXX: Exodus 35:34 (יָרָה hi.), Deuteronomy 6:7 (שָׁנַן pi.) * ;]

to lead forward, lead on; metaphorically, to induce, incite, urge: Matthew 14:8.†

(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 Matthew 14:8

Range of meaning

Literally "to make go forward, push forward" (pro-, forward, plus bibazō, to cause to go). From there it came to mean urging someone on, putting someone forward, prompting or instigating. In Jewish Greek it could also mean "to instruct, drill, teach."

Against the English

BSB, NIV, ESV, NASB and WEB have "prompted." YLT has "instigated," which is stronger and closer to "pushed." KJV has "being before instructed," taking pro- as "beforehand" and stressing that she was coached in advance. NLT has "at her mother's urging." Each of these catches part of the word: being moved forward by someone else's will, and possibly being briefed beforehand.

How it drifted

No real drift. KJV's "before instructed" comes from the Latin Vulgate's praemonita ("warned or advised beforehand"). It is a reasonable reading but narrows the word to planning in advance.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) uses it for teaching: Deut 6:7, "you shall teach them diligently to your sons," and Exod 35:34, God gave Bezalel the ability "to teach." In the New Testament it appears only here, apart from a manuscript variant at Acts 19:33, where the crowd "pushed forward" Alexander to speak. BDAG gives "prompt, put up to" for this verse.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 14:8 προβιβασθεῖσα having been urged on

    Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

    Here: "Having been pushed forward / coached." The form is passive, so something is done to her: her mother puts the words in her mouth and steers her toward the request. The idea starts with Herodias, not the girl.

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