Greek word · G4426

πτύρομαι

ptyromai

to frighten

To be startled, scared or thrown into panic. The literal use is of animals, above all horses that shy or stampede. Used of people, it means losing nerve and composure.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πτύρομαι depon.,

to be startled, frightened: Philippians 1:28. (The active πτύρω is also found in some late writers.) †

(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 Philippians 1:28

Range of meaning

To be startled, scared or thrown into panic. The literal use is of animals, above all horses that shy or stampede. Used of people, it means losing nerve and composure.

Against the English

'Terrified' (KJV) and 'frightened' (BSB, WEB) give the emotion. They lose the picture of a sudden startle that makes you break and run.

Used elsewhere in the period

This is its only New Testament use, and it does not appear in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament). BDAG and Lightfoot note its use for horses shying in Greek writers such as Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch. It also appears in the philosophical dialogue Axiochus (attributed to Plato) for not being alarmed at death, and Marcus Aurelius uses it for being upset.

Where it appears

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 1:28 πτυρόμενοι being frightened

    without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.

    Here: Used only here in the New Testament. In Greek writers it is used for a horse that shies or bolts in panic. The present tense describes an ongoing state: they are not being spooked into breaking ranks.

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