Bible Lexicons

This verb occurs very rarely outside Biblical Greek, where its earliest occurrence is LXX Ecclesiastes 8:11. It is used of ";accomplishing,"; ";settling"; legal matters in such a passage as P Amh II. 66.42 (A.D. 124), where the complainer is invited by the strategus to bring forward his witnesses, ἵνα δὲ καὶ νῦν πληροφορήσω, ";in order that I may finish off the matter."; Similarly in BGU III. 747i. 22 (A.D. 139) αἰ [τ ]ούμ [ε ]νο [ς ] π [λ ]η [ρ ]οφορε [ῖ ]ν, the reference seems to be to a collector desiring to get in certain monies ";in full."; This prepares us for the verb in connexion with ";paying off"; debts, as in P Oxy III. 509.10 (late ii/A.D.) τυγ ̣[χά ]νω δὲ πεπλροφρημένος τοῖς ὀφειλομένοις μοι, ";but it happens that I have been paid the debt in full"; (Edd.), and P Lond 1164(g).11 (A.D. 212) (= III. p. 163) πεπληροφόρηται δὲ καὶ τῶν τόκων κατὰ μέρος διὰ χειρὸς πάντα εἰς περίλυσιν. Cf. also the expressive BGU II. 665ii. 2 (i/A.D.) ἐπληροφόρησα αὐτόν, the idea apparently being that the man to whom money has been entrusted satisfies the investor by the return he makes, and the magic P Lond 121.910 (iii/A.D.) (= I. p. 113) πληροφοροῦσα ἀγαπῶσα στέργουσα ἐμέ, pointing to an affection which is fully reciprocated. See further Whitaker Exp VIII. xx. p. 380 ff., and xxi. p. 239 f., where it is contended that πληροφορεῖσθαι ";denotes not a conviction or assurance of the mind, but the result of such an assurance in life and conduct, the rich fruitfulness for which the conviction prepares the way."; Hence in Romans 14:5 the thought is that every Christian is to be ";fully fruitful"; in following out the course which his own mind shows him to be right.

The verb is also discussed by Deissmann LAE p. 82 f., and by Lagrange Bulletin d’ancienne littérature et d’archéologie chrétiennes ii. (1912), p. 96 ff.

[Supplemental from 1930 edition]

πληροφορέω. Cf. P Lond 1075.18 (vii/A.D.) (= III. p. 282) πεπληροφόρημαι γὰρ σαφῶς ὅτι οὐ θέλετε αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀνεγκέφαλον, ";for I am fully persuaded that you do not wish him to be so brainless.";