the Fourth Week after Easter
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!
Bible Lexicons
Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #4392 - πρόφασις
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- a pretext (alleged reason, pretended cause)
- show
- under colour as though they would do something
- in pretence, ostensibly
- Book
- Word
- Parsing
πρόφᾰσ-ις, εως, ἡ,
( προφαίνω )
motive or cause alleged, whether truly or falsely: then, actual motive or cause, whether alleged or not: I alleged motive, plea, without implication of truth or falsity, ἐπὶ σμικρῇ π . Thgn. 323; νόστου π. γλυκεροῦ κώλυεν μεῖναι Pi. P. 4.32; κατὰ θεωρίης πρόφασιν ἐκπλώσας Hdt. 1.29; π. ἔχων, ὡς . . Id. 6.133; καὶ ἐπὶ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἐπὶ βραχείᾳ π . whether the plea put forward be a trifle or a weighty matter, Th. 1.141; τῆς αἰτίας τὴν π . the plea in the case, the basis of the charge, Lys. 9.7; τοιαύτας ἔχοντες π. καὶ αἰτίας pleas and motives, Th. 3.13; π. ἐπιεικής ib. 9; ἀναγκαῖαι Is. 4.20, D. 54.17; προφάσεις ἀληθεῖς λέγοντος pleading what was in fact true, And. 4.17 .
2. falsely alleged motive (or cause), pretext, pretence, excuse, π. ἰδίης ἀβουλίης an excuse for . ., Democr. 119; οὔτε τιν' ἔχων π. οὔτε λόγον εὐτράπελον Ar. V. 468 (lyr.); καλλίστην εἶναι π., τιμωρεῖσθαι μὲν δοκεῖν, ἔργῳ δὲ χρηματίζεσθαι Lys. 12.6: abs. in acc., πρόφασιν in pretence, ostensibly, στενάχοντο γυναῖκες Πάτροκλον π., σφῶν δ' αὐτῶν κήδε' ἑκάστη Il. 19.302, cf. Hdt. 5.33, E. IA 362 (troch.), Ar. Eq. 466, etc.; opp. τὸ ἀληθές, Th. 6.33: in dat., προφάσει Id. 3.86; προφάσει τῶν δημοσίων on the pretence that public debts are owing, OGI 669.15 (Egypt, i A.D. ); προφάσιος [εἵνεκεν], προφάσεως ἕνεκα, Hdt. 4.135, Antipho 6.14; προφάσεως χάριν Arist. Pol. 1297a14; ἐκ μικρᾶς π . Plb. 2.17.3; ἐπὶ προφάσιος Hdt. 7.150: folld. by an inf., αὕτη γὰρ ἦν σοι π. ἐκβαλεῖν ἐμέ for casting me out, S. Ph. 1034; οὔτε . . ἔστιν οὐδεμία π. τοῦ μὴ δρᾶν Pl. Ti. 20c; π. τοῖς δειλοῖς ἔχει μὴ ἰέναι gives them an excuse or plea for not going, Id. R. 469c; οὐδεμία σοι π. ἐστιν ὡς . . X. Cyr. 2.2.15; εὑρὼν π . BGU 1024 vi 21 (iv A.D.) .
phrases, πρόφασιν διδόναι, ἐνδοῦναι, allow, afford an excuse, D. 43.53, 18.158; οὐκ ἐνδώσομεν π. οὐδενὶ κακῷ γενέσθαι Th. 2.87; π. μηδεμίαν θέμενος making no excuse, Thgn. 364; π. προτεῖναι put forward a pretext, Hdt. 1.156; π. τὴν Παυσανίεω ὕβριν προϊσχόμενοι Id. 8.3; προφάσεις παρέχειν Ar. Av. 581, cf. D. 10.35, 18.156; προφάσιας εἷλκον kept making pretences, Hdt. 6.86; πάσας π. ἕλκουσιν Ar. Lys. 726; π. δέχεσθαι Pl. Cra. 421d (cf. ἀγών 111.5 ); π. εὑρίσκειν τοῦ ἀδικήματος Antipho 5.65; π. καλῶς εὑρημένη Archipp. 36; ἔχθρας π. ζητήσουσιν Pl. Phdr. 234a, cf. PCair.Zen. 270.9 (iii B.C.); π. τινὰ πρεσβείας πορισάμενοι Pl. Ep. 350a; π. κατασκευάσαι X. Cyr. 2.4.17; ἔχει προφάσεις it is excusable, ib. 3.1.27; πρόφασιν ταύτην τῆς διαφορᾶς ποιούμενος Pl. Ep. 349d; προφάσεις εὐλόγους εἰλήφεσαν D. 18.152; ἐχόμενος προφάσιος Hdt. 6.94; ἐπιλαβέσθαι Id. 3.36, 6.49; τὰς π. ἀφελεῖν D. 2.27; προφάσεως δεῖσθαι Arist. Rh. 1373a3: personified, τὰν Ἐπιμαθέος ὀψινόου θυγατέρα Π . Pi. P. 5.28 . elliptically, μή μοι πρόφασιν no excuse, no shuffling, Ar. Ach. 345; μὴ προφάσεις ἐνταῦθά μοι Alex. 127.1 .
II the actual motive, purpose, or cause, whether alleged or not, οὔτ' εὐνῆς πρόφασιν κεχρημένος οὔτε τευ ἄλλου Il. 19.262; ἐπ' αὐτομολίας προφάσει ἀπέρχονται Th. 7.13; τὸ ἐκ προφάσεως τῶν . . στρατιωτῶν δηληγατευθὲν μέτρον ἐλαίου for the purpose of . ., PLips. 64.2, cf. 8 (iv A.D.); τὴν ἀληθεστάτην π., ἀφανεστάτην δὲ λόγῳ Th. 1.23, cf. 6.6, D. 18.156, SIG 888.138 (Scaptopara, iii A.D., pl.):
esp. as a medical t.t., external exciting cause, ἐκ πάσης π. ἐκτιτ ρώσκουσι they miscarry on any provocation, Hp. Aph. 3.12, cf. Epid. 3.3, 3.17 . ιά, Acut.(Sp. ) 6; τοὺς δ' ἄλλους ἀπ' οὐδεμιᾶς π . . . τῆς κεφαλῆς θέρμαι . . ἐλάμβανε Th. 2.49: pl., Hp. Aër. 16, Fract. 15, al.: generally, cause, σμικρὰ π. ἔξωθεν Pl. R. 556e; βραχεῖα π . Hp. Coac. 477; ἀπὸ μηδεμιᾶς π. ἔξωθεν ἀξιολόγου Diocl.Fr. 82; φανερὴ π . Hp. Aph. 2.41, cf. X. HG 6.4.33; ἐπεὶ δέ οἱ ἔδεε κακῶς γενέσθαι, ἐγένετο ἀπὸ προφάσιος τὴν ἐγὼ . . ἀπηγήσομαι Hdt. 2.161, cf. 4.145, 7.230; ἄνθρωπός εἰμι, τοῦτο δ' αὐτὸ τῷ βίῳ π. μεγίστην εἰς τὸ λυπεῖσθαι φέρει Diph. 106, cf. Men. 230, 811, Philem. 194; βραχείας προφάσεως ἔδει μόνον ἐφ' ᾗ . . δεξόμεθα . . it needed but a little to move us to . ., E. IA 1180 .
2. occasion, θοἰμάτιον δεικνὺς τοδὶ πρόφασιν ἔφασκον, ὦ γύναι, λίαν σπαθᾷς I said à propos, . . I took occasion to say . ., Ar. Nu. 55; ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμῇ π . à propos of me, Lys. 6.19; ἐπὶ τῇ π. τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ ἀρχῆς on the occasion of my accession, PFay. 20.11 (iii/iv A.D.) .
III persuasion, suggestion, dub.l.in S. Tr. 662 (lyr.). preface, τὰς σημειώσεις ὑπὸ μίαν ἐκθησόμεθα π . Dsc. Ther. 3.
πρόφασις, προφασεως, ἡ (προφαίνω, i. e. properly, 'to cause to shine before' (or 'forth'; but many derive πρόφασις directly from προφημι)), from Homer down;
a. a pretext (alleged reason, pretended cause): τῆς πλεονεξίας, such as covetousness is accustomed to use, 1 Thessalonians 2:5 ((A. V. cloak of covetousness) the meaning being, that he had never misused his apostolic office in order to disguise or to hide avaricious designs); πρόφασιν ἔχειν (a phrase frequent in Greek authors, cf. Passow, under the word πρόφασις 1 b. vol. ii., p. 1251b; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, I. 3 e.)) περί τῆς ἁμαρτίας, John 15:22 (A. V. marginal reading R. V. excuse).
b. show: προφάσει ὡς κτλ. (A. V.) under color as though they would etc. Acts 27:30; προφάσει (A. V. for a pretence), in pretence, ostensibly: Matthew 23:14-13Rec.; Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47; Philippians 1:18.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights rserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com
πρό -φασις , -εως , ἡ
(< φήμι ),
[in LXX: Psalms 141:4 (H5949), ??Daniel 6:4-5(5-6) (H5931) Proverbs 18:1, Hosea 10:4 *;]
a pretence, pretext: Matthew 23:1 (WM, R, txt., om.), Mark 12:40, Luke 20:47 John 15:22, Acts 27:30, Philippians 1:18, 1 Thessalonians 2:5.†
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
The rapid transition from the metaphor of ";rooting"; to that of ";building"; in Colossians 2:7 is rendered easier, as Lightfoot ad l. points out, by the use of ῥιζόω in connexion with cities and buildings, e.g. Plut. Mor. 321 D παρέσχε ῥιζῶσαι καὶ καταστῆσαι τὴν πόλιν. Similarly with reference to the building of a bridge, Kaibel 1078.7 αἰώνιος ἐρρίζωται.
Copyright © 1914, 1929, 1930 by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Derivative Copyright © 2015 by Allan Loder.
