ἔντευξις
énteuxis
G1783 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An approach, encounter, or meeting; more specifically, a request or petition made to someone in authority. In extended use, a prayer or entreaty, especially one made on behalf of another (intercession). The primary sense involves an interaction or coming together, either formal or informal, often with the nuance of an earnest or urgent appeal.
Semantic Range
meeting, encounter, formal approach, petition to an authority, request, supplication, intercessory prayer, act of making an entreaty
Root / Etymology
From the verb ἐντυγχάνω (to fall in with, meet with, converse or petition), built on ἐν- ('in, upon') + τυγχάνω ('to happen, to meet'). The noun formation ἔντευξις denotes the result or product of ἐντυγχάνω, i.e., an encounter or meeting, and by extension, a request or plea that occurs during such an approach. Not derived from a Semitic or other non-Greek source.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, ἔντευξις refers broadly to any encounter, interview, or formal meeting, including written petitions to authorities. In Hellenistic and Koine usage, including the Septuagint and New Testament (e.g., 1 Timothy 2:1, 4:5), it develops a specialized meaning of 'petition' or 'supplication', frequently with reference to prayer or intercessory prayer. The term often appears alongside δεήσις (personal prayer/request), προσευχή (prayer/worship), and εὐχαριστία (thanksgiving), sometimes distinguishing prayer on behalf of others (intercession) from other forms. English translations often render it 'intercession' or 'prayer', but these may underrepresent its original breadth, which included formal petitions to authorities. The semantic shift to primarily religious senses is typical of later Jewish and Christian texts, though the term retains a technical legal-administrative sense in papyri and Greek literature outside Christian circles. The meaning should not be entirely equated with 'prayer' in all contexts, as the core concept is that of approaching or making a request, whether divine or human.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἐντυγχάνω; an interview, i.e. (specially) supplication:--intercession, prayer.
Root Family
ἐντυγχ- (énteuxis) — to meet, to approach, to petition
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G5241 | ὑπερεντυγχάνω | intercedes on behalf |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1783-01 |
ἐντεύξεις | enteuxeis | N ACC F PL |
intercessions | petitions | petitions | 1 |
G1783-02 |
ἐντεύξεως | enteuxeos | N GEN F SG |
prayer | of a petition | of petition | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1783-01 |
1 Timothy 2:1 | ἐντεύξεις | enteuxeis | N ACC F PL |
intercessions | petitions | petitions |
G1783-02 |
1 Timothy 4:5 | ἐντεύξεως | enteuxeos | N GEN F SG |
prayer | of a petition | of petition |