ἐπερωτάω

ἐπερωτάω — eperōtáō

ἐπερωτάω, ἐπερωτῶ; imperfect ἐπηρώτων; future ἐπερωτήσω; 1 aorist ἐπηρώτησα; 1 aorist passive participle ἐπερωτηθείς; the Sept. mostly for שָׁאַל, sometimes for דָּרַשׁ;

1. to accost one with an inquiry, put a question to, inquire of, ask, interrogate (ἐπί directive, uniformly in the N. T.; Meyer on Mar 11:29 (cf. ἐπί, D. 2)): τινα, Mar 9:32; Mar 12:34; Mat 22:46; Luk 2:46; 1Co 14:35; Joh 18:21 R G; τινα τί, ask one anything, Mar 7:17 L T Tr WH;; Luk 20:40; τινα περί τίνος, one about a thing, Mar 7:17 R G; (Luk 9:45 Lachmann) (Herodotus 1, 32; Demosthenes 1072, 12); followed by λέγων with the words used by the questioner, Mat 12:10; Mat 17:10; Mar 9:11; Mar 12:18; Luk 3:10; Luk 3:14; Luk 20:27; Luk 23:3 (R G L), and often in the Synoptic Gospels; followed by εἰ, whether, Mar 8:23; Mar 15:44; Luk 23:6; or some other form of the indirect question, Act 23:34; ἐπηρώτων λέγοντες (L T Tr WH omit λέγοντες), τίς εἴη, Luk 8:9; ἐπερωτᾶν Θεόν to consult God (Num 23:3; Jos 9:20 (14); Jdg 1:1; Jdg 18:5; Isa 19:3, etc.; Thucydides 1, 118 (etc.)), hence, to seek to know God's purpose and to do his will, Rom 10:20 from Isa 65:1.

2. by a usage foreign to the Greeks, to address one with a request or demand; to ask of or demand of one: followed by the infinitive Mat 16:1 (so ἐπερωτᾶν τινα τί, Hebrew שָׁאַל, in Psa 136:3; (this sense is disputed by some; see Zezschwitz as referred to at end of next word; cf. Weiss on Matthew, the passage cited, and see ἐρωτάω, 2)).