This verb describes speech intended to intimidate or coerce through warnings of harm. In Acts 4:17, the Sanhedrin debates 'let us threaten them' to silence the apostles' testimony about Jesus. In 1 Peter 2:23, Christ is praised because 'when suffering, he did not threaten.' The word carries the force of using menacing language to control behavior. Classical Greek usage included both promising and threatening (Homer), but biblical usage restricts to the threatening sense. The multilingual glosses (Spanish 'amenazar', French 'menacer') consistently recognize the intimidating character of this speech act, though the German simply provides Greek forms, suggesting recognition of its technical status.