παίζω G3815
play, sport, engage in recreation or revelry
This verb denotes playful activity—whether innocent recreation, celebration, or (negatively) frivolous revelry. Paul quotes the Septuagint description of Israel's idolatrous celebration at Sinai: 'The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.' In context, 'play' carries negative connotations of revelry associated with idol worship. The word can describe children's games or adults' festive dancing, but here it suggests behavior incompatible with worshiping the true God. It evokes carefree abandonment to pleasure.
Senses
1. sense 1 — 1 Corinthians 10:7 warns against idolatry, citing Israel's golden calf incident: they 'sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.' The verb captures the festive revelry that accompanied false worship—dancing, celebration, perhaps sexual immorality. Paul uses it to show how quickly worship of the true God can devolve into self-indulgent pleasure when the heart turns to idols. 1×
AR["لِيَلعَبوا"]·ben["খেলতে।"]·DE["spielen"]·EN["to-play"]·FR["jouer"]·heb["לְ-שַׂחֵק"]·HI["खेलने-को"]·ID["bermain"]·IT["giocare"]·jav["dolanan."]·KO["뛰놀았다"]·PT["para-folgar."]·RU["играть."]·ES["a-jugar"]·SW["kucheza."]·TR["oynamaya"]·urd["کھیلنے"]
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
παίζω, Doric dialect παίσδω Refs 3rd c.BC+: Laconian dialect present participle genitive plural feminine παιδδωἇν Refs 5th c.BC+future παιξοῦμαι Syrac. in Refs 5th c.BC+, παίξομαι LXX+3rd c.BC+: aorist 1 ἔπαισα Refs 8th c.BC+: perfect πέπαικα Refs 4th c.BC+: perfect passive πέπαισμαι Refs 5th c.BC+: also aorist ἔπαιξα LXX+5th c.BC+: perfect πέπαιχα Refs 1st c.AD+:—passive, aorist ἐπαίχθην Refs…