παραιτ-έομαι G3868
To beg off, make excuses, refuse, reject, or earnestly request — covering the full arc from polite declination to firm refusal.
Few Greek verbs span as wide an interpersonal arc as paraiteomai. At its gentlest, guests at a banquet 'beg off' with excuses — 'I have bought a field; please have me excused' (Luke 14:18-19). At its firmest, Paul insists that believers 'refuse' godless myths (1 Tim 4:7) and 'reject' divisive persons (Titus 3:10). And in its oldest classical sense, it can mean simply 'to request' or entreat, as when the crowd at Sinai 'begged that no further word be spoken' (Heb 12:19). Spanish distinguishes these beautifully: 'excusarse' for begging off, 'rechazar' for refusing, and 'suplicar' for earnest entreaty.
2. beg off, make excuses — To beg off or make excuses from an obligation or invitation, offering reasons for declining. In Jesus' parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:18-19), each invited guest 'began to make excuses' — one bought a field, another oxen, another married. Spanish 'excusarse' and German 'sich entschuldigen' capture the polite, social dimension of this sense, distinct from the harsh rejection of sense 1. 3×
AR["مَعْذُورًا","يَعْتَذِرُونَ"]·ben["অজুহাত-দেখাতে","অজুহাত-দেখানো"]·DE["παραιτεῖσθαι","παρῃτημένον"]·EN["excused","to-excuse"]·FR["refuser"]·heb["לְ-הִתְנַצֵּל","מֻצְדָּק"]·HI["क्षमा-किया-हुआ।","बहाना-बनाने।"]·ID["menolak","termaafkan"]·IT["paraiteisthai","paretemenon"]·jav["ingkang-mboten-saged-rawuh","nolak"]·KO["사양하기를","양해한-자로"]·PT["a-escusar-se","por-escusado"]·RU["извинённым","отказываться"]·ES["a-excusarse","por-excusado"]·SW["kuomba-msamaha","nimeomba-msamaha"]·TR["mazeret-beyan-etmeye","mazur"]·urd["بہانہ-کرنے","معذور"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. refuse, reject — To refuse, reject, or decline firmly — the dominant New Testament usage, where something is turned away or dismissed. Paul commands Timothy to 'refuse' profane myths (1 Tim 4:7), to 'reject' younger widows from the enrollment (1 Tim 5:11), and to avoid foolish controversies (2 Tim 2:23). Hebrews 12:25 warns against refusing the One who speaks from heaven. Spanish 'rechazar' and French 'refuser' consistently mark this firm, deliberate refusal. 7×
AR["أَرْفُضُ","ارفُضْهُ","ارْفُضْ","تَرْفُضُوا","رَافِضِينَ"]·ben["এড়িয়ে-চল,","তোমরা-প্রত্যাখ্যান-কর","প্রত্যাখ্যান-কর","প্রত্যাখ্যান-কর;","প্রত্যাখ্যান-করিতেছি","প্রত্যাখ্যান-করে"]·DE["ablehnen","παραιτοῦμαι"]·EN["I-refuse","having-refused","refuse","reject","you-refuse"]·FR["refuser","repousser"]·heb["דְּחֵה","מְסָרֵב","מֵאֲנִים","סְרָב","סָרֵב","תְמָאֲנוּ"]·HI["इनकर-कर","इनकार-करके","इनकार-करो","त्यअग-दे,","मन-कर","मनाकरताहूँ"]·ID["menolak","tolaklah","tolaklah,"]·IT["rifiutare"]·jav["kula-tolak","nampik","padha-tampik;","tolaké,"]·KO["거부하지-않는다","거절하라","거절하라,","거절하라;","거절한-자들이","너희가-거절하지"]·PT["recusa","recuseis","recuso","rejeita","rejeita,","tendo-recusado"]·RU["отвергай","отвергнув","отвращайся","откажитесь-от","отказываюсь","уклоняйся"]·ES["rechacéis","rechaza","rechazando","rehuso"]·SW["mkatae","ninakataa","wakatae","walimkataa","yakatae","zikatae"]·TR["kaçınmıyorum","reddederek","reddet","reddet,","reddetmeyesiniz"]·urd["انکار-کر","انکار-کرنے-والے","انکار-کرو","رد-کر۔","میں-انکار-کرتا-ہوں","ٹال-دے"]
3. request, beg — To make an earnest request or entreaty — the classical sense of begging or petitioning. At Mark 15:6, the crowd 'was requesting' that Pilate release a prisoner, and at Heb 12:19 the Israelites at Sinai 'begged' that no further word be spoken to them. Spanish 'suplicaron' and 'pedían' reveal this supplicatory register, while interestingly French still renders 'refuser,' collapsing the distinction that the Greek and Spanish preserve. 2×
AR["طَلَبُوا","كَانُوا-يَطْلُبُونَهُ"]·ben["অনুরোধ-করেছিল","চাইতেন"]·DE["ablehnen"]·EN["begged","they-were-requesting"]·FR["refuser"]·heb["בִּקְּשׁוּ","בִּקְשׁוּ"]·HI["माँगते-थे","विनती-की"]·ID["memohon,","mereka-minta"]·IT["paretounto","rifiutare"]·jav["nyuwun","sami-nyuwun"]·KO["간청했다","요청하였다"]·PT["pediam","rogaram"]·RU["отказались","просили"]·ES["pedían","suplicaron"]·SW["waliomba","waliyemwomba"]·TR["istiyorlardı","yalvardılar"]·urd["درخواست-کی","مانگتے-تھے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
παραιτ-έομαι, beg of or from another, ask as a favour of him, τινά τι Refs 5th c.BC+; τι Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive added, ἓν δ᾽ αὐτοὺς παραιτησώμεθα, ἐπίδηλον ἡμῖν.. ποιεῖν, ἢν τοῖς ἔπεσι χαίρωσι Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive for accusative, θεοὺς παραιτοῦ τῶν σ᾽ ἔρως ἔχει τυχεῖν Refs 4th c.BC+; Προμηθέα -εῖται Ἐπιμηθεὺς αὐτὸς νεῖμαι asks P. for permission to.., Refs 5th c.BC+ __2…