This middle voice verb originally meant to answer or interpret, then came to mean acting on stage (playing a role), and finally developed the negative sense of pretending or feigning—acting a part to deceive. Luke 20:20 uses it to describe spies sent by Jesus' opponents who 'pretended to be sincere' while actually seeking to trap him. They played a false role, concealing their hostile intent behind a mask of honest inquiry. All translations capture the deceitful, hypocritical nature of this pretense.