Bible Dictionaries
Answer

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

lit., "a separation or distinction," is the regular word for "answer," Luke 2:47; 20:26; John 1:22; 19:9 .

akin to No. 1, denotes a judicial "sentence," 2 Corinthians 1:9 , AV, and RV, margin, or an "answer" (RV, text), an answer of God to the Apostle's appeal, giving him strong confidence. In an ancient inscription it is used of an official decision. In a papyrus document it is used of a reply to a deputation. See SENTENCE.

"a Divine response, an oracle," is used in Romans 11:4 , of the answer given by God to Elijah's complaint against Israel. See the verb under CALL.

a "verbal defense, a speech in defense," is sometimes translated "answer," in the AV, Acts 25:16; 1 Corinthians 9:3; 2 Timothy 4:16 , all which the RV corrects to "defense." See Acts 22:1; Philippians 1:7,16; 2 Corinthians 7:11 , "clearing." Once it signifies an "answer," 1 Peter 3:15 . Cp. B, No. 4. See CLEARING , DEFENSE.

Note: Eperotema, 1 Peter 3:21 , is not, as in the AV, an "answer." It was used by the Greeks in a legal sense, as a "demand or appeal." Baptism is therefore the ground of an "appeal" by a good conscience against wrong doing.

akin to A, No. 1, above, signifies either "to give an answer to a question" (its more frequent use) or "to begin to speak," but always where something has preceded, either statement or act to which the remarks refer, e.g., Matthew 11:25; Luke 14:3; John 2:18 . The RV translates by "answered," e.g., Matthew 28:5; Mark 12:35; Luke 3:16 , where some have suggested "began to say" or "uttered solemnly," whereas the speaker is replying to the unuttered thought or feeling of those addressed by him.

anti, "against," and No. 1, a strengthened form, "to answer by contradiction, to reply against," is found in Luke 14:6; Romans 9:20 .

signifies (a) "to take or bear up from beneath," Acts 1:9; (b) "to receive," 3 John 1:8; (c) "to suppose," Luke 7:43; Acts 2:15; (d) "to catch up (in speech), to answer," Luke 10:30; in sense (d) it indicates that a person follows what another has said, either by controverting or supplementing it. See RECEIVE , SUPPOSE.

cp. A, No. 4, lit., "to talk oneself off from" (apo, "from," lego, "to speak"), "to answer by way of making a defense for oneself" (besides its meaning "to excuse," Romans 2:15; 2 Corinthians 12:19 ), is translated "answer" in Luke 12:11; 21:14; in Acts 19:33 , AV and RV both have "made defense;" in Acts 24:10; 25:8; 26:1,2 , the RV has the verb to make a defense, for the AV, "to answer," and in 26:24 for the AV, "spake for himself." See DEFENSE, EXCUSE , SPEAK.

"to speak against," is rendered "answering again" in the AV of Titus 2:9 (RV, "gainsaying"). See CONTRADICT , DENY , GAINSAY , SPEAK.

lit., "to be in the same line or row with" (sun, "with," stoichos, "a row"), is translated "answereth to" in Galatians 4:25 .

Note: Cp. stoicheo, "to walk" (in line), Galatians 5:25; 6:16 . For hupakouo, rendered to answer in Acts 12:13 , RV, see HEARKEN , No. 1, Note.