Exploring the Meaning of Peirao in Greek

πειράω expresses the act of trying. It appears in Acts 26:21 in Paul’s description of what happened to him in the temple.

Root and Related Words

πειράω derives from peira (πεῖρα), “test” (Strong’s G3984). The relationship between the two highlights an underlying connection between the act described by the verb and the broader idea of a “test.”

Occurrences

“For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.” (Acts 26:21)

In this sentence Paul narrates a sequence of actions directed against him: he was “seized” in the temple, and the same group then “tried to kill” him. The verb places the second action in the sphere of deliberate effort rather than mere desire or hostility. The attempt is presented as a purposeful undertaking aimed at a specific outcome (“to kill me”), following immediately upon physical apprehension (“seized me”).

The setting and logic of the line also shape how the trying is heard. Paul frames it as a response (“For this reason”), so the act of trying is not random violence but something carried out under the banner of a perceived cause. The verb therefore sits inside a legal-and-public setting (“in the temple”) where actions can be recounted, evaluated, and defended against. Even in a single clause, the trying is not abstract: it is embedded in location, actors, and stated intention.

Sense and Usage

The verb’s sense is concrete and action-oriented: it describes an exertion of effort toward an intended end. In Acts 26:21, the trying is tied to an infinitive of purpose (“to kill”), making the attempted outcome explicit and personal (“me”). The expression “tried to kill me” portrays an effort that is directed and goal-bound, not merely exploratory. It conveys that a line was crossed from opposition into an attempted act.

Because the verb is used with a stated aim, it naturally fits situations where an action is underway but is described from the standpoint of intention rather than completion. The narrative does not require the verb to say whether the effort succeeded; instead, it reports the undertaking itself. That feature matches the word’s connection to peira (πεῖρα), “test”: a “test” is something carried out, an event or action that places someone under pressure or challenge, and the verb draws attention to the act of pressing toward the outcome. In Acts 26:21, the “test” takes the form of hostile action against Paul’s life.

The placement of the verb after “seized” also gives it a practical contour. First there is restraint, then there is an attempted escalation. The word for trying marks the escalation as intentional effort—an act undertaken, not an accidental consequence of turmoil. In Paul’s telling, the attempt is part of what makes the incident describable as a serious charge: it moves from detention (“seized”) to an attempted killing (“tried to kill”).

Imagery

The single occurrence associates the idea of trying with the crowded, public space of the temple and with bodily force—seizing and an attempted killing. The imagery is not inward struggle but outward action: hands laid on someone, a coordinated effort, and an intended end stated in plain words. In this scene, “trying” is pictured as something done to a person in a specific place, with a clear objective.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).