πεισμονή (peismonē)
peismonē
persuasion
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun peismone refers to the state of being persuaded or the act of yielding to an argument. In the New Testament, it appears only once, in Galatians 5:8, where Paul contrasts divine calling with human influence. Here, the word describes the psychological hold that a persuasive message has on a person’s mind and will.
Its root lies in the verb peithō, which covers both convincing others and trusting or believing. While peithō often implies active confidence, peismone focuses on the result: the settled conviction that follows from being won over. Paul uses this term to show that while God initiates grace, individuals can still be swayed by competing voices. The word captures the moment when truth is accepted or rejected through the power of speech.
Translators typically render peismone as "persuasion," though some versions use "conviction" to highlight its internal weight. This single usage underscores a key theme in Galatians: believers must discern whether their confidence comes from the Spirit or from human rhetoric. The term reminds readers that faith involves both receiving truth and resisting misleading arguments.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word peismone describes the quiet but firm grip that a persuasive idea takes on our minds. It is the moment when an argument moves from mere information to settled conviction. In Galatians, Paul uses this term to highlight a critical choice: whose voice are we allowing to shape our beliefs? The text reminds us that not every compelling message originates from God.
This distinction offers freedom rather than fear. You are invited to examine the sources of your confidence. When you feel swayed by human rhetoric or cultural pressure, pause and ask if that influence aligns with the One who called you. Faith is not passive; it involves actively discerning truth from competing narratives. This awareness helps protect your heart from being led astray by voices that sound convincing but lack divine authority.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- persuasion [is]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- πεισμονὴ1×
Key Verses
-
Galatians 5:8
This persuasion is not from him who calls you.
Paul uses this term to sharply distinguish between the internal assurance given by God and the external pressure exerted by human arguments.