WG: Persuaded (Trust / Obedience from Conviction)
Overview
This word group centers on πείθω (peitho) and its derivatives, capturing the semantic chain from persuasion through trust to obedience. Unlike the broader WG-faith group (which centers on pistis), this group focuses on the peitho root and the words that compete with it in the "obey" and "trust" translation spaces. The key insight is that Greek treats obedience as the natural outcome of being persuaded — a conceptual unity that English obscures by translating the same word as both "trust" and "obey."
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| G3982 |
πείθω |
peitho |
verb |
55 |
Root: persuade → trust → obey |
G3982 |
| G4100 |
πιστεύω |
pisteuo |
verb |
220 |
Cognate: to believe/trust (faith-commitment) |
G4100 |
| G5219 |
ὑπακούω |
hupakouo |
verb |
21 |
Synonym: to obey (hear under authority) |
G5219 |
| G544 |
ἀπειθέω |
apeitheo |
verb |
16 |
Antonym: to disobey/disbelieve |
G544 |
| G543 |
ἀπείθεια |
apeitheia |
noun |
7 |
Antonym noun: disobedience/unbelief |
G543 |
| G4006 |
πεποίθησις |
pepoithesis |
noun |
6 |
Derivative: confidence/trust (from perfect stem) |
TODO(need G4006 study) |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- peitho (G3982), apeitheo (G544), apeitheia (G543), pepoithesis (G4006) — all from root πειθ-
- pisteuo (G4100) — from cognate root πιστ- (itself derived from πειθ-)
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| apeitheo (G544) |
pisteuo (G4100) |
2x |
Jhn 3:36 — believing vs. not believing the Son; contrast pair |
| peitho (G3982) |
apeitheo (G544) |
1x |
Rom 2:8 — "do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness" |
| peitho (G3982) |
pisteuo (G4100) |
1x |
2 Tim 1:12 — "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded" |
| peitho (G3982) |
pepoithesis (G4006) |
1x |
Phil 3:4 — confidence in the flesh |
| apeitheo (G544) |
apeitheia (G543) |
1x |
Rom 11:30 — disobedience and disbelief as paired concepts |
| pisteuo (G4100) |
hupakouo (G5219) |
1x |
Rom 10:16 — "not all obeyed the gospel... who hath believed?" |
Shared Hebrew Sources
| Hebrew Word |
Strong's |
Bridges To |
Notes |
| שָׁמַע (shama') |
H8085 |
hupakouo (25x), apeitheo (8x), pisteuo (9x) |
"hear" — the Hebrew root behind both obedience and belief |
| קוֹל (qol) |
H6963 |
hupakouo (15x), pisteuo (6x) |
"voice" — obedience as hearing a voice |
Roles in the Concept
- Root Process: peitho (πείθω) — the act of being persuaded, producing trust, yielding obedience
- Faith Commitment: pisteuo (πιστεύω) — the cognitive/volitional response of belief
- Structural Obedience: hupakouo (ὑπακούω) — obedience framed as subordinate hearing
- Settled Confidence: pepoithesis (πεποίθησις) — the noun for the state of trust
- Negation (verb): apeitheo (ἀπειθέω) — refusal to be persuaded, willful disbelief
- Negation (noun): apeitheia (ἀπείθεια) — the state of obstinate unbelief/disobedience
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Rom 2:8 — peitho + apeitheo: "them that are contentious, and do not obey (apeitheo) the truth, but obey (peitho) unrighteousness" — the only verse pairing peitho with its own negated form
- Rom 10:16 — pisteuo + hupakouo: "they have not all obeyed (hupakouo) the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed (pisteuo) our report?" — Paul treats obedience and belief as interchangeable
- Jhn 3:36 — pisteuo + apeitheo: "He that believeth (pisteuo) on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not (apeitheo) the Son shall not see life" — KJV renders apeitheo as "believeth not," collapsing obedience and belief
- 2 Tim 1:12 — peitho + pisteuo: "I know whom I have believed (pisteuo), and am persuaded (peitho) that he is able to keep that which I have committed" — the two cognates side by side
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py
Last updated: 2026-04-29