Pray, Prayer - Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
Pray, Prayer
[ A-1,Verb,G2172, euchomai ]to pray (to God)," is used with this meaning in 2 Corinthians 13:7; 2 Corinthians 13:9, RV, "pray" (AV, "wish"); James 5:16; 3 John 1:2, RV, "pray" (AV, wish). Even when the RV and AV translate by "I would," Acts 26:29, or "wished for," Acts 27:29 (RV, marg., "prayed"), or "could wish," Romans 9:3 (RV, marg., "could pray"), the indication is that "prayer" is involved.
[ A-2,Verb,G4336, proseuchomai ]
"to pray," is always used of "prayer" to God, and is the most frequent word in this respect, especially in the Synoptists and Acts, once in Romans 8:26; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 1:9; 1 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 13:18; Jude 1:20. For the injunction in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, See CEASE, C.
[ A-3,Verb,G2065, erotao ]
"to ask," is translated by the verb to pray in Luke 14:18-Luke 14:19; Luke 16:27; John 4:31; John 14:16; John 16:26; John 17:9, John 17:15, John 17:20; in Acts 23:18, RV, "asked" (AV "prayed"); in 1 John 5:16, RV, "should make request" (AV "shall pray"). See ASK, A, No. 2.
[ A-4,Verb,G1189, deomai ]
"to desire," in 2 Corinthians 5:20; 2 Corinthians 8:4, RV, "beseech" (AV, "pray"): See BESEECH, No. 3.
Notes:
(1) Parakaleo, "to call to one's aid," is rendered by the verb "to pray" in the AV in the following: Matthew 26:53 (RV, "beseech"); so Mark 5:17-Mark 5:18; Acts 16:9; in Acts 24:4, RV, "intreat;" in Acts 27:34, RV, "beseech." See BESEECH, No. 1.
(2) In 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:16, there is no word in the original for "I pray," See the RV.
[ B-1,Noun,G2171, euche ]
akin to A, No. 1, denotes "a prayer," James 5:15; "a vow," Acts 18:18; Acts 21:23. See VOW.
[ B-2,Noun,G4335, proseuche ]
akin to A, No. 2, denotes
(a) "prayer" (to God), the most frequent term, e.g., Matthew 21:22; Luke 6:12, where the phrase is not to be taken literally as if it meant, "the prayer of God" (subjective genitive), but objectively, "prayer of God." In James 5:17, "He prayed fervently," RV, is lit., "he prayed with prayer" (a Hebraistic form); in the following the word is used with No. 3: Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1; 1 Timothy 5:5;
(b) "a place of prayer," Acts 16:13, Acts 16:16, a place outside the city wall, RV.
[ B-3,Noun,G1162, deesis ]
primarily "a wanting, a need" (akin to A, No. 4), then, "an asking, entreaty, supplication," in the NT is always addressed to God and always rendered "supplication" or "supplications" in the RV; in the AV "prayer," or "prayers," in Luke 1:13; Luke 2:37; Luke 5:33; Romans 10:1; 2 Corinthians 1:11; 2 Corinthians 9:14; Philippians 1:4 (in the 2nd part, "request"); Philippians 1:19; 2 Timothy 1:3; Hebrews 5:7; James 5:16; 1 Peter 3:12.
[ B-4,Noun,G1783, enteuxis ]
is translated "prayer" in 1 Timothy 4:5; See INTERCESSION.
Notes:
(1) Proseuche is used of "prayer" in general; deesis stresses the sense of need; it is used sometimes of request from man to man.
(2) In the papyri enteuxis is the regular word for a petition to a superior. For the synonymous word aitema See PETITION; for hiketeria, Hebrews 5:7, See SUPPLICATION.
(3) "Prayer is properly addressed to God the Father Matthew 6:6; John 16:23; Ephesians 1:17; Ephesians 3:14, and the Son, Acts 7:59; 2 Corinthians 12:8; but in no instance in the NT is prayer addressed to the Holy Spirit distinctively, for whereas the Father is in Heaven, Matthew 6:9, and the Son is at His right hand, Romans 8:34, the Holy Spirit is in and with the believers, John 14:16-John 14:17.
"Prayer is to be offered in the Name of the Lord Jesus, John 14:13, that is, the prayer must accord with His character, and must be presented in the same spirit of dependence and submission that marked Him, Matthew 11:26; Luke 22:42.
"The Holy Spirit, being the sole interpreter of the needs of the human heart, makes His intercession therein; and inasmuch as prayer is impossible to man apart from His help, Romans 8:26, believers are exhorted to pray at all seasons in the Spirit, Ephesians 6:18; cp. Jude 1:20; James 5:16, the last clause of which should probably be read "the inwrought [i.e., by the Holy Spirit] supplication of righteous man availeth much' (or 'greatly prevails' ischuo, as in Acts 19:16, Acts 19:20).
"None the less on this account is the understanding to be engaged in prayer, 1 Corinthians 14:15, and the will, Colossians 4:12; Acts 12:5 (where 'earnestly' is, lit., 'stretched out') and so in Luke 22:44.
"Faith is essential to prayer, Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24; James 1:5-James 1:8, for faith is the recognition of, and the committal of ourselves and our matters to, the faithfulness of God.
"Where the Jews were numerous, as at Thessalonica, they had usually a Synagogue, Acts 17:1; where they were few, as at Philippi, they had merely a proseuche, or 'place of prayer,' of much smaller dimensions, and commonly built by a river for the sake of the water necessary to the preliminary ablutions prescribed by Rabbinic tradition, Acts 16:13, Acts 16:16." * [* From Notes on Thessalonians by Hogg and Vine, pp. 189,190.]