ψῆφος,
ψηφου,
ἡ (from
ψάω, see
ψάλλω),
a small, worn, smooth stone; pebble (from
Pindar,
Herodotus down; (in
Homer ψηφίς));
1. since in the ancient courts of justice the accused were condemned by black pebbles and acquitted by white (cf.
Passow, under the word,
ψῆφος, 2 c, vol. ii, p. 2574b; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, 4 d.);
Ovid. met. 15, 41; (
Plutarch, Alcib. 22, 2)), and a man on his acquittal was spoken of as
νικησας (
Theophrastus, char. 17 (19), 3) and the
ψῆφος acquitting Dim called
νικητήριος (
Heliodorus 3, 3 under the end), Christ promises that to the one who has gained eternal life by coming off conqueror over temptation (
τῷ νικουντι (
A. V. to him that overcometh)) he will give
ψῆφον λευκήν,
Revelation 2:17; but the figure is explained differently by different interpretations; cf. Düsterdieck (or Lee in the 'Speaker's Commentary') at the passage; (B. D. under the word, Stones, 8). Ewald (Die Johann. Schriften, ii., p. 136; (cf. Lee as above; Plumptre in B. D. under the word, Hospitality, at the end)) understnads it to be the tessera hospitalis (cf. Rich, Dict. of Antiq., under the word, Tessera, 3; Becker, Charicles, namely, i. note 17), which on being shown secures admission to the enjoyment of the heavenly manna; the Greek name, however, for this tessera, is not ψῆφος, but σύμβολον.
2. a vote (on account of the use of pebbles in voting): καταφέρω (which see), Acts 26:10.
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
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All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com
BLB Scripture Index of Thayer's
- Acts
-
26:10
- Revelation
-
2:17
