εὐκαιρίαν ζητεῖν ἵνα

εὐκαιρ-ία, [dialect] Ion. - ιη, ἡ,

A good season, opportunity,

τὴν εὐ. διαφυλάττειν Isoc.12.34

; ἀπολαύειν τῆς εὐ. Phld.D.3Fr.89; εὐκαιρίαν ζητεῖν ἵνα .. Ev.Matt.26.16; εὐ. τοῦ ἐλθεῖν PMich. in Class.Phil.22.250 (ii A.D.); leisure, Hp.Ep.17,23;

κατὰ πολλὴν εὐ. καὶ σχολήν D.H. Comp.23

—a usage condemned by Phot. and Suid.s.v. σχολή.

II appropriateness, opp. ἀκαιρία, Pl.Phdr. 272a; μεταφορᾶς, στίχων, Plu.2.16b,736f.

2 convenient situation,

τῶν πόλεων Plb.16.29.3

, cf.4.44.11, Ph.1.4.

3 opportune supply, ὑδάτων, of rainfall or irrigation, Thphr.CP3.23.4 (pl.), D.S.1.52.

III wealth, prosperity, αἱ τῶν βίων εὐ. Plb.1.59.7, cf.13.9.2 (cj.), etc.; εὐ. οὐκ ἔχει he has no property, BGU 665ii4 (i A.D.).

ζητέω impf. ἐζήτουν; fut. ζητήσω; 1 aor. ἐζήτησα. Pass.: impf. sg. ἐζητεῖτο Hb 8:7; 1 fut. ζητηθήσομαι; aor. ἐζητήθην (LXX; AcPlCor 2:8; 1) (s. two next entries; Hom.+).

① try to find someth., seek, look for in order to find (s. εὑρίσκω 1a)

ⓐ what one possessed and has lost, w. acc. τινά Mt 28:5; Mk 1:37; Lk 2:48f; J 6:24, 26; 7:34, 36. τί Mt 18:12; Lk 19:10; AcPlCor 2:8 (ParJer 5:12). Abs. Lk 15:8.

ⓑ what one desires somehow to bring into relation w. oneself or to obtain without knowing where it is to be found τινά 2 Ti 1:17; J 18:4, 7f; Ac 10:19, 21. ζητεῖν τ. θεόν, εἰ ἄρα γε αὐτὸν εὕροιεν search for God, in the hope that they may find him 17:27 (cp. Wsd 1:1; 13:6; Philo, Spec. Leg. 1, 36; Tat. 13, 2); Ro 10:20 (Is 65:1). τί Mt 2:13; 12:43; 13:45 (in the special sense seek to buy as X., Cyr. 2, 2, 26; Theophr., Char. 23, 8 ἱματισμὸν ζητῆσαι εἰς δύο τάλαντα); Lk 11:24. τὶ ἔν τινι someth. on someth. fruit on a tree 13:6f. Abs. Mt 7:7f; Lk 11:9f (ζήτει καὶ εὑρήσεις Epict. 4, 1, 51).

ⓒ be on the search for look for, search out τινά someone Mk 3:32; Ac 9:11; IPol 4:2. For the purpose of arrest, pass. GPt 7:26; MPol 3:2.

② to seek information, investigate, examine, consider, deliberate (X., Cyr. 8, 5, 13; Lucian, Hermot. 66; Aelian, VH 2, 13; 4 Macc 1:13; Just., D. 28, 1 τὸ ζητούμενον ‘question, problem’; cp. דרשׁ in post-bibl. Hebr. and Aram.: Dalman, Aram.-neuhebr. Handwörterbuch² 1922; HStrack, Einleitg. in Talmud u. Midraš⁵ 1921, 4) παραλόγως ζ. engage in irrational investigations Dg 11:1. ἐν ἑαυτῷ ζ. περί τινος ponder someth. Hs 2:1. περὶ τούτου ζητεῖτε μετʼ ἀλλήλων ὅτι; are you deliberating with each other on the fact that? J 16:19 (Just., D. 19, 1 al.). W. indir. discourse foll. consider (Diod S 1, 51, 6 πόσαι …; Tat. 26, 1 τίς ὁ θεός; 29, 1 ὅτῳ τρόπῳ) πῶς Mk 11:18; 14:1, 11. τί Lk 12:29. τὸ πῶς 22:2. εἰ B 11:1.—As legal t.t. investigate (Dinarchus 1, 8; POxy 237 VI, 41; 726, 16; O. Theb 134, 4; EBickermann, RHR 112, ’35, 214f) ἔστιν ὁ ζητῶν κ. κρίνων there is one who investigates and judges J 8:50b (cp. Philo, De Jos. 174). J 11:56 may also have this technical sense.

③ to devote serious effort to realize one’s desire or objective, strive for, aim (at), try to obtain, desire, wish (for)

ⓐ desire to possess τὶ someth. (Lucian, Hermot. 66 τ. εὐδαιμονίαν; Just., D. 102, 6 σωτηρίαν καὶ βοήθειαν) τ. βασιλείαν Mt 6:33; Lk 12:31. εὐκαιρίαν Mt 26:16; Lk 22:6. ψευδομαρτυρίαν Mt 26:59; cp. Mk 14:55. τὴν δόξαν J 5:44; 7:18; 8:50a. τιμὴν κ. ἀφθαρσίαν Ro 2:7; cp. 1 Cor 7:27b; 2 Cor 12:14; Col 3:1; 1 Pt 3:11 (Ps 33:15).

ⓑ wish for, aim at τὶ someth. τὸν θάνατον Rv 9:6. λύσιν 1 Cor 7:27a. τὸ θέλημά τινος be intent on someone’s will=aim to satisfy it J 5:30. τὸ σύμφορόν τινος someone’s benefit (Hermogenes 283 p. 301, 11 R. v.l. ἐμοῦ … οὐ τὸ Φιλίππου συμφέρον ζητοῦντος [a citation of Dem. 18, 30, which reads Φιλίππῳ]) 1 Cor 10:33; τὰ (τὸ) ἑαυτοῦ ζητεῖν strive for one’s own advantage 10:24; 13:5; Phil 2:21.

ⓒ w. interrog. pron. τί ζητεῖτε; (cp. Gen 37:15) what do you want? J 1:38; cp. 4:27 (JFoster, ET 52, ’40/41, 37f).

ⓓ w. inf. foll. (Hdt. 3, 137) mostly aor. (Plut., Thes. 35, 6; SIG 372, 7; Wsd 8:2; Sir 7:6; 27:1; Tob 5:14 BA; TestSol 15:7; Jos., Ant. 11, 174; 13, 7) Mt 12:46; 21:46; Mk 12:12; Lk 5:18; 9:9; 11:54 v.l.; 17:33; J 5:18; 7:1; Ac 13:7 D, 8; 16:10 (cp. 3 Km 11:22); Ro 10:3; Gal 2:17. Rarely the pres. inf. (X., An. 5, 4, 33; Esth 8:12c) Lk 6:19; Gal 1:10 (ζ. ἀρέσκειν as Ael. Aristid. 34, 39 K.=50 p. 560 D.)—ἵνα for the inf. 1 Cor 14:12.

ⓔ OT lang. apparently is reflected in ζ. τὴν ψυχήν τινος seek the life of someone Mt 2:20 (cp. Ex 4:19); Ro 11:3 (3 Km 19:10); cp. also 3 Km 19:14; Sir 51:3; Ps 34:4; 37:13; 39:15; 53:5; 62:10; 85:14.

④ ask for, request, demand τὶ someth. σημεῖον Mk 8:12. σοφίαν 1 Cor 1:22. δοκιμήν 2 Cor 13:3. τινά J 4:23. τὶ παρά τινος demand someth. fr. someone (Demosth. 4, 33; Sir 7:4; 28:3; 1 Esdr 8:50; Tob 4:18) Mk 8:11; Lk 11:16; 12:48. Also τὶ ἀπό τινος B 21:6. ζητεῖται ἐν τ. οἰκονόμοις ἵνα it is required of managers that 1 Cor 4:2 (AFridrichsen, ConNeot 7, ’42, 5).—B. 655; 764. DELG. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.

εὐκαιρία, ας, ἡ (s. prec. and two next entries) favorable opportunity, the right moment (so since Pla., Phdr. 272a, also BGU 665 II, 4 [I A.D.] al.; TestJos 7:3 and s. Ps 144:15; 1 Macc 11:42) ζητεῖν εὐκαιρίαν watch for a favorable opportunity (Jos., Ant. 20, 76) w. ἵνα foll. Mt 26:16. Foll. by gen. of the inf. w. the art. (cp. BGU 46, 18 [193 A.D.] ἐὰν εὐκαιρίας τύχω τοῦ εὑρεῖν) Lk 22:6. S. B-D-F §400, 1; Mlt. 216–18; Mlt-H. 448–50.—M-M. TW. Spicq.