ἐπισπάω, ἐπίσπω: from Aeschylus down; to draw on: μή ἐπισπάσθω, namely, ἀκροβυστίαν, let him not draw on his foreskin (Hesychius μή ἐπισπάσθω. Μή ἑλκυέτω τό δέρμα) (A. V. let him not become uncircumcised), 1Co_7:18. From the days of Antiochus Epiphanes () down (1Ma_1:15; Josephus, Antiquities 12, 5, 1), there had been Jews who, in order to conceal from heathen persecutors or scoffers the external sign of their nationality, sought artificially to compel nature to reproduce the prepuce, by extending or drawing forward with an iron instrument the remnant of it still left, so as to cover the glans. The rabbis called such persons ξΐωΡεΜλΔιν, from ξΘωΗΡκ to draw out, see Buxtorf, Lex. Talm., p. 1274 ((edited by Fischer ii., 645f). Cf. BB. DD. under the word , especially McClintock and Strong's Cyclopaedia, ibid. II. 2.) STRONGS NT 1986a: ἐπισπείρωἐπισπείρω: 1 aorist ἐπεσπειρα; to sow above or besides: Mat_13:25 L T Tr WH. (Herodotus, Theophrastus, (others).)

ἐπισπάομαι epispaomai 1x to draw upon or after; in NT mid. to obliterate circumcision by artificial extension of the foreskin, 1Co_7:18 ἐπισπείρω epispeirō 1x to sow in or among, Mat_13:25

ἐπι -σπάω , -ῶ , [in LXX : Isa_5:18 ( H4900 ), etc.;] to draw on: mid ., in peculiar sense of effacing signs of Judaism ( cf. 1Ma_1:15 , FlJ , Ant., xii, 5, i; v. Thayer , s.v. ), t o become as uncircumcised: 1Co_7:18 .†

ἐπισπάω (~ ἐπισπάομαι ) [page 245] For this strong verb cf. P Magd 24 .6 (B.C. 218) (as completed Archiv vi. p. 274) of an assault Ψενοβάστις τῆι αὐτῆι δεξιᾶι χειρὶ ἐπισπασαμένη τῆς ᾀ [ναβολῆς τοῦ ἱματίου . Cf. P Tebt I. 27 .4 (B.C. 113) περὶ τῶν ἐπισπασθησομ [ένων ] εἰς τὰς γενημ [α ]τοφυλακίας , concerning the persons to be made to undertake the custody of the crops (Edd.), so .13 , and Syll 929 .40 (ii/B.C.) where the mid. ἐπεσπάσαντο = brought in to help. In P Par 46 .10 (B.C. 153) (= Witkowski .2 , p. 86) ἀλλὰ σὲ αὐτὸν μάρτυρα ἐπισπάσ̣ω̣, the verb = to subpoena : cf. P Lond 1164 ( f ) .6 (A.D. 212) (= III. p. 161) μετὰ κυρίου οὗ ἑκοῦσ̣α ἐπεσπάσατο πρὸς μόνην ταύτην τὴν οἰκονομίαν κτλ . For the meaning persuade cf. OGIS 223 .18 (iii/B.C.) καὶ νῦν πολύ τι μᾶλλον ἐπεσπάσμεθα , κατανοοῦντες τὸ εὐγενὲς ὑμῶν . The compound προσεπισπάω occurs in P Tor I. 1 viii. 30 (B.C. 117) πολυπραγμόνως δὲ προσεπισπώμενον τὴν τῶι στρατηγῶι καθήκουσαν ἐξουσίαν , tum totis viribus distendens auctoritatem, quae Stratego competit (Ed.).

ἐπι-σπάω, -ῶ [in LXX: Isa.5:18 (מָשַׁךְ), etc. ;] to draw on: mid., in peculiar sense of effacing signs of Judaism (cf. 1Ma.1:15, FlJ, Ant., xii, 5, i; see Thayer, see word), to become as uncircumcised: 1Co.7:18.† (AS)