Original Word: ἐπερώτημα
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: eperótéma
Pronunciation: ep-er-o'-tay-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-er-o'-tay-mah)
KJV: answer
NASB: appeal
Word Origin: [from G1905 (ἐπερωτάω - questioned)]

1. an inquiry

an inquiry

From eperotao; an inquiry -- answer.

see GREEK eperotao

Cognate: 1906 eperṓtēma – a response to an inquiry. See 1905 (eperōtaō).

Word Origin
from eperótaó
Definition
an inquiry, a demand
NASB Translation
appeal (1).

STRONGS NT 1906: ἐπερώτημα

ἐπερώτημα, ἐπερωτεματος, τό (ἐπερωτάω);

1. an inquiry, a question: Herodotus 6,67; Thucydides 3, 53. 68.

2. a demand; so for the Chaldean שְׁאֵלָא in Daniel 4:14 Theod.; see ἐπερωτάω, 2.

3. As the terms of inquiry and demand often include the idea of desire, the word thus gets the signification of earnest seeking, i. e. a craving, an intense desire (so ἐπερωτᾶν εἰς τί, to long for something, 2 Samuel 11:7 — (but surely the phrase here (like לְ שָׁאַל) means simply to ask in reference to, ask about)). If this use of the word is conceded, it affords us the easiest and most congruous explanation of that vexed passage 1 Peter 3:21: "which (baptism) now saves us (you) not because in receiving it we (ye) have put away the filth of the flesh, but because we (ye) have earnestly sought a conscience reconciled to God" (συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς genitive of the object, as opposed to σαρκός ῤύπου). It is doubtful, indeed, whether εἰς Θεόν is to be joined with ἐπερώτημα, and signifies a craving directed unto God (Winer's Grammar, 194 (182) — yet less fully and decidedly than in edition 5, p. 216f), or with συνείδησις, and denotes the attitude of the conscience toward (in relation to) God; the latter construction is favored by a comparison of Acts 24:16 ἀπρόσκοπον συνείδησιν ἔχειν πρός τόν Θεόν. The signification of ἐπερώτημα which is approved by others, viz. stipulation, agreement, is first met with in the Byzantine writers on law: "moreover, the formula κατά τό ἐπερώτημα τῆς σεμνοτάτης βουλῆς, common in inscriptions of the age of the Antonines and the following Caesars, exhibits no new sense of the word ἐπερώτημα; for this formula does not mean 'according to the decree of the senate' (exsenatusconsulto, the Greek for which is κατά τά δόξαντα τῇ βουλή), but 'after inquiry of or application to the senate,' i. e. 'with government sanction.'" Zezschwitz, Petri quoted in de Christi ad inferos descensu sententia (Lipsius 1857), p. 45; (Farrar, Early Days of Christianity, i. 138 n.; Kähler, Des Gewissen, i. 1 (Halle 1878), pp. 331-338. Others would adhere to the (more analogical) passive sense of ἐπερώτημα, viz. 'the thing asked (the demand) of a good conscience toward God' equivalent to the avowal of consecration unto him).

Scriptural setting

The single appearance of ἐπερώτημα in the Greek New Testament is found in 1 Peter 3:21. In the Berean Standard Bible the term is rendered “pledge,” capturing the apostle’s description of baptism as “the pledge of a clear conscience toward God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” By situating the word between Noah’s deliverance through water (1 Peter 3:20) and the exaltation of Christ (1 Peter 3:22), Peter frames Christian baptism as the God-ordained intersection of salvation history, personal faith, and eschatological hope.

Relation to baptism

Because ἐπερώτημα occurs in a verse explicitly about baptism, the term has been central to doctrinal discussion regarding what baptism accomplishes. Three primary emphases emerge:

1. Covenant declaration. In first-century legal contexts a pledge could function as a formal response indicating agreement. Peter thus presents baptism as the believer’s public declaration that he or she is entering the New Covenant inaugurated by Christ’s blood (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:15).

2. Appeal for divine vindication. The underlying idea of “asking” or “inquiring” highlights baptism as an appeal to God for cleansing, much as David cried, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). The rite therefore expresses dependence, not meritorious achievement.

3. Resurrection union. Peter roots the efficacy of baptism “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The pledge stands only because Christ’s finished work has secured objective righteousness (Romans 4:25; Colossians 2:12). Baptism unites the believer with that triumph.

Conscience and covenant language

Peter pairs ἐπερώτημα with “a clear conscience.” In Scripture the conscience bears witness to one’s standing before God (Acts 24:16; 1 Timothy 1:5). Baptism, then, is not merely ceremonial but moral and spiritual, testifying that sin has been judged at the cross (Romans 8:1). The terminology mirrors Old Testament covenant ratifications where verbal assent sealed relational commitments (Exodus 24:7; Joshua 24:24). Baptism supplies the new-covenant counterpart—a Spirit-enabled pledge issuing from a heart sprinkled clean (Hebrews 10:22).

Historical usage in the early church

Early Christian writers drew on 1 Peter 3:21 to defend the necessity of faith alongside the outward act.
• Justin Martyr described baptism as “illumination,” a moment when candidates “pledge themselves to live” according to Christ’s commands (First Apology 61).
• Tertullian argued that in baptism believers “interrogate” God for salvation, while God interrogates and absolves the conscience (On Baptism 7).
• The Apostolic Tradition records a threefold renunciation of Satan followed by a profession of faith—an embodied ἐπερώτημα.

These witnesses show that the church understood baptism as dialogic: the baptizand addresses God, and God responds with covenantal grace.

Doctrinal implications

1. Regeneration and faith. Because Peter links baptism with an inward pledge, the verse safeguards against viewing the rite as an automatic conveyor of grace apart from personal repentance and trust (Ephesians 2:8-9).
2. Assurance. A clear conscience obtained at baptism offers ongoing pastoral assurance. When believers are accused, they may point to the objective moment when they publicly aligned with Christ’s resurrection victory (Romans 6:3-5).
3. Eschatology. The pledge anticipates final vindication; the conscience that has been washed now awaits glorification when Christ appears (1 Peter 1:7; Philippians 1:6).

Ministry applications

• Catechesis. In preparing candidates for baptism, churches should emphasize that the act is both an appeal to God for mercy and a vow of allegiance to Christ’s lordship.
• Pastoral care. When counseling believers burdened by guilt, reference to their baptismal pledge can reorient them to the sufficiency of Christ’s resurrection.
• Corporate worship. Liturgical renewal can incorporate congregational affirmations echoing Peter’s language, uniting the assembly in the shared confession that began at the waters of baptism.

Pastoral reflections

The lone New Testament appearance of ἐπερώτημα is a reminder that God often invests singular words with immense theological weight. In one verse Peter gathers the flood narrative, baptismal practice, conscience theology, and the resurrection of Christ into a unified testimony of salvation. For every generation the church is called to hold these strands together, ensuring that baptism remains neither an empty ritual nor a self-generated work, but the Spirit-empowered pledge of a heart already made alive by the risen Lord.

επερωτημα επερώτημα ἐπερώτημα επερώτησιν επέτειον επευκτή επεύχεσθαι eperotema eperōtēma eperṓtema eperṓtēmaInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts