Peradventure
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words [1]
primarily "quickly" (from tachus, "quick"), signifies "peradventure" in Romans 5:7; in Philemon 1:15 , "perhaps." See Perhaps.
often written as two words, usually signifies "lest ever, lest haply, haply;" in indirect questions, "if haply" or "whether haply," e.g., Luke 3:15 , RV; in Matthew 25:9 , RV, "peradventure" (AV, "lest"); "if peradventure," in 2—Timothy 2:25 . See Haply.
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words [2]
'Ûlay ( אֻלַי , Strong'S #194), “peradventure; perhaps; suppose; if; less.” The 43 occurrences of this word appear in every period of biblical Hebrew.
This word meaning “peradventure or perhaps” usually expresses a hope: “Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her” (Gen. 16:2—the first occurrence). Elsewhere 'ûlay expresses fear or doubt: “Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land; must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?” (Gen. 24:5).
If followed by another clause the word almost functions to introduce a protasis: “Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy …” (Gen. 18:24).
In Num. 22:33 the word has a different force: “And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.”
Webster's Dictionary [3]
(1): ( adv. & conj.) By chance; perhaps; it may be; if; supposing.
(2): ( n.) Chance; hap; hence, doubt; question; as, proved beyond peradventure.
King James Dictionary [4]
PERADVENT'URE, adv. L. venio, to come. By chance perhaps it may be.
It has been used as a noun for doubt or question, but rather improperly. The word is obsolescent and inelegant.
