Plead
King James Dictionary [1]
Plead See Plea. In a general sense, to argue in support of a claim, or in defense against the claim of another.
1. In law, to present an answer to the declaration of a plaintiff to deny the plaintiff's declaration and demand, or to allege facts which show that he ought not to recover in the suit. The plaintiff declares or alleges the defendant pleads to his declaration. The king or the state prosecutes an offender, and the offender pleads not guilty, or confesses the charge. 2. To urge reasons for or against to attempt to persuade one by argument or supplication as, to plead for the life of a criminal to plead in his favor to plead with a judge or with a father.
O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbor! Job 16
3. To supplicate with earnestness. 4. To urge to press by operating on the passions.
Since you can love,and yet your error see,
The same resistless power may plead for me.
PLEAD, To discuss, defend and attempt to maintain by arguments or reasons offered to the tribunal or person who has the power of determining as, to plead a cause before a court or jury. In this sense, argue is more generally used by lawyers.
1. To allege or adduce in proof, support or vindication. The law of nations may be pleaded in favor of the rights of embassadors. 2. To offer in excuse.
I will neither plead my age nor sickness in excuse of faults.
3. To allege and offer in a legal plea or defense,or for repelling a demand in law as, to plead usury to plead a statute of limitations. 4. In Scripture, to plead the cause of the righteous, as God, is to avenge or vindicate them against enemies, or to redress their grievances. Isaiah 51
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words [2]
A. Verb.
Rı̂yb ( רוּב , Strong'S #7378), “to plead, strive, conduct a legal case, make a charge.” Found in both biblical and modern Hebrew, this term occurs as a verb some 70 times. It appears in the text for the first time in Gen. 26:20: “And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen.…” Such “striving” with words is found frequently in the biblical text (Gen. 31:36; Exod. 17:2). Sometimes contentious words lead to bodily struggle and injury: “And if men strive together, and one smite another …” (Exod. 21:18). The prophets use rı̂yb frequently to indicate that God has an indictment, a legal case, against Israel: “The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people” (Isa. 3:13). In one of his visions, Amos noted: “… the Lord God called to contend by fire …” (Amos 7:4, Kjv; Rsv “calling for a judgment”). Micah 6 is a classic example of such a legal case against Judah, calling on the people “to plead” their case (6:1) and progressively showing how only God has a valid case (6:8).
B. Noun.
Rı̂yb ( רִב , Strong'S #7379), “strife; dispute.” This word appears as a noun 60 times. The word appears twice in Mic. 6:2: “Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord’s controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.”
Webster's Dictionary [3]
(1): ( v. t.) To discuss, defend, and attempt to maintain by arguments or reasons presented to a tribunal or person having uthority to determine; to argue at the bar; as, to plead a cause before a court or jury.
(2): ( v. t.) To argue in support of a claim, or in defense against the claim of another; to urge reasons for or against a thing; to attempt to persuade one by argument or supplication; to speak by way of persuasion; as, to plead for the life of a criminal; to plead with a judge or with a father.
(3): ( v. t.) To present an answer, by allegation of fact, to the declaration of a plaintiff; to deny the plaintiff's declaration and demand, or to allege facts which show that ought not to recover in the suit; in a less strict sense, to make an allegation of fact in a cause; to carry on the allegations of the respective parties in a cause; to carry on a suit or plea.
(4): ( v. t.) To contend; to struggle.
(5): ( v. t.) To allege or adduce in proof, support, or vendication; to offer in excuse; as, the law of nations may be pleaded in favor of the rights of ambassadors.
(6): of Plead
(7): ( v. t.) To allege or cite in a legal plea or defense, or for repelling a demand in law; to answer to an indictment; as, to plead usury; to plead statute of limitations; to plead not guilty.
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words [4]
"to make petition," is used of the "pleading" of Elijah against Israel, Romans 11:2 , RV, "pleadeth with" (AV, "maketh intercession to"). See Deal With , Intercessions.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible [5]
PLEAD . In AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ‘plead’ always means to ‘argue for or against a cause’ as in a court of justice, never to ‘pray’ or ‘beseech.’ The substantive ‘pleading’ is used in the same sense in Job 13:8 ‘Hearken to the pleadings of my lips.’
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [6]
pled : In modern non-legal English is a synonym of "pray" or "beseech," but in legal phraseology "plea," "plead," and "pleading" have a great variety of technical meanings, with "present a case before the court" as the idea common to all. All the uses of "plead" in English Versions of the Bible are connected with this legal sense, so that outside of the set phrase "plead a cause" ( 1 Samuel 24:15 , etc.) there is hardly a use of the word in the King James Version, the English Revised Version, or the American Standard Revised Version that is clear modern English The most obscure instances are due to The King James Version's employment of "plead" to translate the niphal of שׁפט , shāphaṭ . Shāphaṭ means "judge," so its niphal means "bring oneself into a case to be judged," "enter into controversy with," and so "plead" in the legal sense. Hence, "None pleadeth in truth" ( Isaiah 59:4 ) means "none of their lawsuits are honest." Accordingly, when God is said to "plead with" man ( Isaiah 66:16 the King James Version, the English Revised Version, etc.), the meaning is that God states His side of the case and not at all that He supplicates man to repent. And this statement by God is a judicial act that of course admits of no reply. Hence, the Revised Version (British and American) has changed "plead with" into "enter into judgment with" in Jeremiah 2:35 , and the American Standard Revised Version has carried this change into all the other passages ( Jeremiah 25:31; Ezekiel 17:20; Ezekiel 20:35 , Ezekiel 20:36; Ezekiel 38:22 ), with "execute judgment" in Isaiah 66:16; Joel 3:2 . The same verb form occurs also in Isaiah 43:26 : "Let us plead together," where "Let us present our arguments on both sides" would be a fair paraphrase. Otherwise "plead" usually represents ריב , rı̄bh , for which the Revised Version (British and American) gives "strive" in place of "plead" in Psalm 35:1 , and "contend" in Job 13:19; Job 23:6 (the American Standard Revised Version also in Judges 6:31 , Judges 6:32; Isaiah 3:13; Jeremiah 2:9; Jeremiah 12:1; Hosea 2:2 , retaining "plead" only in Isaiah 1:17 and in the phrase "plead a cause"). יכח , yākhaḥ , is rendered "plead" in Job 19:5 ("plead against me my reproach," where the meaning is "convict me of"), in Micah 6:2 the King James Version and the English Revised Version (the American Standard Revised Version "contend"), and Job 16:21 the King James Version (the Revised Version (British and American) "maintain the right"). "Plead" is used also for דּין , dı̄n , in Jeremiah 30:13 and Proverbs 31:9 the King James Version (the Revised Version (British and American) "minister justice to"), and Jeremiah 5:28 the Revised Version (British and American) (the King James Version "judge"; compare Jeremiah 22:16 , the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) "judge"). the Revised Version (British and American) would have done vastly better if the use of "plead" had been avoided altogether.
Pleadings (i.e. "arguments") occurs in Job 13:6 (for rı̄bh ), and "plea" ( dı̄n , in a specific legal sense) in Deuteronomy 17:8 . the King James Version uses "implead" in Acts 19:38 for ἐγκαλέω , egkaléō , the Revised Version (British and American) "accuse," literally, "call into court"; compare also "pleaded the cause" in 2 Macc 4:44 (literally, "argued the case") and 4:47, the Revised Version (British and American) "pleaded" (literally, "spoken," the King James Version "told their cause").
