προσκόπτω

1 aorist προσεκοψα; to strike against (cf. πρός, IV. 4): absolutely of those who strike against a stone or other obstacle in the path, to stumble, Jn 11:9, Jn 11:10; πρός λίθον τόν πόδα, to strike the foot against a stone, i. e. (dropping the figure) to meet with some harm, Mt 4:6; Lk 4:11 (from Ps 90:12); to rush upon, beat against, οἱ ἄνεμοι τῇ οἰκία, Mt 7:27 (L marginal reading προσερρηξαν, see προσρήγνυμι). ἐν τίνι, to be made to stumble by a thing, i. e. metaphorically, to be induced to sin, Rom 14:21 (cf. Winers Grammar, 583 (542); Buttmann, § 151, 23 d.). Since we are angry with an obstacle in our path which we have struck and hurt our foot against, one is tropically said προσκόπτειν, to stumble at, a person or thing which highly displeases him; thus the Jews are said προσκόψαι τῷ λίθῳ τοῦ προσκόμματος, i. e. to have recoiled from Jesus as one who failed to meet their ideas of the Messiah (see πρόσκομμα), Rom 9:32; the enemies of Christianity are said προσκόμματος... τῷ λόγῳ, 1 Pet 2:8 (some (cf. R. V. marginal reading) take προσκόμματος here absolutely, and make τῷ λόγῳ depend on ἀπειθοῦντες, which see in a.). (Examples of this and other figurative uses of the word by Polybius, Diodorus, M. Antoninus are cited by Passow (Liddell and Scott), under the word and Fritzsche, Ep. ad Romans, ii., p. 362f.)