𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽

Forms

𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bidjan), a strong verb of class V with a j-present, irregular for that reason.^[1][2][3][4] Its principal parts are bidjan, 𐌱𐌰𐌸 (baþ), 𐌱𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽 (bēdun) and the past participle bidans.^[5][2] An infinitive without j, 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (bidan), occurs once, at 1 Corinthians 7:5.^[1][2] Lehmann reports Streitberg's view that the present forms without j arose by pressure of the system.^[6] The most frequent forms in the Wulfila project are bidja (31 times), baþ (19), and bidjan, bedun, bidjandans and bidjam (12 each).^[7]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *bidjaną (“to ask”),^[8][9] set up by Kroonen with e in the root, and shares this source with Old Norse biðja, Old English biddan, Old Frisian bidda, Old Saxon biddian and Old High German bitten.^[10][6][9] Its further origin is disputed.^[6][10] Lehmann thinks it most likely comes from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to bend, bow”), as Kern proposed, comparing a Sanskrit verb meaning "presses".^[6] Uhlenbeck, reporting Kern, points to Old Norse knébeð and Old Saxon kneobeda "kneeling, worship".^[11] Osthoff derived it instead from the root of 𐌱𐌴𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌽 (beidan, “to wait”), with the present vowel remodelled as in the verbs for "lie" and "sit", a view de Vries preferred and Orel follows.^[6][9] Kroonen rejects this analogy, because the merger of e and i it needs happened separately in East and West Germanic, and finds more attractive the link with Ancient Greek ποθέω (pothéō, “to long for”) and Old Irish guidid (“to pray”) from an o-grade formation of Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰedʰ-, which however depends on the disputed change of the aspirated labiovelar to Germanic b.^[10] Wiktionary gives this root as the source, and Lehmann notes that Seebold returned to this derivation.^[8][6]

Attestation

Köbler counts 134 records and the Wulfila project 143 tokens, in all four Gospels, in Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians (22 tokens in 2 Corinthians), Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy and the Skeireins.^[12][7] The manuscripts are CA (79 tokens), B (32), A (30), Car and E.^[7] In canonical order the first is the dative participle bidjandin at Matthew 5:42.^[7] In the Gospels and Epistles it renders above all Ancient Greek παρακαλέω (parakaléō) (36 times), Ancient Greek προσεύχομαι (proseúkhomai) (29), Ancient Greek αἰτέω (aitéō) (24) and Ancient Greek ἐρωτάω (erōtáō) (19).^[13] Matthew 5:42 reads þamma bidjandin þuk gibais, "give to the one who asks you".^[14]

Meanings

1. To ask, request, with the genitive of the thing asked for, for Ancient Greek αἰτέω (aitéō) and Ancient Greek ἐρωτάω (erōtáō).^[12][15][8]
2. To beseech, entreat, for Ancient Greek παρακαλέω (parakaléō).^[12][2]
3. To pray, for Ancient Greek προσεύχομαι (proseúkhomai) and Ancient Greek εὔχομαι (eúkhomai).^[1][12][6]
4. To beg, for Ancient Greek ἐπαιτέω (epaitéō).^[1][12]

Word family

• 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gabidjan, “to pray”)
• 𐌿𐍃𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (usbidjan, “to wish”)

Related words

• 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌰 (bida, “prayer”)
• 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍅𐌰 (bidagwa, “beggar”)

References

1. ^ a b c d Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. bidjan
2. ^ a b c d Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 48
3. ^ Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 272
4. ^ Lambdin, Thomas O. (2006), An Introduction to the Gothic Language, Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, p. 171
5. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. § 6.11
6. ^ a b c d e f g Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. bidjan
7. ^ a b c d De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be
8. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽
9. ^ a b c Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 45
10. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 57
11. ^ Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 26
12. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. bidjan
13. ^ Haug, Dag T. T. et al., PROIEL Treebank: The Gothic Bible (gothic-nt), 2023 release, Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European Languages, University of Oslo
14. ^ De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be, p. Mt 5:42
15. ^ Krause, Wolfgang (1963), Handbuch des Gotischen, 2nd ed., München: Beck, p. § 213, 2