Bible Dictionary
STIR, STIR UP
To stir or stir up means to awaken, trouble, excite, move, or urge into action. The New Testament uses the expression both for reviving spiritual zeal and for provoking confusion or hostility.
Definition
To stir or stir up is to produce concentrated movement, awakening, excitement, disturbance, urging, or agitation. The term can describe inner emotion, the rekindling of a flame, awakening from sleep, confusion, urging someone onward, or shaking something to and fro.
Biblical Usage
Scripture uses the expression for troubled or excited feeling, awakening, rekindling spiritual remembrance, confusion and tumult, urging others, and shaking them into movement. Its meaning depends on the Hebrew or Greek verb translated by the English expression.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>stur: Used transitively and intransitively to indicate inner, concentrated movement; translates a number of Hebrew and Greek verbs, each of which has its different shade of meaning. Thus, e.g. in Ps 39:2, we have `akhar, "to be troubled," "excited"; in So 2:7, `ur, "to awake," "disturb" (by the festal dances and songs). In 2Ti 1:6, it stands for Greek anazopureo, used of the resuscitation of a flame; in 2Pe 1:13; 3:1, Greek diegeiro, "to awaken from sleep or stupor"; in Ac 21:27, Greek sugcheo, "to commingle," vividly portraying the confusion and tumult that resulted; in Ac 13:50, Greek parotruno, "to urge on"; Ac 17:13, Greek saleuo, "to shake to and fro."</p>