[B-Greek] ANUPOKRITOS in Wisdom 18:15

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Mon Jun 16 10:40:43 EDT 2008


On Jun 16, 2008, at 9:14 AM, Beata Urbanek wrote:

> Dear list members,
>
> I read in dictionaries that ANUPOKRITOS means "without  
> hipocrisy,sincere, genuine, undisguised". It seems to be its meaning  
> in NT, when e.g. Paul talks about genuine love or faith (Rom 12:9; 2  
> Cor 6:6; 1 Tim 1:5). But in Polish translations, in one commentary  
> written in English I find the translation "irrevocable".
> The text of Wisdom 18:15 is:
>
> hO PANTODUNAMOS SOU LOGOS AP OURANWN EK QRONWN BASILEIWN APOTOMOS  
> POLEMISTHS EIS MESON THS OLEQRIAS hHLATO GHS XIFOS OXU THN  
> ANUPOKRITON EPITAGHN SOU FERWN
>
> My first question is: is that translation as irrevocable correct?

I don't think so; the sense in Wisdom 18:15 seems to me to be rather  
"authentic" or "unambiguous."

> 2. Since the other occurence of the word in LXX is in Wisdom 5:18,  
> where it desrcibes KRISIS I wonder if it could mean something closer  
> to "authentic, solid, just". Am I right?

I think so; certainly those are closer to it.

> Any help appreciated.

It's an interesting word, derived from the older Attic verb  
hUPOKRINOMAI, "answer, respond" which was later supplanted by  
APORKRINOMAI. The agent noun hUPOKRITHS ("responder") was the term  
used for an actor in a drama. hUPOKRISIS means "responding" -- or  
"acting out a part" or "role-playing."
ANUPOKRITOS means "without role-playing" -- i.e. "honest," "sincere."

Here's the BDAG entry:

ἀνυπόκριτος, ον [ANUPOKRITOS, ON] (s.  
ὑποκρίτης [hUPOKRITHS]; schol. on Aristoph., Av. 798;  
Iambl., Vi. Pyth. §69, 188 αἰδώς [AIDWS]; Ps.-Demetr., De Eloc.  
194; Wsd 5:18; 18:15) pert. to being without pretense, genuine,  
sincere, lit. ‘without play-acting’ ἀγάπη [AGAPH] (ApcSed  
1:4) Ro 12:9; 2 Cor 6:6. φιλαδελφία [FILADELFIA] 1 Pt 1:22.  
πίστις [PISTIS] 1 Ti 1:5; 2 Ti 1:5. σοφία [SOFIA] Js 3:17. 
—DELG s.v. κρίνω. M-M. TW. Spicq.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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