3516. népios

Lexicon

népios: Infant, child, immature, simple-minded

Original Word: νήπιος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: népios
Pronunciation: NAY-pee-os
Phonetic Spelling: (nay'-pee-os)
Definition: Infant, child, immature, simple-minded
Meaning: unlearned, unenlightened; noun: an infant, child.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

an infant, child

From an obsolete particle ne- (implying negation) and epos; not speaking, i.e. An infant (minor); figuratively, a simple-minded person, an immature Christian -- babe, child (+ -ish).

see GREEK epos

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
an infant, fig. a simple-minded or immature person
NASB Translation
child (5), childish (1), children (2), immature (1), infant (1), infants (4).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3516: νήπιος

νήπιος, νήπια, νήπιον (from νή, an insep. neg. prefix (Latinnefas, nequam, nisi, etc. cf. Curtius, § 437), and ἔπος); as in Greek writers from Homer down,

a. an infant, little child: Matthew 21:16 (from Psalm 8:3); 1 Corinthians 13:11; the Sept. especially for עולֵל and עולָל.

b. a minor, not of age: Galatians 4:1 (cf. Lightfoot at the passage).

c. metaphorically, childish, untaught, unskilled (the Sept. for פְּתִי, Psalm 18:8 (); Psalm 118:130 (); Proverbs 1:32): Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21; Romans 2:20; Galatians 4:3; Ephesians 4:14; opposed to τέλειοι, the more advanced in understanding and knowledge, Hebrews 5:13f. (Philo de agric. § 2); νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ, in things pertaining to Christ, 1 Corinthians 3:1. In 1 Thessalonians 2:7 L WH (cf. the latter's note at the passage) have hastily received νήπιοι for the common reading ἤπιοι.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from a compound of the negative particle "νη-" (nē, meaning "not") and "ἔπος" (epos, meaning "word" or "speech"), indicating someone who is "without speech" or "not speaking."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The concept of infancy or immaturity in the Hebrew Bible is often conveyed through words like "יֶלֶד" (yeled, Strong's 3206) meaning "child" or "infant," and "עֹלֵל" (olel, Strong's 5768) meaning "infant" or "babe." These terms similarly denote youth and dependency, paralleling the Greek "νήπιος" in its literal sense.

Usage: In the New Testament, "νήπιος" is used both literally to describe young children and metaphorically to describe spiritual immaturity or lack of understanding. It appears in contexts that emphasize innocence, simplicity, or the need for growth and maturity.

Context: The Greek word "νήπιος" is used in several New Testament passages to convey the idea of infancy or immaturity. In a literal sense, it refers to young children, as seen in Matthew 11:25, where Jesus praises the Father for revealing truths to "little children" (νήπιοι) rather than the wise and learned. This usage highlights the theme of divine revelation to the humble and pure-hearted.

Metaphorically, "νήπιος" is employed to describe spiritual immaturity. In 1 Corinthians 3:1, Paul addresses the Corinthians as "infants in Christ" (νήπιοι ἐν Χριστῷ), indicating their need for growth in spiritual understanding and maturity. Similarly, in Ephesians 4:14, believers are warned against remaining as "infants" (νήπιοι), tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, emphasizing the importance of doctrinal stability and maturity.

The term also appears in Galatians 4:1-3, where Paul uses the analogy of an heir who is a child (νήπιος) to illustrate the condition of those under the law before the coming of Christ. Here, "νήπιος" signifies a state of dependency and lack of full rights, contrasting with the freedom and maturity found in Christ.

Overall, "νήπιος" serves as a powerful image in the New Testament, contrasting the innocence and openness of children with the need for growth and maturity in the spiritual life. It underscores the call for believers to move beyond spiritual infancy and develop a mature faith rooted in Christ.

Forms and Transliterations

νήπια νήπιά νηπιοι νήπιοι νηπιοις νηπίοις νήπιον νηπιος νηπίος νήπιος νήπιός νηπιότητος νηπιότητός νηπιου νηπίου νηπίους νηπιων νηπίων nepioi nēpioi nḗpioi nepiois nepíois nēpiois nēpíois nepion nepíon nēpiōn nēpíōn nepios nēpios nḗpios nḗpiós nepiou nepíou nēpiou nēpíou

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 11:25 Adj-DMP
GRK: ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις
NAS: and have revealed them to infants.
KJV: hast revealed them unto babes.
INT: did reveal them to little children

Matthew 21:16 Adj-GMP
GRK: Ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων
NAS: OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES
KJV: the mouth of babes and
INT: Out of [the] mouth of little children and infants

Luke 10:21 Adj-DMP
GRK: ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις ναί ὁ
NAS: and have revealed them to infants. Yes,
KJV: them unto babes: even so,
INT: did reveal them to little children yes

Romans 2:20 Adj-GMP
GRK: ἀφρόνων διδάσκαλον νηπίων ἔχοντα τὴν
NAS: a teacher of the immature, having
KJV: a teacher of babes, which hast
INT: of [the] foolish a teacher of infants having the

1 Corinthians 3:1 Adj-DMP
GRK: σαρκίνοις ὡς νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ
NAS: but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.
KJV: [even] as unto babes in
INT: to fleshly as to little children in Christ

1 Corinthians 13:11 Adj-NMS
GRK: ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος ἐλάλουν ὡς
NAS: When I was a child, I used to speak
KJV: When I was a child, I spake as
INT: When I was a child I spoke as

1 Corinthians 13:11 Adj-NMS
GRK: ἐλάλουν ὡς νήπιος ἐφρόνουν ὡς
NAS: like a child, think
KJV: I spake as a child, I understood as
INT: I spoke as a child I thought as

1 Corinthians 13:11 Adj-NMS
GRK: ἐφρόνουν ὡς νήπιος ἐλογιζόμην ὡς
NAS: think like a child, reason like
KJV: I understood as a child, I thought as
INT: I thought as a child I reasoned as

1 Corinthians 13:11 Adj-NMS
GRK: ἐλογιζόμην ὡς νήπιος ὅτε γέγονα
NAS: reason like a child; when I became
KJV: I thought as a child: but when
INT: I reasoned as a child but when I became

1 Corinthians 13:11 Adj-GMS
GRK: τὰ τοῦ νηπίου
NAS: I did away with childish things.
KJV: a man, I put away childish things.
INT: the things of the child

Galatians 4:1 Adj-NMS
GRK: ὁ κληρονόμος νήπιός ἐστιν οὐδὲν
NAS: as the heir is a child, he does not differ
KJV: he is a child, differeth
INT: the heir a child is nothing

Galatians 4:3 Adj-NMP
GRK: ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι ὑπὸ τὰ
NAS: we, while we were children, were held in bondage
KJV: when we were children, were in bondage
INT: when we were children under the

Ephesians 4:14 Adj-NMP
GRK: μηκέτι ὦμεν νήπιοι κλυδωνιζόμενοι καὶ
NAS: we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves
KJV: no more children, tossed to and fro,
INT: no longer we might be infants being tossed and

1 Thessalonians 2:7 Adj-NMP
GRK: ἀλλὰ ἐγενήθημεν νήπιοι ἐν μέσῳ
INT: but we were gentle in [the] midst

Hebrews 5:13 Adj-NMS
GRK: λόγου δικαιοσύνης νήπιος γάρ ἐστιν
NAS: of righteousness, for he is an infant.
KJV: for he is a babe.
INT: in [the] word of righteousness an infant indeed he is

Strong's Greek 3516
15 Occurrences

νηπίων — 2 Occ.
νήπιοι — 3 Occ.
νηπίοις — 3 Occ.
νήπιος — 6 Occ.
νηπίου — 1 Occ.