Lexical Summary hupokrités: Hypocrite Original Word: ὑποκριτής Strong's Exhaustive Concordance hypocrite. From hupokrinomai; an actor under an assumed character (stage-player), i.e. (figuratively) a dissembler ("hypocrite" -- hypocrite. see GREEK hupokrinomai HELPS Word-studies 5273 hypokritḗs (a masculine noun derived from 5259 /hypó, "under" and 2919 /krínō, "judge") – properly, a judging under, like a performer acting under a mask (i.e. a theater-actor); (figuratively) a two-faced person; a "hypocrite," whose profession does not match their practice – i.e. someone who "says one thing but does another." [5273 (hypokritḗs) was commonly used of actors on the Greek stage. When applied in the NT, it refers to a hypocrite. "Christianity requires that believers should be open and above-board. They should be themselves. Their lives should be like an open book, easily read" (K. Wuest, Word Studies, Vol 2, Pastoral Epistles, 1 Peter, 50,51).] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom hupokrinomai Definition one who answers, an actor, a hypocrite NASB Translation hypocrite (2), hypocrites (16). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5273: ὑποκριτήςὑποκριτής, ὑποκριτου, ὁ (ὑποκρίνομαι, which see); 1. one who answers, an interpreter (Plato, Lucian). 2. an actor, stage-player (Aristophanes, Xenophon, Plato, Aelian, Herodian). 3. in Biblical Greek, a dissembler, pretender, hypocrite: Matthew 6:2, 5, 16; Matthew 7:5; Matthew 15:7; Matthew 16:3 Rec.; In classical usage the term described an actor who performed behind a mask. By the first century the idea of public performance had been transferred to the moral realm, denoting a person who feigns virtue. The synagogue and temple system of Second Temple Judaism provided ample opportunity for such religious showmanship—public almsgiving, ostentatious prayer, and ritual exactitude—so the word supplied Jesus with a ready-made category for spiritual pretenders. Representative New Testament Passages • Matthew 6:2 – “So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men.” All eighteen occurrences appear in the Synoptic Gospels; sixteen fall from the lips of Jesus, one from His forerunner John as quoted by Mark 7:6, and one from Jesus in a parable describing judgment (Matthew 24:51). The concentration underlines the theme that hypocrisy is above all a sin unmasked by the Incarnate Word. Jesus' Polemic Against Religious Pretense 1. Private piety paraded in public (Matthew 6:2, 6:5, 6:16). In every instance the hypocrite appears religiously active yet spiritually bankrupt. Jesus exposes the heart–appearance dichotomy and calls for integrity: the inside must match the outside. Old Testament Echoes Isaiah condemned ritualism devoid of covenant loyalty (Isaiah 1:11–17; 29:13), a chapter Jesus cites directly in Mark 7:6. The prophetic tradition thus supplies the moral backdrop: right worship demands a right heart. Spiritual Diagnostics Signs that hypocrisy is taking root: Consequences of Hypocrisy • Loss of heavenly reward (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16). Pastoral and Discipleship Applications • Cultivate secrecy in giving, praying, and fasting to train the heart away from performance. Eschatological Dimension Jesus links hypocrisy with final separation. The mask eventually falls, and the actor faces the Judge. Authentic discipleship, by contrast, involves a life openly exposed to the searching light of the Word and Spirit now, so there will be no shame at His appearing. Summary Strong’s Greek 5273 identifies a character fault that the Gospels spotlight with unwavering severity. Hypocrisy opposes the very nature of the gospel, which reconciles inner faith and outward obedience through the grace of Christ. The church therefore heeds every “Woe” as a loving warning, seeking a sincerity of heart that reflects the holiness of God before a watching world. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 6:2 N-NMPGRK: ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ ποιοῦσιν ἐν NAS: before you, as the hypocrites do KJV: thee, as the hypocrites do in INT: as the hypocrites do in Matthew 6:5 N-NMP Matthew 6:16 N-NMP Matthew 7:5 N-VMS Matthew 15:7 N-VMP Matthew 22:18 N-VMP Matthew 23:13 N-VMP Matthew 23:14 Noun-VMP Matthew 23:15 N-VMP Matthew 23:23 N-VMP Matthew 23:25 N-VMP Matthew 23:27 N-VMP Matthew 23:29 N-VMP Matthew 24:51 N-GMP Mark 7:6 N-GMP Luke 6:42 N-VMS Luke 12:56 N-VMP Luke 13:15 N-VMP Strong's Greek 5273 |
    |