543. apeitheia

Lexicon

apeitheia: Disobedience, unbelief

Original Word: ἀπείθεια
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: apeitheia
Pronunciation: ah-PAY-thee-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-i'-thi-ah)
Definition: Disobedience, unbelief
Meaning: willful unbelief, obstinacy, disobedience.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

disobedience, unbelief.

From apeithes; disbelief (obstinate and rebellious) -- disobedience, unbelief.

see GREEK apeithes

HELPS Word-studies

543 apeítheia(from 1 /A "not" and 3982 /peíthō, "persuaded") – properly, someone not persuaded, referring to their willful unbelief, i.e. the refusal to be convinced by God's voice. This is the core-meaning of the entire word-family: 543 (apeítheia), 544 (apeithéō), 545 (apeithḗs). All these cognates focus on man's decision to reject God's offers of faith, i.e. refusal to be persuaded in their heart concerning obeying His will (Word).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from apeithés
Definition
disobedience
NASB Translation
disobedience (6).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 543: ἀπείθεια

ἀπείθεια (WH ἀπειθια, except in Heb. as below (see Iota)), ἀπειθας, ἡ (ἀπειθής), disobedience (Jerome,inobedientia), obstinacy, and in the N. T. particularly obstinate opposition to the divine will: Romans 11:30, 32; Hebrews 4:6, 11; υἱοί τῆς ἀπειθείας, those who are animated by this obstinacy (see υἱός, 2), used of the Gentiles: Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6 (R G L brackets). (Xenophon, mem. 3, 5, 5; Plutarch, others.)

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from ἀπειθής (apeithēs), meaning "disobedient," which comes from the negative particle ἀ- (a-, "not") and πείθω (peithō, "to persuade" or "to obey").

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The concept of ἀπείθεια in the Greek New Testament can be related to several Hebrew terms that convey disobedience or rebellion, such as מֶרִי (meri, Strong's Hebrew 4805) meaning "rebellion" or "stubbornness," and סָרַר (sarar, Strong's Hebrew 5637) meaning "to be stubborn" or "to rebel." These terms reflect a similar spiritual condition of resisting God's authority and commands.

Usage: The word ἀπείθεια is used in the New Testament to describe a condition of disbelief or rebellion against divine truth. It often characterizes those who resist the message of the Gospel or who are in a state of spiritual rebellion.

Context: ἀπείθεια is a significant term in the New Testament, capturing the essence of human resistance to God's revelation and authority. It is used to describe both a general state of unbelief and specific acts of disobedience. This term appears in several key passages, illustrating the spiritual condition of those who reject the Gospel.

In Romans 11:30-32, Paul discusses the mercy of God extended to both Jews and Gentiles, highlighting that disobedience (ἀπείθεια) is a common condition that God uses to demonstrate His mercy: "Just as you who formerly disobeyed God have now received mercy through their disobedience, so they too have now disobeyed, in order that they too may now receive mercy through the mercy shown to you. For God has consigned all men to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all."

Ephesians 2:2 describes the former state of believers as living in disobedience: "in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience."

The concept of ἀπείθεια is not merely passive unbelief but an active resistance to God's truth. It is often associated with the influence of spiritual forces opposed to God, as seen in Ephesians 5:6: "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience."

Theologically, ἀπείθεια underscores the need for divine intervention and grace, as human beings are naturally inclined to resist God's will. The New Testament presents faith and obedience as the antidotes to ἀπείθεια, emphasizing the transformative power of the Gospel to bring individuals from disobedience to faith.

Forms and Transliterations

απειθεία ἀπειθείᾳ απειθείαν απείθειαν ἀπείθειαν απειθείας ἀπειθείας απειθια ἀπειθίᾳ απειθιαν ἀπειθίαν απειθιας ἀπειθίας apeitheia apeitheíāi apeitheian apeítheian apeitheias apeitheías

Englishman's Concordance

Romans 11:30 N-DFS
GRK: τῇ τούτων ἀπειθείᾳ
NAS: have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,
KJV: obtained mercy through their unbelief:
INT: the of these disobedience

Romans 11:32 N-AFS
GRK: πάντας εἰς ἀπείθειαν ἵνα τοὺς
NAS: up all in disobedience so
KJV: in unbelief, that
INT: all in disobedience that

Ephesians 2:2 N-GFS
GRK: υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας
NAS: working in the sons of disobedience.
KJV: in the children of disobedience:
INT: sons of disobedience

Ephesians 5:6 N-GFS
GRK: υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας
NAS: comes upon the sons of disobedience.
KJV: upon the children of disobedience.
INT: sons of disobedience

Colossians 3:6 Noun-GFS
GRK: υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας
INT: sons disobedience

Hebrews 4:6 N-AFS
GRK: εἰσῆλθον δι' ἀπείθειαν
NAS: to enter because of disobedience,
KJV: in because of unbelief:
INT: did enter in on account of disobedience

Hebrews 4:11 N-GFS
GRK: πέσῃ τῆς ἀπειθείας
NAS: example of disobedience.
KJV: the same example of unbelief.
INT: might fall of disobedience

Strong's Greek 543
7 Occurrences

ἀπειθείᾳ — 1 Occ.
ἀπείθειαν — 2 Occ.
ἀπειθείας — 4 Occ.