"Scoffer" Greek Word Study

[2970] καταφρονητής kataphronētēs 1× despiser, scorner, Acts 13:41* [2707] [ Goodrick-Kohlenberger number ] Goodrick-Kohlenberger number × the number of times it occurs in the New Testament * all occurrences of the word in the NT [ corresponding Strong’s number ] corresponding Strong’s number William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 1186. καταφρονέω, καταφρονητής kataphroneō, to scorn, disdain; kataphronētēs, scoffer →see also περιφρονέω kataphroneō, S 2706; TDNT 3.631–632; EDNT 2.270; NIDNTT 1.461–462; MM 334–335; L&N 88.192; BAGD 420 | kataphronētēs, S 2707; TDNT 3.632; EDNT 2.270; NIDNTT 1.461–462; MM 335; The verb, meaning “scorn, disdain,” connotes a lack of respect or consideration when its object is a person: “Who then would take the risk if he had to see himself surrounded with scorn rather than honor?” (anti tou timasthai kataphronēthēsomenos, Isocrates, Archid. 6.95); “to avoid being scorned and merit public esteem” (mē kataphronēsesthai, all’ eudokimēsein en tois pollois).1 This disdain or irreverence become impiety when directed toward the deity;2 the kataphronountes (Hebrew bāgaḏ) are the ungodly and traitors (Prov 13:15; Hos 6:7). It is in this sense that the Jew takes no account of the treasures of divine goodness which ought to move him to repent: “Have you nothing but scorn for the riches of God’s kindness, patience, longsuffering?” (Rom 2:4); likewise: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will cleave to (anthexetai) the one and pay no attention to the other (tou heterou kataphronēsei). You cannot serve God and Mammon.”3 To give all one’s attention   V 2, p 281  and zeal to one kyrios implies absolute lack of interest toward another master. In the category of the unjust, the most guilty are sensualists, the insolent, and blasphemers, “those who follow the flesh, by covetousness of that which defiles, and scorn lordship” (kyriotētos kataphronountas, 2 Pet 2:11). For the slaves of carnal passions, it is no longer wealth that is sovereign but the sarx (flesh); this being so, they have no use for and thus reject or annul (Jude 8), deny (2 Pet 2:1; Titus 1:16) the yoke of Christ the Lord, his supreme authority, his teachings, his will, and his control. One scorns “the king’s decrees” (4 Macc 4:26, ta dogmata; Dittenberger, Syl. 705, 36; Josephus, Ant. 2.207, a prostagma; 6.331; 10.257; 12.207). Disdain here is refusal and disobedience (Ant. 6.142, 147; 11.130); a common meaning of kataphroneō: “Some are capable of disdaining perversity and cupidity; others are not” (Xenophon, Cyn. 13.16); commonly in Philo.4 In 2 Pet 2:10, not only do those referred to snap their fingers at a prohibition,5 but they treat lightly the kyriotēs (lordship) of Christ; this is an insult,6 a well   V 2, p 282  attested meaning of the verb: “He insults me, Thebes” (kataphronei me, Euripides, Bacch. 503). Heb 12:2 exhorts Christians to behold Jesus, who endured the ignominy of the cross,7 “despising the shame” (aischynēs kataphronēsas). The emphasis is not on suffering, but on the humiliation of this punishment, which was reserved for slaves and criminals (cf. oneidismos, 10:33; 11:26; 13:13). It is also an allusion to the mockery, the ridicule, and the insults to which the saint par excellence was subjected by “sinners.” Nothing could be more abject! Precisely: to “scorn”8 is to “laugh at,”9 “mock” (Josephus, Life 337, 347). The meaning “humiliate, shame” is found in 1 Cor 11:22, with regard to participation in the Lord’s Supper, when some have plenty to eat and others have nothing: “Do you scorn the church of God (tēs ekklēsias tou theou kataphroneite) and do you wish to shame (kataischynete) those who have nothing?”10 One cannot take part lightly in a sacred ceremony (Philo, Moses 1.102; Decalogue 85), because that would be to profane it, commit an impiety, and incur mortal punishment.11 “Take care not to scorn one of the least of these little ones (mē kataphronēsēte henos tōn mikrōn toutōn), because their angels in heaven constantly behold the face of my heavenly Father” (Matt 18:10). Scorn is the clear opposite of respect, here powerfully motivated. Not only in judgment but also in conduct it is necessary to take account of these little ones who are so honored by God. These mikroi are not young children (nēpioi)   V 2, p 283  but insignificant, negligible Christians12 who are not ordinarily taken into account. In this category we may include the poor,13 the members of an inferior social class in the community, and also the weak, the fragile, those easily offended,14 even the handicapped (cf. Eph 4:22). They must be taken care of because of their great dignity in God’s eyes. Unconditional submission of the young to their elders was common to oriental, Greek, and Roman antiquity.15 So also St. Paul confirms Timothy’s authority at Ephesus with the words, “Let no one despise your youth” (mēdeis sou tēs neotētos kataphroneitō, 1 Tim 4:12). The verb has the sense “treat with disdain, pay no attention to.” The scorn for a person is constantly mentioned in the Hellenistic era16 and is justified in many ways, notably by the youthfulness of the one disdained: “Darius had only scorn for Alexander’s youthfulness” (kataphronēsas tēs Alexandrou neotētos).17 A certain Antinous, a daredevil, “scorns my passivity” (apragmosynēs, P.Ant. 36, 12; P.Oxy. 2410, 3; cf. Josephus, War 6.337: rhathymia = softness), “my mediocrity” (P.Panop.Beatty 1, 173; P.Ryl. 659, 7; P.Oxy. 3126, col. II, 10), because I am a foreigner” (P.Magd. 8, 11), “because my husband is dead” (kataphronōn hoti ho anēr mou tetelytēken, P.Magd. 2, 6; cf. P.Gen 31, 10: kataphronōn mou tēs chēreias); “as a helpless woman” (hōs gynaikos   V 2, p 284  aboēthētou, BGU 291, 9), “because I am an orphan,”18 “scorning me because of my weak vision.”19 Hence to “scorn” is to refuse to give justice, to give back a stolen object, a borrowed ass, to pay a servant’s wages; no interest is shown in the complainant because of his or her lack of social, financial, or political status. Here again scorn is a lack of respect and consideration. “Let slaves who have believers as masters not scorn them because they are brothers” (1 Tim 6:2); mē kataphroneitōsan explicates 6:1—masters are worthy of respect (pasēs timēs axious). They must be esteemed. If it is true that spiritually, Christian masters are the equals of Christian slaves, of “brothers,” one must respect the social hierarchy. What is more, agapē, the enemy of arrogance, inspires even more respect and devotion (cf. Phlm 16: adelphos agapētos), so that the servant’s “service” becomes a gracious “benefit” (euergesia) that rules out all negligence.20 As for St. Paul’s apostrophe at Pisidian Antioch, “Behold, scoffers (hoi kataphronētai), wonder and perish” (Acts 13:41), it is a quotation of Hab 1:5, where the prophet threatens Israel with terrible punishment. In the Greek OT this substantive always translates the Hebrew bāgaḏ (Hab 2:5), bōgdîm (1:5), bōgdôt (Zeph 3:4) and thus would mean “arrant traitors.” It is used only once in Philo: “They do not profess scorn for divine things”;21 and it is used in a favorable sense in Josephus and Plutarch.22 S J. Strong. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Reprint. Peabody, n.d. TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Trans. G. W. Bromiley. 10 vols. Grand Rapids, 1964–1976. EDNT H. Balz and G. Schneider, eds. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, 1990–1993. NIDNTT Colin Brown, ed. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. Grand Rapids, 1986. MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan. The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament Illustrated from the Papyri and Other Non-literary Sources. 2 vols. London, 1914–30. Reprint. Grand Rapids, 1985. L&N J. P. Louw and E. A. Nida, eds. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. 2 d ed. New York, 1989. BAGD W. Bauer. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 2 d ed. Trans. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich. Revised and edited F. W. Danker. Chicago, 1979. S J. Strong. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Reprint. Peabody, n.d. TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Trans. G. W. Bromiley. 10 vols. Grand Rapids, 1964–1976. EDNT H. Balz and G. Schneider, eds. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, 1990–1993. NIDNTT Colin Brown, ed. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. Grand Rapids, 1986. MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan. The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament Illustrated from the Papyri and Other Non-literary Sources. 2 vols. London, 1914–30. Reprint. Grand Rapids, 1985. Archid. Archidamus 1 Plato, Hp. Ma. 281 c; καταφρονέω is contrasted with τιμάω, “honor” (Josephus, Ant. 6.80), with θαυμάζω, “admire” (Ag. Apion 2.47), with φοβέομαι (Prov 13:13). The verb sometimes has a favorable or neutral meaning: “dream of, think of, aspire to” (to the throne, Herodotus 1.59), “come to one’s senses” upon waking (Hippocrates, Morb. Sac. 15), after a fit of hysteria (Nat. Mul. 3). 2 Euripides, Bacch. 199: οὐ καταφρονῶ τῶν θεῶν (parallel to οὐκ αἰσχύνομαι, 204); a meaning especially frequent in Josephus: one does not snap one’s fingers at God, at his foreknowledge (Ant. 2.329), words (3.16, 85), power (4.215, 217; 9.173; 12.357), commandments (1.43; 6.150; 8.19), worship (1.311; 4.181; 8.251), obligations due him (9.160). PSI 1337, 17: τῶν θείων διατάξεων καταφρονεῖ. 3 Matt 6:24 = Luke 16:13 (the Lucan context is better). A radical decision is forced between two lordships which make a total demand on their slaves and leave no room for other jobs (C. Spicq, Agapè, vol. 1, pp. 28–31). Cf. Eubulus: “The slave of two masters is at each moment the slave of no one” (οὐδαμόθεν οὐδείς, J. M. Edmonds, Attic Comedy, vol. 2, p. 120). In fact slaves were often the property of a number of masters (Acts 16:16—τοῖς κυρίοις), notably because of inheritance (P.Oxy. 1030, 5–6; 1638; BGU 1654; P.Grenf. 21; P.Mert. 123; P.Mich. 317, 326; P.Mil.Vogl. 23; etc.). A half or two-thirds of a slave could be sold (PSI 1228; P.Freib. 8). At Delos, in the first century BC, a slave was owned in common by three brothers (F. Durrbach, Choix, p. 213). Cf. I. Biezunska-Malowist, “Les Esclaves en copropriété dans l’Egypte romaine,” in Aeg, 1968, pp. 116–129. Dittenberger,  Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum. Ed. W. Dittenberger. 4 vols. 3. Ed. Leipzig, 1915. Reprint Hildesheim-New York, 1982. Syl Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum. Ed. W. Dittenberger. 4 vols. 3. Ed. Leipzig, 1915. Reprint Hildesheim-New York, 1982. Ant. Antiquities of the Jews Ant. Antiquities of the Jews Cyn. Cynegeticus 4 One scorns the flesh (Philo, Giants 32), money and pleasure (Flight 33), glory (Flight 35; Rewards 24), human affairs (Dreams 1.218), physical exercises that are opposed to the equilibrium of the soul (Abraham 48), wealth (Moses 1.153, 213), foods and luxury (Moses 2.69; Rewards 17), material goods (Virtues 15), the fruits of pride (17), myths (Contemp. Life 63), honor and power (Drunkennes 57). 5 Inscription from Iasus: the passive ἄν δʼ εἷς καταφρονηθῆ corrected to the active καταφρονήσῃ by L. Robert, Opera Minora Selecta, vol. 3, p. 1516. Cf. Josephus, Ag. Apion 2.264: “scorn the constitution and laws of the country”; P.Mich. 582, col. II, 9–10 (AD 49–50): not fulfilling the obligations of his office (P.Panop.Beatty 1, 172); Josephus, War 1.318) or the stipulations of a contract (SB 9778, 14; P.Oxy. 2730, 15), scorning ancestral customs (Philo, Spec. Laws 4.150). 6 One must not despise anyone (Philo, Dreams 2.141), except enemies, according to Ep. Aristides 225: πῶς ἂν καταφρονοίη τῶν ἐχθρῶν; among nations (Xenophon, Hell. 7.4.30; Josephus, War 6.422; Ant. 5.255, 304; 6.71), for example the Jews’ scorn for the Romans (20.126) or the Syrians (20.175); Jdt 10:19. Cf. Thucydides 6.34.9: “Scorn for the aggressor is shown through acts of resistance”; 2 Macc 7:24—“Antiochus thought that he had been vilified (καταφρονεῖσθαι) and suspected that these words contained an insult (ὀνειδίζουσαν)”; Prov 18:3—“When the wicked comes, scorn comes also.” Bacch. Bacchae 7 Cf. scorn of death = counting it as nothing, Epictetus 4.1.70; Diodorus Siculus 5.29.2: certain Gauls despise death; Philo, Good Man Free 30; To Gaius 236, 249; Josephus, War 2.60: Athrongaeus “had a soul scornful of death”; 2.377; 3.356, 475; 5.458; 6.42; Ag. Apion 2.294. Cf. 4 Macc 13:9—the three young men scorned a furnace. Cf. the scorn of dangers and perils, Josephus, War 5.87; Ant. 9.55, 82; 12.425; 14.380. 8 Musonius, frag. 10, l. 22ff. (ed. C. E. Lutz): “If the philosopher—who ought obviously to despise death itself—cannot scorn blows or insults, what good is he?” 9 Diodorus Siculus 3.50; Plato, Euthd. 273 d: “These words brought me their scorn (κατεφρονήθην); they began to laugh”; Philo, Drunkennes 131: to show a lack of respect for the dignity of one’s superiors is to expose oneself to a mocking laugh; Gen 27:12—Jacob, “In my father’s eyes I will be seen as a mocker” (ὡς καταφρονῶν, pilpel of the Hebrew tāʿaʿ). Life Life of Josephus 10 Τοὺς μὴ ἔχοντας, cf. F. Field, Notes on the Translation, p. 175. Moses On the Life of Moses (De Vita Mosis) Decalogue On the Decalogue (De Decalogo) 11 Cf. Prov 19:16—“The one who scorns (Hebrew bāzâh) his ways shall die”; Wis 14:30—καταφρονήσαντες ὁσιότητος; 2 Macc 4:14—“The priests who scorn the temple and neglect the sacrifices”; 4 Macc 4:9—“the Holy Place, which was treated contemptuously,” means the violated temple. 12 Cf. S. Légasse, Jésus et l’enfant, pp. 51ff., 62ff. 13 Menander, Dysk. 286: “Do not treat us who are poor with disdain”; Plato, Resp. 7.556 d: “In the midst of danger it was not the poor who scorned the rich”; Plutarch, Per. 1.4: “Often we take pleasure in the work while scorning the worker.” Masters scorn their slaves (Philo, Spec. Laws 3.129; Decalogue 40; Flacc. 178). 14 Cf. 1 Thess 5:14—“Encourage the timid, the fearful (τοὺς ὀλιγοψύχους) comfort the feeble (ἀσθενῶν).” Cf. C. Spicq, Théologie morale, vol. 2, p. 792, n. 2. 15 Sir 32:9; Plato, Resp. 3.412; Leg. 690 b; 917 a; Xenophon, Mem. 2.3.16 (cf. M. P. Roussel, Etude sur le principe de l’ancienneté dans le monde hellénique, Paris, 1942). Old age alone is respectable (τιμῆς ἄξιος, Philo, Sobr. 16; Decalogue 167), deserving to take precedence (Sacr. Abel and Cain 42). It is in any event to be wished that the presumed wisdom of age will corroborate the prestige of the function. St. Thomas quotes Aristotle: “Nemo juvenes elegit duces.” Timothy, young and timid, lacking in self-confidence (1 Cor 16:10–11) would be paralyzed by the defiance or scorn of his circle (C.Spicq, Epîtres Pastorales, vol. 1, p. 511). 16 4 Macc 5:10—κἀμοῦ καταφρονήσεις; 6:21; P.Col. VII, 169, 13: καταφρονοῦντές μου; P.Yale 46, col. I, 13: καταφρονήσας μου ὅτι Αἰγύπτιός εἰμι (third century BC); P.Mich. 79, 24: “because my father was absent, they treated us with scorn” (memorandum of Artemidorus to Zeno); P.Cair.Isid. 76, 17; P.Mich. 23, 4: a woman who borrowed twenty-four drachmas “does not return them to us … she scorns us” (221 BC); PSI 1344, 2; P.Oxy.Hels. 23, 17. 17 Diodorus Siculus 17.7.1; Josephus, Ant. 12.242; 8.274: διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν; P.Gen 6, 13. Similarly, the feebleness of the aged is scorned: “Do not scorn your mother when she is old” (Prov 18:3; Josephus, War 1.633; Ant. 5.143; cf. 16.288). P.Ant. The Antinoopolis Papyri. 3 vols. London, 1950–1967. P.Oxy. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. 51 vols. London, 1898–1984. War The Jewish War P.Panop.Beatty Papyri from Panopolis in the Chester Beatty Library Dublin. Ed. T. C. Skeat. Dublin, 1964. P.Ryl. Catalogue of the Greek Papyri in the John Rylands Library. 4 vols. Manchester, 1911–1952. P.Oxy. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri. 51 vols. London, 1898–1984. P.Magd. Papyrus de Magdola. Ed. J. Lesquier. Lille, 1912. (= P.Lille II) P.Magd. Papyrus de Magdola. Ed. J. Lesquier. Lille, 1912. (= P.Lille II) P.Gen Les Papyrus de Geneve. Ed. J. Nicole. Geneva, 1896–1906. BGU Aegyptische Urkunden aus den Koniglichen (later Staatlichen) Museen zu Berlin, Griechische Urkunden. 15 vols. Berlin, 1895–1983. 18 P.Oxy. 1470, 15. In judicial petitions, the formula occurs almost constantly: “I am wronged because.…”; cf. P.Enteux, Cairo, 1931, n. 9, 6; 25, 8; 26, 9; 41, 5; 48, 7; 68, 11; etc. 19 P.Mich. 422, 29; cf. 425, 11: this person scorns me because of my weakness, because I have only one eye and do not see with it, although it appears that I am sighted …. 20 Μὴ καταφρονήσῃς = do not be negligent; P.Oxy. 2154, 12; P.Yale 83, 10; P.Genova 85, 5; cf. Thucydides 2.11.4; 3.83.4; Xenophon, Hell. 4.5.12; Josephus, Ant. 1.313; 7.313; 12.292; Life 143, 291. 21 To Gaius 322; cf. Epictetus 4.7.33: “It is such principles that cause scorn for the laws.” 22 Josephus, War 2.122: the Essenes despise riches (καταφρονηταὶ πλούτου) and danger (2.151; Ant. 6.347); Plutarch, Brut. 12.1: the conspirators were chosen from among men who scorned death. Ceslas Spicq and James D. Ernest, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994), 280–284.   kataphronéō [to despise], kataphronētḗs [scoffer], periphronéō [to despise, disregard] kataphronéō. With genitive, double genitive, accusative, or epí, this verb means “to despise,” “to disparage,” “to treat with disinterest.” The NT warns us against despising God’s goodness (Rom. 2:4), the church (1 Cor. 11:22), little ones (Mt. 18:10), younger leaders (1 Tim. 4:12), and masters (1 Tim. 6:2). Positively, Jesus despises the shame of the cross (Heb. 12:2). Common proverbial use underlies Mt. 6:24. In 2 Pet. 2:10 opponents despise angels, or Christ’s lordship. kataphronētḗs. Acts 13:41 quotes Hab 1:5 in a warning to Jewish and proselyte hearers (v. 26) not to be “scoffers” when they hear the gospel of forgiveness through Christ. periphronéō. Originally meaning “to consider,” then “to dismiss,” “to despise,” this word occurs in the NT only in Tit. 2:15. Titus is to let no one disregard or disparage him.      [C. SCHNEIDER, III, 631–33] Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 421. DESPISE, DESPISER A. Verbs. 1. exoutheneo (ἐξουθενέω, 1848), “to make of no account” (ex, “out,” oudeis, “nobody,” alternatively written, outheis), “to regard as nothing, to despise utterly, to treat with contempt.” This is usually translated to “set at nought,” Luke 18:9, RV, KJV, “despised.” So in Rom. 14:3. Both have “set at nought” in Luke 23:11; Acts 4:11; Rom. 14:10. Both have “despise” in 1 Cor. 16:11; Gal. 4:14, and 1 Thess. 5:20; in 2 Cor. 10:10, RV, “of no account,” for KJV, “contemptible”; in 1 Cor. 1:28, KJV and RV, “despised.” For the important rendering in 1 Cor. 6:4, RV, see ACCOUNT.¶ Note: In Mark 9:12 some mss. have this verb; the most authentic have the alternative spelling exoudeneo, “set at nought.”  2. kataphroneo (καταφρονέω, 2706), lit., “to think down upon or against anyone” (kata, “down,” phren, “the mind”), hence signifies “to think slightly of, to despise,” Matt. 6:24; 18:10; Luke 16:13; Rom. 2:4; 1 Cor. 11:22; 1 Tim. 4:12; 6:2; Heb. 12:2; 2 Pet. 2:10.¶  3. periphroneo (περιφρονέω, 4065) lit. denotes “to think round a thing, to turn over in the mind”; hence, “to have thoughts beyond, to despise,” Titus 2:15.¶ Notes: The following verbs, translated “to despise, etc.” in the KJV, are given suitable meanings in the RV: (1) Atheteo, lit., “to displace, to set aside,” RV, “to reject,” Luke 10:16; 1 Thess. 4:8; in 1 Tim. 5:12, “rejected,” for KJV, “cast off”; in Heb. 10:28, “hath set at nought”; so Jude 8. See DISANNUL, REJECT, VOID, No. 2. (2) Atimazo, “to dishonor” (a, negative, time, “honor”); in Jas. 2:6, RV, “have dishonored.” See DISHONOR, ENTREAT, SHAME, C, No. 1, SHAMEFULLY. (3) Oligoreo, “to care little for, regard lightly” (oligos, “little”); in Heb. 12:5, RV, “regard lightly. See REGARD.¶ (4) The phrase logizomai eis ouden signifies “to reckon as nothing”; in the passive voice, “to be counted as nothing”; in Acts 19:27, RV, “be made of no account.” B. Adjective.  atimos (ἄτιμος, 820), “without honor,” see Note (2), above, is translated as a verb in 1 Cor. 4:10, KJV, “are despised”; RV, “have dishonor,” lit., “(we are) without honor”; “without honor” in Matt. 13:57; Mark 6:4. The comparative degree atimoteros, “less honorable,” is used in 1 Cor. 12:23.¶ Note: Aphilagathos, “not loving the good” (a, negative, phileo, “to love,” agathos, “good”), is used in 2 Tim. 3:3, KJV, “despisers of those that are good,” RV, “no lovers of good.” See LOVER.¶ C. Noun.  kataphronetes (καταφροντής, 2707), lit., “one who thinks down against,” hence, “a despiser” (see A, No. 2), is found in Acts 13:41.¶ In the Sept., Hab. 1:5; 2:5 and Zeph. 3:4.¶ W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 163. Furnished by Rick Livermore Webmaster220 San Juan Capistrano California –  https://rick-livermore-on-blogger.blogspot.com/