ἀκατάστατος
akatástatos
G182 predicate adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
Not settled; lacking stability or established order. In various contexts, describes a person, group, or condition that is unsteady, disorderly, or marked by change and unpredictability. The word can refer to instability in character (unreliable or fickle), in physical or metaphorical location (unsettled or wandering), or in behavior and societal order (restless, turbulent, or disorderly).
Semantic Range
unstable, unsteady, inconstant, fickle (of a person); restless, disorderly, turbulent, not settled (of conditions or situations)
Root / Etymology
From the negative prefix ἀ- (a-, 'not') and a derivative of καθίστημι (kathistēmi, 'to set, place, establish'). The adjective ἀκατάστατος thus literally means 'not established' or 'not set.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term ἀκατάστατος appears in Hellenistic and Koine Greek to describe instability or unsteadiness, particularly in personal character or social context. In the New Testament, it is found, for example, in James 1:8 and 3:8, where it describes the character of a 'double-minded' person (unsteady in all ways) and the tongue as 'unstable' and hard to control. Its usage in non-biblical Koine literature also includes the sense of social unrest or disorder. In the Septuagint and earlier Greek, cognates (e.g., ἀκαταστασία) often describe riot, turmoil, or chaos, emphasizing disorder at a collective or societal level. English translations usually render the term as 'unstable,' 'restless,' or 'disorderly,' but these can lose the nuance of both internal (character/psychological) and external (societal/social) instability present in the source.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from Α (as a negative particle) and a derivative of καθίστημι; inconstant:--unstable.
Root Family
ἀκατάστατος (akatastatos) — not established, unstable, unsettled, disorderly
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G182-02 |
ἀκατάστατος | akatastatos | ADJ.P NOM M SG |
unstable | unsettled | unsettled | 1 |
G182-01 |
ἀκατάστατον | akatastaton | ADJ.A NOM N SG |
restless | not established | restless | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences