ἐξουδενόω
exoudenóō
G1847 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To treat someone or something as of no account, to regard as worthless, to utterly disregard; used to express the act of treating with contempt or complete disregard, especially in contexts of personal insult, humiliation, or indifference. Carries the sense of not merely despising but of assessing as being without value or consequence at all.
Semantic Range
to despise, to set at nought, to treat as of no account, to treat with contempt, to reject as valueless, to utterly disregard
Root / Etymology
Compound verb from ἐκ ('out of, from') and a derivative of οὐδείς ('nothing, no one'); thus, 'to make (as) nothing.' Sometimes considered a variation or intensive form of ἐξουθενέω, though the morphological relationship is debated. The derivation highlights the act of reducing status or value to zero.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical and Hellenistic Greek, ἐξουδενόω is rare, with attestations primarily in later Koine, especially in the Septuagint and New Testament. It frequently appears in contexts emphasizing social or moral disregard, such as mocking, insulting, or dismissing a person or their message as beneath consideration or worthy of contempt. Unlike simple verbs for 'to neglect' or 'to ignore' (e.g., ἀμελέω), ἐξουδενόω is stronger and involves active contempt. In the New Testament (Luke 18:9; Acts 4:11; 1 Thess. 5:20), the verb often highlights the dynamic between rejection by human beings and the value assigned by God; things or persons set at nought by others may be honored by God. In English translations, it is often rendered 'despise,' 'reject,' or 'treat with contempt,' but these may understate the sense of total negation. Related verbs include ἐξουθενέω, which carries near-identical meaning and is sometimes interchangeable; modern lexicons often treat one as a variant or secondary form of the other. The term is shaped by Hellenistic rhetorical and ethical usage, where worth was assessed in terms of honor and shame, and so to 'treat as nothing' would be a severe social affront.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἐκ and a derivative of the neuter of οὐδείς; to make utterly nothing of, i.e. despise:--set at nought. See also ἐξουθενέω.
Root Family
οὐδεν- (exoudenóō) — to consider as nothing, to treat as worthless, to despise utterly
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G3762 | οὐδείς | not even one |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1847-01 |
ἐξουδενηθῇ | exoudenethe | V AOR PASS SUBJ 3P SG |
be treated with contempt | may be treated as worthless | may be treated with contempt | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1847-01 |
Mark 9:12 | ἐξουδενηθῇ | exoudenethe | V AOR PASS SUBJ 3P SG |
be treated with contempt | may be treated as worthless | may be treated with contempt |