ἀνάθεμα
anáthema
G331 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A thing devoted (or set apart) as a result of a vow or pronouncement, especially something dedicated to destruction or ban in a religious context; by extension, a person or thing regarded as accursed or excommunicated. The core sense is 'something dedicated to the divine, usually with the sense of separation, often accompanied by the idea of doom or destruction.' In some contexts, it may refer to something placed under a ban for sacred purposes, sometimes suggesting irrevocable removal from a community or total destruction.
Semantic Range
that which is dedicated or set apart (original sense), religious offering, object consecrated (classic use); object or person designated for destruction; something under a ban; someone excluded or accursed, excommunicated, formal curse or pronouncement of banishment
Root / Etymology
From ἀνατίθημι (to set up, dedicate), combining ἀνά- (up, upon) and τίθημι (to place, put). The term ἀνάθεμα originally referred to anything dedicated or offered, especially in a religious sense.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, ἀνάθεμα denoted an offering dedicated to a deity, commonly an object dedicated and set up in a sanctuary. In the Septuagint, it was used to translate Hebrew חֵרֶם (ḥērem), a term for something devoted to destruction, particularly in contexts of bans or items forbidden to be used by the community. This association influenced its negative sense in later Greek and early Christian usage, where it came to signify a person or thing devoted to divine punishment, excommunication, or exclusion from the community. In the New Testament, especially Paul's letters (e.g., Romans 9:3; 1 Corinthians 16:22), ἀνάθεμα expresses the severest form of exclusion, involving separation from the people of God, often translated 'accursed'. The English term 'anathema' derives from this Greek word but has narrowed over time to mean only a formal curse or condemnation. The meaning of the word in Hellenistic and early Christian sources is distinct from the related ἀνάθημα, which continued to mean an object dedicated for positive, votive purposes.
Translation Consistency
The dominant sense of G331 is that something is set apart or dedicated (often to destruction or ban). 'Devote' is the most natural, flexible English base that captures being set apart for a sacred/ban purpose and matches the majority P2 renderings ('devoted'). It covers both positive sense of dedication and the more negative sense of being irrevocably set apart/forfeited; the alternate reading 'accuse/curse' is rarer and can be handled by context-specific wording.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ἀνατίθεμαι; a (religious) ban or (concretely) excommunicated (thing or person):--accused, anathema, curse, X great.
Root Family
ἀνάθεμα (anathema) — to dedicate, to set apart, to devote
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G331-01 |
ἀνάθεμα | anathema | N NOM N SG |
accursed | a devoted thing under ban | a devoted thing under ban | 5 |
G331-02 |
ἀναθέματι | anathemati | N DAT N SG |
with a curse | to a devoted ban | with a devoted ban | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
6 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G331-02 |
Acts 23:14 | ἀναθέματι | anathemati | N DAT N SG |
with a curse | to a devoted ban | with a devoted ban |
G331-01 |
Romans 9:3 | ἀνάθεμα | anathema | N NOM N SG |
accursed | a devoted thing under ban | a devoted thing under ban |
G331-01 |
1 Corinthians 12:3 | ἀνάθεμα | anathema | N NOM N SG |
accursed | a devoted thing under ban | a devoted thing under ban |
G331-01 |
1 Corinthians 16:22 | ἀνάθεμα | anathema | N NOM N SG |
accursed | a devoted thing under ban | a devoted thing under ban |
G331-01 |
Galatians 1:8 | ἀνάθεμα | anathema | N NOM N SG |
accursed | a devoted thing under ban | a devoted thing under ban |
G331-01 |
Galatians 1:9 | ἀνάθεμα | anathema | N NOM N SG |
accursed | a devoted thing under ban | a devoted thing under ban |