ῥᾳδιούργημα
rhaidioúrgēma
G4467 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Act of unscrupulous or wicked conduct; a misdeed or action characterized by moral laxity, recklessness, or deliberate wrongdoing. While the root sense relates to 'ease' or 'carelessness,' the word denotes a specific act considered wrong, wicked, or morally deviant, often involving recklessness or lawlessness.
Semantic Range
criminal act, wicked deed, unscrupulous action, act of lawlessness, misdeed, wickedness, lewdness (in some contexts), offense against social or legal standards
Root / Etymology
Formed from the comparative of ῥᾴδιος ('easy, careless, thoughtless') and ἔργον ('deed, action, work'). Thus, ῥᾳδιούργημα is 'a deed of recklessness' or 'an easy/careless act.' The suffix -ημα denotes the result of an action. There are no known Hebrew or Aramaic loanword relationships.
Historical & Contextual Notes
This rare term is attested in the New Testament only at Acts 18:14, where it refers to an act deserving of legal judgment (a punishable crime). In contemporary Greek and Hellenistic literature, related terms (ῥᾳδιούργος, ῥᾳδιουργία) have the sense of a person or behavior marked by unscrupulousness, shamelessness, or a criminal act, typically involving disrespect for law or accepted standards. The term carries a pejorative nuance: not simply immorality, but deliberate wrongdoing or mischief, especially by disregarding societal norms. Typical English translations such as 'crime,' 'misdeed,' or 'wrongdoing' convey the core sense, though some older translations render it as 'lewdness,' which may overly narrow the range by suggesting only sexual immorality. In the New Testament context, the emphasis is on lawlessness or conduct punishable by secular authorities, not solely on sexual connotations.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a comparative of (easy, i.e. reckless) and ἔργον; easy-going behavior, i.e. (by extension) a crime:--lewdness.
Root Family
ῥᾴδι-, ἔργ- (rhaidioúrgēma) — to do with ease, to act carelessly, to work
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4467-01 |
ῥᾳδιούργημα | radiourgema | N NOM N SG |
wicked lewdness | reckless misdeed | reckless misdeed | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4467-01 |
Acts 18:14 | ῥᾳδιούργημα | radiourgema | N NOM N SG |
wicked lewdness | reckless misdeed | reckless misdeed |