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ἀδάπανος

adápanos

G77 substantive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Incurring no cost; done or given without requiring payment or expenditure. Primarily denotes 'free of expense,' and by extension, provided or rendered without charge, gratuitous. Used adjectivally to describe actions or provisions that do not require payment or material outlay by the recipient.

Semantic Range

without expense, free of charge, gratuitous, not costing anything

Root / Etymology

Composed of the alpha privative (ἀ-, a negating prefix) and δάπανος (related to δαπάνη, 'cost' or 'expense'), meaning literally 'without cost/expenditure.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical and Hellenistic Greek, similar compounds with the alpha privative and terms for payment or labor (e.g., ἀκόλαστος, ἀκέραιος) typically denote the absence of that quality. ἀδάπανος does not appear widely in pre-Koine literature but is attested in papyri and documentary sources in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, often in a legal, administrative, or commercial context to indicate services, goods, or privileges supplied at no expense to the recipient. In the New Testament (e.g., 1 Corinthians 9:18; 2 Corinthians 11:7), it refers to Paul’s offering of the gospel or ministry without requiring material support from his hearers, emphasizing the absence of financial burden. The standard English translation 'without charge' or 'free of expense' captures the core meaning, but 'gratuitous' may also be used. The word does not carry connotations of generosity or liberality on the part of the giver; it simply notes that no cost is incurred by the receiver.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Α (as negative particle); and δαπάνη; costless, i.e. gratuitous:--without expense.

Root Family

ἀδάπανος (adapanos) — without expense, free of charge, gratuitous, not costing anything

Root δαπαν- to spend, to incur cost

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G77-01 ἀδάπανον adapanon ADJ.S ACC N SG without charge cost-free thing cost-free 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G77-01 1 Corinthians 9:18 ἀδάπανον adapanon ADJ.S ACC N SG without charge cost-free thing cost-free
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