Brief Overview of ἀλαζών (G213)

The Greek adjective ἀλαζών (alazōn) describes someone who is boastful, arrogant, or pretentious. It denotes a person who displays excessive self-importance or pride, often exaggerating their own worth or achievements. This term is used in a negative context, characterizing individuals who engage in empty boasts or who have an inflated sense of self.

Detailed Overview

1. Strong’s Concordance:

• G213 ἀλαζών (alazōn): Strong’s Concordance defines ἀλαζών as “boastful” or “arrogant.” It emphasizes the negative traits associated with the term, highlighting the inflated self-importance and pretension that it implies. In the New Testament, it is used to describe people who exhibit a false sense of superiority and make grandiose claims about their own qualities or achievements.

1. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon:

• Thayer’s Lexicon provides a more detailed definition, describing ἀλαζών as “boastful” or “pretentious.” It explains that the term is used to describe individuals who are characterized by arrogance and exaggerated self-assertion. Thayer’s entry notes that this term often involves deceitfulness or pretense, as those described by it tend to make exaggerated claims about their own worth or abilities.

1. Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) Lexicon:

• The BDB Lexicon does not specifically list ἀλαζών as it focuses primarily on Hebrew terms. However, in Greek studies, the term is understood to denote someone who is boastful or arrogant, reflecting its negative connotations of excessive pride and self-importance.

1. Liddell-Scott-Jones (LSJ) Greek-English Lexicon:

• The LSJ Lexicon defines ἀλαζών as “boastful” or “arrogant,” noting that it refers to a person who exhibits pretentiousness or exaggerated self-importance. The lexicon provides historical and literary examples illustrating how the term was used to describe individuals who were seen as making grandiose or inflated claims about themselves.

In summary, ἀλαζών (alazōn) is an adjective that describes someone who is boastful, arrogant, or pretentious. Strong’s Concordance and Thayer’s Lexicon emphasize its negative implications, focusing on the inflated sense of self-importance and exaggerated claims associated with this term. The LSJ Lexicon provides additional context by detailing historical and literary usage, further illustrating the term’s connotation of excessive pride and pretension.