Greek word · G186

ἀκλινής

aklinēs

unwavering

From a- ("not") + klinō ("to lean, bend, tilt"): not leaning, not bending, unswerving, steady, upright.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀκλινής, -ές (κλίνω),

[in LXX: 4Ma.6:7 17:3 * ;]

unbending, firm: metaphorically (MM, VGT, see word). Hebrews 10:23.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 10:23

Range of meaning

From a- ("not") + klinō ("to lean, bend, tilt"): not leaning, not bending, unswerving, steady, upright.

Against the English

"Without wavering" (KJV, WEB, ESV), "unswervingly" (NIV) and "resolutely" (BSB) all describe the believer's manner. In Greek the adjective goes with the confession: it is the confession that must stay upright. BSB's "resolutely" shifts the focus onto the believer's willpower.

Used elsewhere in the period

Appears only here in the New Testament. In Jewish Greek of the period it describes steadiness under pressure. 4 Maccabees 6:7 says of the martyr Eleazar that he kept his reasoning upright and unbending under torture. Philo also uses the word of what is stable and does not tilt.

Where it appears

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 10:23 ἀκλινῆ, firmly,

    Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

    Here: Literally "not leaning or tilting." It agrees in grammar with "confession", so the confession itself is to be held so that it stays upright and does not sag to one side. English "without wavering" turns it into an adverb, but the picture is of something standing straight.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.