Greek word · G195
ἀκρίβεια
akribeia
strictness
Exactness, precision, accuracy, careful attention to detail. It is used of exact knowledge, accurate reporting, careful measurement and meticulous observance.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
ἀκρίβεια, -ας, ἡ
(ἀκριβής), [in LXX: Daniel 7:16 (יַצִּיב), Wisdom of Solomon 12:21, Sirach 16:25 42:4 * ;]
exactness, precision (for exx., see MM, VGT, see word): Acts 22:3.†
(AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Exactness, precision, accuracy, careful attention to detail. It is used of exact knowledge, accurate reporting, careful measurement and meticulous observance. In New Testament usage only here, but the related adjective and adverb run through Luke–Acts: Luke writes 'carefully' (akribōs, Luke 1:3), Apollos teaches 'accurately' (Acts 18:25), and Paul lived by 'the strictest (akribestatēn) party of our religion' as a Pharisee (Acts 26:5).
- Against the English
BSB 'strict conformity', WEB 'strict tradition', ESV 'strict manner', NASB 'strictly'. KJV 'perfect manner' uses 'perfect' in its older sense of 'complete, exact'. YLT 'exactitude' is closest to the word itself. NIV 'thoroughly trained' and NLT 'carefully trained' turn it into a description of the training rather than of the Law-keeping.
- How it drifted
Modern English 'strict' leans toward severity, harshness or rigidity. Akribeia is about getting it exactly right, meaning precision in interpretation. It was a mark of expertise and pride, not of harshness. 'Perfect' in the KJV now suggests 'flawless' rather than 'exact'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Josephus uses this word-group again and again as the Pharisees' trademark: they are 'reputed to interpret the laws more accurately' (War 1.110), 'considered the most accurate interpreters of the laws' (War 2.162), known for 'accuracy' in the ancestral laws (Life 191), and 'pride themselves on the exactness of their ancestral law' (Ant. 17.41). In Greek literature generally it is the word for precise scholarship and exact craft.
Similar words
Where it appears
Acts · 1
-
Acts 22:3 ἀκρίβειαν exactness
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
Here: Precision or accuracy in interpreting and keeping the Law. This was the very quality the Pharisees were known for (Josephus repeatedly calls them the 'most accurate' interpreters), so the word quietly signals 'I was trained as a Pharisee'.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.