Greek word · G2706

καταφρονέω

kataphroneō

to despise

'To think down on': to look down on, regard as of little value, disregard, treat with contempt, pay no attention to. It is a judgment of worth more than an emotion.

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κατα-φρονέω, -ῶ

[in LXX for בָּגַד, בּוּז, etc. ;]

to think little of, despise: with genitive, Matthew 6:24 18:10, Luke 16:13, Romans 2:4, 1 Corinthians 11:22, 1 Timothy 4:12 6:2, Hebrews 12:2, 2 Peter 2:10.†

(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 12:2

Range of meaning

'To think down on': to look down on, regard as of little value, disregard, treat with contempt, pay no attention to. It is a judgment of worth more than an emotion.

Against the English

KJV/ESV 'despising', BSB/NIV 'scorning', NLT 'disregarding'. Modern 'despise' mostly means 'to hate intensely', which suggests Jesus loathed the shame. The Greek means he counted it as nothing and refused to let it weigh in his decision.

How it drifted

English 'despise' (Latin despicere, 'to look down on') once matched the Greek closely. Over time it moved toward strong dislike or hatred.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the NT: Matt 6:24 ('devoted to one and despise the other'), Matt 18:10 ('do not look down on one of these little ones'), 1 Tim 4:12 ('let no one look down on your youth'). Greek moral writers used it of the brave person who 'thinks little of' danger or death.

From the study of Romans 2:4

Range of meaning

Literally "think down on": to look down on, scorn, think little of, disregard, treat as unimportant. It ranges from active contempt (Matthew 18:10, "do not despise one of these little ones") to simply disregarding something (Hebrews 12:2, Jesus "disregarding the shame" of the cross).

Against the English

KJV/WEB "despise" now sounds like intense loathing. BSB "disregard" and NASB "think lightly of" are closer for this context. ESV "presume on" captures how the attitude works in practice: assuming God's patience means one is safe.

How it drifted

English "despise" once commonly meant "look down on, hold cheap" (Latin despicere, "look down"). Today it has narrowed toward hatred.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in Hellenistic Greek for scorning or disregarding laws, dangers, or people. The Septuagint uses it for scorning God or his word (e.g. Proverbs 13:13 LXX).

From the study of 1 Timothy 4:12

Range of meaning

Literally 'to think down on' (kata 'down' + phroneō 'think'). Its range runs from treating as unimportant or disregarding to openly despising or holding in contempt. It covers both attitude and the dismissive behaviour that follows from it.

Against the English

'Despise' (KJV, BSB, ESV) sounds like strong hatred. 'Look down on' (NIV, NASB) is closer to the picture. The word is about dismissal and disrespect, not loathing.

How it drifted

English 'despise' has narrowed toward intense hatred, while the Greek centres on low regard.

Used elsewhere in the period

Matt 6:24 ('devoted to one and despise the other'); Matt 18:10 ('do not look down on one of these little ones'); 1 Tim 6:2 (slaves must not disrespect believing masters); Heb 12:2 (Jesus 'disregarding the shame'). It is common in classical Greek for scorning someone of lower status.

Similar words

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 6:24 καταφρονήσει. he will despise.

    No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

    Here: Literally 'to think down on': to treat as unimportant and neglect. A slave does this to a master whose orders he quietly ignores. It is less about active rage than about contempt shown through neglect.

  2. Matthew 18:10 καταφρονήσητε may you despise

    See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.

    Here: Literally 'to think down on': treating someone as unimportant and not worth your concern. The aorist subjunctive after 'see that… not' forbids doing this even once.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 16:13 καταφρονήσει. he will despise.

    No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

    Here: Literally 'to think down on'. It means treating the master as not worth attention, neglecting his orders and his interests. It is contempt shown by disregard, not necessarily by open hostility.

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 2:4 καταφρονεῖς despise you

    Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

    Here: "Do you think little of...?" It means treating God's restraint as cheap or as something you can count on, not necessarily hating it. The present tense describes an ongoing attitude.

1 Corinthians · 1

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:22 καταφρονεῖτε do you despise

    Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!

    Here: Literally 'to think down on'. It means treating something as beneath your concern, showing contempt by how you act, more than feeling hatred.

1 Timothy · 2

  1. 1 Timothy 4:12 καταφρονείτω, should despise,

    Let no one despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

    Here: "Let (no one) look down on": literally "think down on". It means treating someone as beneath notice, disregarding their authority, not just private dislike. The present tense forbids an ongoing attitude.

  2. 1 Timothy 6:2 καταφρονείτωσαν, they should despise [them]

    Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.

    Here: A present command, 'let them not be looking down on' them. The worry is that slaves would treat their Christian owners as no better than themselves and so take their authority lightly, not that they would hate them.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 12:2 καταφρονήσας, having despised,

    Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

    Here: He treated the shame as not worth counting. He would not let the crowd's verdict decide his worth. This is a verdict on the shame, not a feeling of hatred toward it.

2 Peter · 1

  1. 2 Peter 2:10 καταφρονοῦντας. despising.

    Such punishment is specially reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are unafraid to slander glorious beings.

    Here: Literally 'to think down on': to treat as beneath notice. They do not just disobey; they treat the Lord's claim on them with contempt.

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