Greek word · G2754

κενοδοξία

kenodoxia

empty conceit

From kenos ("empty") and doxa ("glory, honor, reputation" or "opinion"). It means vain glory: craving honor with no substance behind it, boastful conceit, or an empty, mistaken opinion of yourself.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κενοδοξία, -ας, ἡ

(κενόδοξος), [in LXX: Wisdom of Solomon 14:14, 2Ma.2:15 2Mac 8:10 * ;]

1. foolish fancy, vain opinion, error (LXX, ll. with).

2. vain­glory, groundless conceit: Philippians 2:3.†

(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 Philippians 2:3

Range of meaning

From kenos ("empty") and doxa ("glory, honor, reputation" or "opinion"). It means vain glory: craving honor with no substance behind it, boastful conceit, or an empty, mistaken opinion of yourself.

Against the English

KJV "vainglory" keeps the original picture. "Conceit" (ESV, WEB) and "empty pride" (BSB) shift it toward a private inner arrogance. The Greek points outward as well, to chasing recognition and standing in other people's eyes.

How it drifted

Modern English treats pride mainly as an inner feeling. In the first century doxa was public honor, the currency of social life. That shift makes "conceit" a smaller word than kenodoxia.

Used elsewhere in the period

Found in Polybius and Philo, and in Jewish Greek writings: Wisdom 14:14, where human kenodoxia brought idols into the world, and 4 Maccabees 2:15 and 8:19. Ignatius uses it (Philadelphians 1.1). In the New Testament it appears only here, with the related adjective kenodoxos in Gal 5:26 ("let us not become conceited, provoking one another").

Similar words

Where it appears

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 2:3 κενοδοξίαν vain conceit

    Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.

    Here: Literally "empty glory": wanting honor and reputation that have nothing real behind them, or an inflated opinion of yourself. The word appears only here in the New Testament.

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