Greek word · G323

ἀνάδειξις

anadeixis

public appearance

Showing forth, public display or manifestation. In Hellenistic Greek it was often used for the formal public proclamation or installation of someone in an office or role (BDAG gives 'commissioning, installation').

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀνά-δειξις, -εως, ἡ

(ἀναδείκνυμι), [in LXX: Sirach 43:6 * ;]

a sheaving forth, announcement: Luke 1:80.†

(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 Luke 1:80

Range of meaning

Showing forth, public display or manifestation. In Hellenistic Greek it was often used for the formal public proclamation or installation of someone in an office or role (BDAG gives 'commissioning, installation'). It comes from the verb anadeiknymi, 'to show clearly, to appoint, to proclaim someone as'.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have 'shewing'. BSB, ESV, NASB and WEB have 'public appearance'. NIV has 'appeared publicly' and NLT 'began his public ministry'. 'Public appearance' is fine as far as it goes, but it puts John at the center as the one who appears. The Greek can carry the idea that he is shown or presented, implicitly by God, as one officially appointed.

How it drifted

Modern 'public appearance' sounds like a debut or a scheduled appearance by a celebrity or politician. The official, installing sense of the Greek gets lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

The noun appears in the Septuagint at Sirach 43:6, where the moon serves for 'a showing (anadeixin) of the seasons'. The verb is used in 2 Maccabees 9:25 for Antiochus appointing (anedeixa) his son king. Luke himself uses the verb for the Lord appointing seventy others (Luke 10:1), and in Acts 1:24 the apostles pray, 'show which one you have chosen'.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 1:80 ἀναδείξεως of appearance

    And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.

    Here: This word appears only here in the New Testament. It means the public display or formal presentation of someone, often of a person being installed in an office. John does not just turn up. He is presented, as God's appointed prophet.

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