Greek word · G3562
νουνεχῶς
nounechōs
wisely
An adverb built from νοῦς (mind, understanding) and ἔχω (to have): 'like someone who has a mind', so sensibly, thoughtfully, judiciously, with good sense. It describes practical intelligence, a sound judgment that sees what matters.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
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
An adverb built from νοῦς (mind, understanding) and ἔχω (to have): 'like someone who has a mind', so sensibly, thoughtfully, judiciously, with good sense. It describes practical intelligence, a sound judgment that sees what matters. It is not cleverness, and it is not religious 'wisdom' in the sense of the Hebrew ḥokmah.
- Against the English
BSB, WEB and most modern versions have 'wisely'. NASB has 'intelligently', YLT 'with understanding', NLT 'how much the man understood', and KJV 'discreetly'. 'Wisely' is acceptable but sounds a little more religious than the Greek. 'Intelligently' and 'with understanding' are closer to the 'mind' root. KJV's 'discreetly' meant 'with discernment' in 1611, but a modern reader hears 'quietly' or 'tactfully' (see drift).
- How it drifted
Only the KJV rendering has drifted, because the English word 'discreet' narrowed from 'discerning' to 'unobtrusive'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
This is the only use in the New Testament. The adverb and its adjective νουνεχής are found in classical and Hellenistic prose (Aristotle and Polybius, among others) for sensible, level-headed conduct (LSJ; BDAG). The word is rare in the Greek Old Testament.
Where it appears
Mark · 1
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Mark 12:34 νουνεχῶς wisely
When Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any further.
Here: Literally 'in a mind-having way': the man answered with real understanding. It appears only here in the New Testament, and it picks up the scribe's own word 'understanding' in verse 33.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.