Greek word · G379

ἀναπολόγητος

anapologētos

inexcusable

'Without defense, inexcusable', from a- ('not') + apologeomai ('make a defense'). An apologia was the speech a defendant gave in court. Being anapologētos means having no case to plead.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀναπολόγητος, -ον

(ἀπολογεόμαι),

without excuse, inexcusable (in Polyb., al., as a forensic term; see Lft., Notes, 252): Romans 1:20 2:1.†

(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 Romans 1:20

Range of meaning

'Without defense, inexcusable', from a- ('not') + apologeomai ('make a defense'). An apologia was the speech a defendant gave in court. Being anapologētos means having no case to plead.

Against the English

'Without excuse' (KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV); YLT 'inexcusable'. These are accurate. What gets lost is the courtroom picture: not 'you have no good reason', but 'you have no defense at your trial'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used in Hellenistic prose such as Polybius for conduct that cannot be defended. In the NT it occurs only in Rom 1:20 and 2:1. The thought matches Wisdom 13:8, where idolaters who could have known the Creator from his works are 'not to be excused' (oude … syngnōstoi).

From the study of Romans 2:1

Range of meaning

Literally 'without an apologia'. An apologia was the formal defence speech an accused person gave in court (compare Acts 22:1; 2 Tim 4:16). So anapologētos describes someone who has no defence left to give, whose case cannot be argued. In wider Greek it can mean 'inexcusable' or 'indefensible', but the legal picture stays close to the surface.

Against the English

'Inexcusable' (KJV, YLT) can sound to modern ears like 'outrageous' or 'unforgivable'. 'Without excuse' / 'no excuse' (WEB, BSB) is nearer, though 'excuse' now suggests a weak personal justification. The Greek pictures a defendant standing silent before the bench.

How it drifted

English 'inexcusable' has shifted from 'cannot be defended' toward 'shockingly bad'. The Greek is about the state of the case, not how shocking the behaviour is.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare word. It occurs in Hellenistic writers such as Polybius and Dionysius of Halicarnassus for a person or act that leaves no room for defence (BDAG). In the NT it appears only here and in Rom 1:20.

Where it appears

Romans · 2

  1. Romans 1:20 ἀναπολογήτους. without excuse.

    For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

    Here: 'Without an apologia', meaning without a defense that could be argued in court. They cannot plead ignorance before the divine judge. Paul uses the same word against the self-righteous judge in 2:1.

  2. Romans 2:1 ἀναπολόγητος inexcusable

    You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

    Here: A courtroom word: someone with no defence speech (apologia) left to make. It repeats the exact word Paul used of idolaters in 1:20, so the critic is put in the same dock as the people he was condemning.

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