Greek word · G4

ἀβαρής

abarēs

not burdensome

"Weightless, light". Applied to people, it means not burdensome, not costly to others. It is the opposite of baros, weight, which Paul elsewhere uses of the financial claim an apostle could make (1 Thess 2:6/7, "we could have been a weight [en barei]").

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

αβαρής, -ές

(βαρός),

without weight; metaphorically (MM, VGT, see word) not burdensome: 2 Corinthians 11:9.†

(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 2 Corinthians 11:9

Range of meaning

"Weightless, light". Applied to people, it means not burdensome, not costly to others. It is the opposite of baros, weight, which Paul elsewhere uses of the financial claim an apostle could make (1 Thess 2:6/7, "we could have been a weight [en barei]").

Against the English

"Not a burden" is accurate. The Greek is a single neat adjective, "weightless toward you", which English has to expand into a phrase.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the NT only here. In secular Greek it is used for light objects and, by extension, for someone who is not a burden. Paul's related phrases in 1 Thess 2:6–9 and 2 Thess 3:8 ("so as not to be a burden [epibarēsai] to any of you") show a settled policy across his churches.

Where it appears

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 11:9 ἀβαρῆ unburdensome

    And when I was with you and in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have refrained from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so.

    Here: Literally "without weight" (a- not, baros weight). Paul made sure he cost them nothing. The word was used for not imposing financial demands on someone.

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