Greek word · G407
ἀνδρίζω
andrizō
to act like a man
Literally 'to behave as a man (anēr),' and in practice 'to be brave, show courage, be resolute.' In classical and Hellenistic Greek it is the verb that goes with andreia, 'courage' (literally 'manliness'), one of the four cardinal virtues of Greek ethics.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
ἀνδρίζω
[in LXX for חָזַק אָמַץ (Joshua 1:6 ff., 1 Chronicles 22:19, al.; in 2 Kings 10:12, Psalms 27:14 31:24 combined with κρατιοῦσθαι, as in 1Co, l.with) ;]
to make a man of. Mid., to play the man (cf. MM, VGT, see word): 1 Corinthians 16:13.†
(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 1 Corinthians 16:13
- Range of meaning
Literally 'to behave as a man (anēr),' and in practice 'to be brave, show courage, be resolute.' In classical and Hellenistic Greek it is the verb that goes with andreia, 'courage' (literally 'manliness'), one of the four cardinal virtues of Greek ethics. It meant courage in danger, especially in battle, whoever showed it.
- Against the English
ESV and NASB 'act like men' and KJV 'quit you like men' keep the literal 'man' element. To modern ears that can sound like a charge about masculinity, aimed at males. NIV, NLT, NRSV and WEB 'be courageous' give the meaning the idiom actually carried. BSB 'Be men of courage' tries to keep both. YLT 'be men' is the most literal and the most open to misunderstanding.
- How it drifted
The word did come from an ancient culture that linked courage to maleness, so the literal rendering is not invented. The drift is in what a modern reader takes from it: a men-only directive about gender roles, rather than the familiar biblical battle-cry 'take courage' addressed to all of God's people.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) ἀνδρίζου / ἀνδρίζεσθε usually translates the Hebrew ʾamats, 'be firm, be bold,' a word with no 'man' in it at all. Examples: Deut 31:6-7, 23 and Josh 1:6-9, 18 ('be strong and courageous'); 2 Sam 10:12; Ps 27:14 (LXX 26:14, 'be courageous, and let your heart be strong'); and especially Ps 31:24 (LXX 30:25), 'ἀνδρίζεσθε, and let your heart be strengthened (κραταιούσθω), all you who hope in the Lord,' addressed to all the faithful. 1 Macc 2:64 ('be courageous and grow strong in the law') is addressed by the dying Mattathias to his sons. 4 Maccabees calls the mother of the seven martyrs more 'courageous' (andreia-language) than men, which shows the virtue could be credited to women.
Where it appears
1 Corinthians · 1
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1 Corinthians 16:13 ἀνδρίζεσθε, do act like men,
Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.
Here: Built on anēr, 'man,' and literally 'play the man.' In actual Greek usage it was a stock word for 'be brave, show courage.' The Greek Old Testament used it again and again to translate the Hebrew charge 'be courageous' (Deut 31; Josh 1; Ps 31:24). It occurs only here in the New Testament, and it is spoken to the whole church.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.