Greek word · G4299

πρόκριμα

prokrima

prejudice

Literally a "before-judgment". A decision made in advance of a hearing, or a preliminary ruling. Hence prejudice or prejudgment. It can also mean a preference, ranking one person or thing ahead of another.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πρό-κριμα, -τος, τό

(cl. προκρίνειν, 1. to prefer. 2. to judge beforehand),

pre-judging, prejudice: 1 Timothy 5:21 (see Cremer, 378).†

(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 Timothy 5:21

Range of meaning

Literally a "before-judgment". A decision made in advance of a hearing, or a preliminary ruling. Hence prejudice or prejudgment. It can also mean a preference, ranking one person or thing ahead of another. It appears only here in the New Testament and is rare elsewhere, mainly in legal and administrative contexts.

Against the English

BSB "without bias" and NASB "without bias" are general. ESV "without prejudging" and YLT "without forejudging" keep the legal sense. KJV "without preferring one before another" brings out the preference sense. WEB "without prejudice" is literal, but see the drift warning.

How it drifted

English "prejudice" comes through Latin praeiudicium, the Vulgate's word here. Today it usually means hostility toward a group (racial, religious and so on). Its older legal sense, a judgment made before the evidence, has faded for most readers outside phrases like "without prejudice".

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare. Lexicons (BDAG; Moulton–Milligan) note its use in legal and documentary Greek for a prior decision or a preference that tilts a case. The Latin translation renders it sine praeiudicio, "without prior judgment".

Where it appears

1 Timothy · 1

  1. 1 Timothy 5:21 προκρίματος prejudice

    I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.

    Here: A verdict reached before the case is heard. Here it mostly means deciding against someone in advance, or ranking one party above another before the facts are in.

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