Greek word · G4312

προπετής

propetēs

reckless

Literally 'falling forward, headlong'. Figuratively: rash, reckless, impulsive, hasty, especially in speech; acting before thinking; lacking restraint.

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

What it means

προπετής, -ές

(προπίπτω), [in LXX: Proverbs 10:14 (אֱוִיל) Proverbs 13:3 (פָּשַׂק) Sirach 9:18 * ;]

falling forwards, headlong. Metaphorical, precipitate, rash, reck­less: of persons, 2 Timothy 3:4; of things, Acts 19:36.†

(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 Timothy 3:4

Range of meaning

Literally 'falling forward, headlong'. Figuratively: rash, reckless, impulsive, hasty, especially in speech; acting before thinking; lacking restraint.

Against the English

KJV/YLT 'heady' meant exactly this in 1611 (headstrong, rushing ahead), but today 'heady' means intoxicating or exhilarating. WEB 'headstrong' leans toward stubbornness, which is close but slightly different. 'Reckless' (BSB, ESV, NASB) and 'rash' (NIV) are best.

How it drifted

'Heady' shifted in English after the 17th century from 'impetuous' to 'intoxicating, exciting'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 19:36 ('do nothing rash'); LXX Proverbs 10:14 and 13:3 (the rash mouth or lips bring ruin); Sirach 9:18 (the one rash in speech is hated). In Jewish wisdom writing it is especially a fault of the tongue.

From the study of Acts 19:36

Range of meaning

Literally 'falling forward, headlong'; hence rash, reckless, impulsive, rushing ahead without thought. Used of hasty speech, impulsive actions, and hot-headed people.

Against the English

'Rash' (BSB, NIV, ESV, NASB, NLT, WEB) and 'rashly' (KJV) are accurate. English loses the picture of tumbling forward.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament, Wisdom literature uses it for the person who is reckless in speech (e.g. Sirach 9:18; Proverbs in the Greek translation). In the New Testament it appears again only at 2 Timothy 3:4 ('reckless', in a list of vices). It belongs to the Greek moral vocabulary that valued self-command.

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 19:36 προπετὲς rash

    Since these things are undeniable, you ought to be calm and not do anything rash.

    Here: Literally 'falling forward': rushing in without thinking. With a mob that had already dragged off Gaius and Aristarchus (v. 29), it means violence or lynch-mob action.

2 Timothy · 1

  1. 2 Timothy 3:4 προπετεῖς, reckless,

    traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

    Here: Literally 'falling forward', pitching headfirst. It describes people who rush into speech and action without thinking or holding back. The same word is used when the Ephesian town clerk tells the rioting crowd to 'do nothing rash' (Acts 19:36).

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