Greek word · G4490
ῥητῶς
rētōs
expressly
"Expressly, explicitly, in so many words." Formed from rhētos ("stated, spoken"). Used in Greek writers when quoting or appealing to something a text or law states outright, as opposed to something inferred.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
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 4:1
- Range of meaning
"Expressly, explicitly, in so many words." Formed from rhētos ("stated, spoken"). Used in Greek writers when quoting or appealing to something a text or law states outright, as opposed to something inferred.
- Against the English
"Expressly" (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV) and "explicitly" (NASB) both fit. NLT/NIV "clearly" softens it a little: the point is not only clarity but that it was actually said.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Found in Hellenistic historians and in Philo when citing what a source explicitly says (BDAG). This is its only appearance in the NT.
Where it appears
1 Timothy · 1
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1 Timothy 4:1 ῥητῶς expressly
Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
Here: "In so many words": the warning was stated outright, not hinted at or worked out by inference. This is the only place the word appears in the NT.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.