Greek word · G4586

σεμνός

semnos

noble

Originally 'revered, august', a word used of gods and holy things. Applied to people it means dignified, honourable, worthy of respect, serious in a good sense. Applied to things it means noble or honourable (Phil 4:8, 'whatever is honourable').

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

σεμνός, -ή, -όν

(σέβομαι), [in LXX: Proverbs 6:8 8:6 15:26, 2Ma.6:11 2Mac 6:28 2Mac 8:15, 4Ma.5:36 4Mac 7:15 4Mac 17:5 * ;]

1. reverend, august, venerable, in cl. of the gods and also of human beings.

2. grave, serious; of persons: 1 Timothy 3:8 3:11, Titus 2:2; of things: Philippians 4:8 (see Tr., Syn., § xcii; Cremer, 37; MM, xxii).†

(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 3:8

Range of meaning

Originally 'revered, august', a word used of gods and holy things. Applied to people it means dignified, honourable, worthy of respect, serious in a good sense. Applied to things it means noble or honourable (Phil 4:8, 'whatever is honourable').

Against the English

KJV and YLT 'grave' now sounds gloomy or solemn to most readers. ESV and BSB 'dignified' is closer. NIV 'worthy of respect' gets the social side of the word, the respect others give. The Vulgate's pudicos ('modest, chaste') narrows it toward sexual propriety.

How it drifted

In 1611, 'grave' meant weighty and respectable (compare Latin gravitas). Today it leans toward sombre, even funereal.

Used elsewhere in the period

A favourite virtue word in the Pastoral Letters: semnotēs in 1 Tim 2:2 and 3:4, semnos for women in 3:11 and for older men in Titus 2:2. The noun is common in Greek moral writing and in honorific inscriptions praising civic officials. LXX Prov 8:6 uses it of Wisdom's 'noble things'.

From the study of Philippians 4:8

Range of meaning

Venerable, august, revered, dignified, serious, worthy of respect. Its root is linked to the verb for revering or worshipping, and in classical Greek it is used of gods, holy places and sacred rites. Applied to people and conduct, it means a dignified, weighty character that earns respect.

Against the English

KJV 'honest' (which in 1611 meant honourable or decent, from the Latin honestus). BSB/ESV/NASB/WEB 'honorable', NIV 'noble', YLT 'grave'. 'Honorable' and 'noble' come closest. A modern reader hears KJV 'honest' as 'truthful', which is not the point.

How it drifted

English 'honest' narrowed after the 17th century from 'honourable, respectable, decent' to 'truthful, not lying'.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint, Wisdom says 'Hear me, for I will speak semna (weighty things)' (Prov 8:6), and 2 Macc 6:28 speaks of the 'semnoi and holy laws'. In the New Testament it describes church servants who are to be 'dignified' (1 Tim 3:8, 11; Titus 2:2).

From the study of Titus 2:2

Range of meaning

Worthy of reverence or respect; dignified, serious, honorable. In older Greek it was used of gods and holy things (the Furies were called the "Revered Goddesses," semnai theai), and then of people whose bearing commands respect. The noun semnotēs means dignity or seriousness.

Against the English

KJV and YLT "grave"; BSB, ESV, NASB "dignified"; NIV "worthy of respect"; WEB "sensible." "Grave" in 1611 meant weighty and serious; today it sounds gloomy or solemn. WEB's "sensible" moves the word toward the meaning of sōphrōn and loses the idea of dignity.

How it drifted

English "grave" narrowed over time toward "somber, ominous" (a grave situation), and it is also heard alongside the burial "grave."

Used elsewhere in the period

Philippians 4:8, "whatever is honorable (semna)"; deacons (1 Tim 3:8) and women (1 Tim 3:11) must be semnos; 1 Tim 2:2 and 3:4 use semnotēs. Common in Hellenistic moral writing and honorific inscriptions to praise respectable citizens.

Where it appears

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 4:8 σεμνά, venerable,

    Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.

    Here: What carries a weight that commands respect, even awe: dignified, serious, worthy of reverence. In Greek it was used of gods, temples and holy rites. Its opposite is the cheap, the trivial and the degrading.

1 Timothy · 2

  1. 1 Timothy 3:8 σεμνούς, [must be] dignified,

    Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.

    Here: People whose bearing and conduct earn respect: serious, honourable, not frivolous or cheap. This is the positive heading for the three 'nots' that follow.

  2. 1 Timothy 3:11 σεμνάς, [must be] dignified,

    In the same way, the women must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things.

    Here: Conduct so serious and decent that it earns other people's respect. It is the first quality required of deacons in 3:8, word for word.

Titus · 1

  1. Titus 2:2 σεμνούς, dignified,

    Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance.

    Here: Carrying a weight and seriousness that earns respect. The word once belonged to the language of the sacred and the venerable, and still suggests a dignity that others look up to, not stiffness or gloom.

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