Greek word · G506

ἀνυπότακτος

anypotaktos

insubordinate

'Not subjected, not placed under'. Applied to people it can mean 'unruly, insubordinate'. It is a rare adjective formed from the negative prefix a(n)- and the verb hupotassō.

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

What it means

ἀνυπότακτος, -ον

(ά- neg., ὑποτάσσω) [in Sm.: 1 Kings 2:12 10:27 (for LXX, λοιμός, בֵּן בְּלִיַּעַל)* ;]

of things, not subject to rule: Hebrews 2:8; of persons, unruly: 1 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:6, 10 (MM, VGT, see word).†

(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 Hebrews 2:8

Range of meaning

'Not subjected, not placed under'. Applied to people it can mean 'unruly, insubordinate'. It is a rare adjective formed from the negative prefix a(n)- and the verb hupotassō.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'not put under / not subject' and YLT 'unsubjected' keep the link with the verb. BSB/ESV 'outside of his control' paraphrase it, and readers lose the wordplay and get a sense of management rather than rank.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Pastoral Letters it describes the 'insubordinate' (1 Tim 1:9; Titus 1:6, 10). Epictetus (Discourses 2.10.1) uses it of the human faculty of moral choice as 'unenslaved and unsubjected' to anything else.

From the study of 1 Timothy 1:9

Range of meaning

Not subjected, not placed under. It can describe something not yet brought under control (Heb 2:8), or a person who refuses to be ordered under rightful authority, meaning rebellious or insubordinate.

Against the English

KJV 'disobedient', BSB 'rebellious', WEB/YLT 'insubordinate'. 'Insubordinate' keeps the picture of refusing one's place in an order.

Used elsewhere in the period

Titus 1:6 uses it of children 'not insubordinate' and Titus 1:10 of 'many insubordinate men, empty talkers', who are the opponents. Related hypotassō language runs through the household codes.

From the study of Titus 1:10

Range of meaning

Built from a- ('not') + hypotassō ('to place under, put in order under'). Literally 'not placed under', 'unsubordinated'. Used neutrally of something not (yet) brought under control (Heb 2:8, 'nothing left not subject to him'), and negatively of people who refuse their place in a God-given or social order: 'unruly, insubordinate, undisciplined' (1 Tim 1:9; Titus 1:6, 10).

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'unruly' and ESV 'insubordinate' keep the idea of refusing order. BSB/NIV/NASB 'rebellious' is close but can suggest open revolt or political rebellion; the Greek is about refusing to fit into a structure of authority. YLT's 'insubordinate' is nearest the word's build.

How it drifted

No serious drift. 'Rebellious' leans a little toward dramatic revolt, while the Greek is about ordinary refusal to accept order.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare outside the NT. In Stoic writing (e.g. Epictetus) it can even be a compliment, describing a mind that is 'subject to nothing' outside itself. In the Pastoral Letters it is always negative, and it belongs to a word family that runs through Titus: wives, slaves and all believers are to be 'subject' (hypotassō, 2:5, 9; 3:1), so the household and church work in good order.

Where it appears

1 Timothy · 1

  1. 1 Timothy 1:9 ἀνυποτάκτοις, insubordinate,

    We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers,

    Here: People who will not place themselves under rightful authority. Elsewhere in the Pastoral Letters it describes rebellious children (Titus 1:6) and the false teachers themselves (Titus 1:10).

Titus · 2

  1. Titus 1:6 ἀνυπότακτα. insubordinate.

    An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.

    Here: 'Not submitting to order', refusing their proper place under the father's authority. Four verses later (1:10) the same word describes the troublemakers on Crete, so the elder's own house must not mirror the disorder he is appointed to correct.

  2. Titus 1:10 ἀνυπότακτοι, insubordinate,

    For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision,

    Here: People who refuse to take their place under rightful order and authority: here the apostolic teaching and the elders Titus appoints. It echoes 1:6, where an elder's children must not be 'insubordinate'.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 2:8 ἀνυπότακτον· unsubject;

    and placed everything under his feet.” When God subjected all things to him, He left nothing outside of his control. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.

    Here: 'Un-subjected': the same root with a negative prefix. Elsewhere in the New Testament it describes unruly people, but here it carries no moral charge; it just means 'not placed under him'.

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