Greek word · G579

ἀπόβλητος

apoblētos

rejected

From apo ('away') + ballō ('throw'): to be thrown away, cast off, rejected as worthless. Adjectives ending in -tos often mean 'able to be' or 'deserving to be,' so here: 'something that ought to be thrown out.'

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀπό-βλητος, -ον

(ἀποβάλλω), [in Aq.: Leviticus 7:18, al.; Sm.: Hosea 9:3 (טָמֵא) ;]

to be thrown away, rejected: 1 Timothy 4:4 (Hom., Plut.).†

(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 4:4

Range of meaning

From apo ('away') + ballō ('throw'): to be thrown away, cast off, rejected as worthless. Adjectives ending in -tos often mean 'able to be' or 'deserving to be,' so here: 'something that ought to be thrown out.'

Against the English

'Rejected' (WEB, BSB) and 'refused' (KJV) are fair. 'Thrown out' or 'spurned' keeps more of the physical image of pushing away the dish.

Used elsewhere in the period

Found only here in the NT. A well-known classical parallel is Homer, Iliad 3.65, where Paris tells Hector: 'the glorious gifts of the gods are not to be cast aside (ou toi apoblēt')' (compare Iliad 2.361). Commentators often cite it. It shows the word was naturally used of refusing a gift from the gods.

Similar words

Where it appears

1 Timothy · 1

  1. 1 Timothy 4:4 ἀπόβλητον to be rejected

    For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,

    Here: Literally 'throw-away-able': something you would toss aside as worthless or unclean. This is the only place it occurs in the New Testament. Its form expresses what *should* be done (it 'is not to be' rejected), not just what is done.

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