Greek word · G761

ἀσάλευτος

asaleutos

unshakable

'Not shaken', 'not tossed': from saleuō, which is used of the sea's tossing and of earthquakes. It means immovable, steady.

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

What it means

ἀ-σάλευτος, -ον

(σαλεύω), [in LXX: Exodus 13:16, Deuteronomy 6:8 11:18 (טוֹפָפָה)* ;]

unmoved, immovable: Acts 27:41; metaphorically, Hebrews 12:28.†

(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 Acts 27:41

Range of meaning

'Not shaken', 'not tossed': from saleuō, which is used of the sea's tossing and of earthquakes. It means immovable, steady.

Against the English

'Immovable', 'would not move', 'remained unmoveable': all accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used in Greek for anything fixed and stable. In the New Testament it appears only here and in Hebrews 12:28 ('a kingdom that cannot be shaken').

From the study of Hebrews 12:28

Range of meaning

Unshaken, immovable, stable. It comes from saleuō, 'to shake, toss', used of the sea, of earthquakes and of unsettled minds.

Against the English

'Unshakable' (BSB), 'cannot be shaken' (ESV, NIV, WEB, YLT) and 'cannot be moved' (KJV) are all accurate. 'Moved' loses the verbal link with the shaking in vv. 26–27.

Used elsewhere in the period

Acts 27:41: the ship's bow 'stuck fast, immovable'. In the Greek Old Testament it describes the phylacteries 'fixed' between the eyes (Exodus 13:16; Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18). Its root verb appears in Haggai 2:6, which Hebrews quotes in 12:26: 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.'

Where it appears

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 27:41 ἀσάλευτος, immovable,

    But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was being broken up by the pounding of the waves.

    Here: 'Unshakable': the waves could not move the bow at all. The same adjective describes the kingdom that 'cannot be shaken' in Hebrews 12:28. Here it is purely physical.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 12:28 ἀσάλευτον not to be shaken

    Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.

    Here: Picks up the shaking language of vv. 26–27 (saleuō, 'shake'). Sinai shook and creation will be shaken, but this kingdom cannot be.

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