Greek word · G818

ἀτιμάζω

atimazō

to dishonor

To dishonor, insult, treat with contempt, disgrace; to deprive of τιμή (honor, status, worth).

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀτιμάζω

(ἄτιμος), [in LXX for בּוּז, קָלָה, etc. ;]

to dishonour, insult: Mark 12:4, TTr., mg., WH, Luke 20:11, John 8:49, Romans 2:23, James 2:6; pass.: Acts 5:41, Romans 1:24 (cf ἀτιμάω).†

(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 Romans 1:24

Range of meaning

To dishonor, insult, treat with contempt, disgrace; to deprive of τιμή (honor, status, worth).

Against the English

"Dishonor" (KJV, ESV, BSB, NASB) keeps the honor language. NIV's "degrading" and NLT's "vile and degrading things" convey the shame but lose the verbal link to honor and glory that runs through the passage.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used of the tenants who "treated shamefully" the owner's servant (Luke 20:11). Paul turns the same verb on his Jewish conversation partner in Rom 2:23: "through breaking the law you dishonor God". The cognate noun appears in 1:26 ("passions of dishonor") and 9:21 (a vessel "for dishonor").

From the study of James 2:6

Range of meaning

To deprive someone of timē (honor, worth, standing). It means to dishonor, insult, treat shamefully or with contempt. It covers both the act and the public result: someone has been made smaller in the eyes of others. NT uses include the tenants who 'treated shamefully' the master's servant (Mark 12:4; Luke 20:11), dishonoring one's body (Rom 1:24), and 'you dishonor me' (John 8:49; Rom 2:23 'dishonor God').

Against the English

BSB, WEB, ESV, NASB and NIV say 'dishonored', which is accurate. The KJV's 'despised' now sounds like an inner feeling of loathing. In 1611 it meant 'looked down on', but even that makes it an attitude, while the Greek describes something done publicly to a person's standing.

How it drifted

Modern English 'despise' has narrowed to intense dislike. 'Dishonor' has also weakened for modern readers, who no longer live in a culture where public standing decided a person's place in society.

Used elsewhere in the period

The closest parallel is LXX Proverbs 14:21: ho atimazōn penētas hamartanei, 'the one who dishonors the poor sins; but the one who shows mercy to the poor is blessed.' James is probably echoing this wisdom tradition. In Greek literature generally, atimia could even be a legal status: loss of civic rights.

From the study of John 8:49

Range of meaning

To deprive of honor; to treat with contempt, insult, disgrace, humiliate. It is often public and often through words or physical abuse. It is the opposite of timaō: the a- prefix negates, as in 'un-honor'.

Against the English

'Dishonor' is accurate but sounds mild and abstract today. The Greek describes an act of shaming that lowers someone's standing in front of others. Here the act is calling a Jewish teacher a 'Samaritan' and a madman in the temple courts.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 12:4 and Luke 20:11: the tenants 'treated shamefully' the owner's servant. Acts 5:41: the apostles rejoiced to be 'dishonored' for the Name. Rom 1:24: bodies 'dishonored'. Septuagint Prov 14:31 uses a related term for insulting the Maker by oppressing the poor.

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 12:4 ἠτίμασαν. dishonored.

    Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 20:11 ἀτιμάσαντες having dishonored

    So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed.

John · 1

  1. John 8:49 ἀτιμάζετέ dishonor

    “I do not have a demon,” Jesus replied, “but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.

    Here: The direct opposite of timaō: to strip someone of honor, to insult or humiliate them in public. Their slur ('Samaritan, demon-possessed') is exactly such an act, and the present tense says they are doing it right now.

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 5:41 ἀτιμασθῆναι· to suffer dishonor;

    The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

    Here: "To be stripped of honour": the public humiliation of being flogged by the authorities. This is a loss of public standing, not an inner feeling of shame.

Romans · 2

  1. Romans 1:24 ἀτιμάζεσθαι to dishonor

    Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another.

    Here: To strip of honor or treat with contempt. The form can be read as "that they dishonor (their bodies)" or "that (their bodies) be dishonored". It mirrors their refusal to give God glory (1:21, 23).

  2. Romans 2:23 ἀτιμάζεις; dishonor you?

    You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

James · 1

  1. James 2:6 ἠτιμάσατε dishonored

    But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?

    Here: 'You dishonored.' The simple past tense points back to one specific act: sending the poor man to stand or sit by the footstool (vv.2–3). It is a public act of shaming, not only an inner attitude.

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