Greek word · G843
αὐτοκατάκριτος
autokatakritos
self-condemned
"Self-condemned, condemned by one's own judgment or action". It is built from αὐτο- ("self") and κατάκριτος ("condemned, sentenced"), from κατακρίνω, a law-court word for passing a sentence against someone.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
αὐτο-κατά-κριτος, -ον
(αὐτός, κατακρίνω),
self-condemned: Titus 3:11 (Eccl., Cremer, 377; MM, 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
- Range of meaning
"Self-condemned, condemned by one's own judgment or action". It is built from αὐτο- ("self") and κατάκριτος ("condemned, sentenced"), from κατακρίνω, a law-court word for passing a sentence against someone.
- Against the English
Most versions say "self-condemned". KJV has "condemned of himself". NLT turns it into a cause: his own sins condemn him. The Vulgate's proprio iudicio condemnatus ("condemned by his own judgment") is close to the Greek.
- How it drifted
Modern ears may hear "self-condemned" as psychological: feeling guilty, inner shame, self-loathing. The Greek is a courtroom word. The point is the verdict, not a feeling.
- Used elsewhere in the period
This is the word's only use in the NT, and it is very rare in Greek before this. Most other uses are in later Christian writers echoing this verse, so its meaning has to come mainly from its parts and its context (BDAG). John Chrysostom (Homilies on Titus 6) explains it this way: such a man cannot say "no one told me, no one warned me"; having been warned, he condemns himself.
Where it appears
Titus · 1
-
Titus 3:11 αὐτοκατάκριτος.¶ self-condemned.
knowing that such a man is corrupt and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Here: "Condemned by himself". The verdict comes out of his own choices. He was warned, understood, and chose to go on, so no outside judge has to pronounce sentence. His conduct has already done it.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.