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Bible Lexicons

Old & New Testament Greek Lexical DictionaryGreek Lexicon

Strong's #3152 - μάταιος

Transliteration
mátaios
Phonetics
mat'-ah-yos
Origin
from the base of (G3155)
Parts of Speech
Adjective
TDNT
4:519,571
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ματαιότης
Definition   
Thayer's
  1. devoid of force, truth, success, result
  2. useless, of no purpose
Hebrew Equivalent Words:
Strong #: 205 ‑ אָוֶן (aw'‑ven);  392 ‑ אַכְזִיב (ak‑zeeb');  457 ‑ אֱלִיל (el‑eel');  1892 ‑ הֲבֵל (heh'‑bel, hab‑ale');  2403 ‑ חַטָּאָה (khat‑taw‑aw', khat‑tawth');  2600 ‑ חִנָּם (khin‑nawm');  3577 ‑ כָּזָב (kaw‑zawb');  7386 ‑ רֵק (rake, rake);  7723 ‑ שַׁו (shawv, shav);  8163 ‑ שָׂעִר (saw‑eer', saw‑eer');  8414 ‑ תֹּהוּ (to'‑hoo);  
Frequency Lists
Verse Results
KJV (6)
Acts 1
1 Corinthians 2
Titus 1
James 1
1 Peter 1
NAS (7)
Acts 2
1 Corinthians 2
Titus 1
James 1
1 Peter 1
HCS (6)
Acts 1
1 Corinthians 2
Titus 1
James 1
1 Peter 1
BSB (6)
Acts 1
1 Corinthians 2
Titus 1
James 1
1 Peter 1
ESV (6)
Acts 1
1 Corinthians 2
Titus 1
James 1
1 Peter 1
WEB (6)
Acts 1
1 Corinthians 2
Titus 1
James 1
1 Peter 1
Liddell-Scott-Jones Definitions

μάται-ος [ μᾰ], α, ον

A. Pr. 331, Th. 442, Ag. 422 (lyr.), etc.; also ος, ον ib. 1151, Ch. 82, Eu. 337 (all lyr.), S. OC 780, E. IT 628, Pl. Sph. 231b, D. 1.18: (μάτη):

I vain, empty, idle:

1 of words, acts, etc., μάταια νομίζομεν Thgn. 141, cf. 487, 492, etc.; μ. λόγοι idle tales or words, Hdt. 7.10. ή; μ. ἔπεα ib. 11; δόξαι φέρουσαι χάριν μ. A. Ag. 422 (lyr.); μ. ὑλάγματα, ποιφύγματα, ib. 1672, Th. 281; μ. εὐχή E.l.c.; μάταια βάζειν τινά Id. Hipp. 119; μ. τι δρᾶσαί τινα Id. Cyc. 662 (lyr.); μ. ἂν εἴη πόνος Pl. Ti. 40d; μ. ἡδονή S.l.c.; δοξοσοφία Pl. Sph. l.c.; ὄρεξις Arist. EN 1094a21; τὰ μ. ἀναλώματα useless expenses, POxy. 58.20 (iii A.D.); but also, μ. ἔπος a word of offence, Hdt. 3.120.

2. of persons, empty, foolish, ματαιότεροι νόον Thgn. 1025, cf. Hdt. 2.173, S. Tr. 863, 888 (lyr.), Ar. V. 338, Amips. 9 (Sup.); φῦλον ματαιότατον Pi. P. 3.21; worthless, S. Ant. 1339 (lyr.).

II rash, irreverent, profane, freq. in A., μ. γλῶσσα Pr. l.c., Ag. 1662 (troch.); φρονήματα Th. 438; αὐτουργίαι μ., of matricide and the like, Eu. l.c.; χαρὰ μ. mad merriment, Th. 442; μ. ἀνοσίων τε κνωδάλων Supp. 762; τὸ μὴ μ. seriousness, gravity, ib. 198; ψαύειν ματαίαις χερσί S. Tr. 565.

III Adv. - ως idly, without ground, ib. 940, Emp. 39.2, E. Fr. 908.4; ὀχλεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις Aen.Tact. 6.1; μ. ἐρεῖν to no purpose, Pl. 331d; ταλαιπωρῆσαι Polystr. p.31 W.

Thayer's Expanded Definition

μάταιος, μάταια (1 Corinthians 15:17; (1 Peter 1:18)), μάταιον, also μάταιος, μάταιον (James 1:26; Titus 3:9) (cf. WHs Appendix, p. 157; Winer's Grammar, § 11, 1) (from μάτην), the Sept. for הֶבֶל, שָׁוְא, כָּזָב (a lie), etc.; as in secular authors (Latincanus) devoid of force, truth, success, result (A. V. uniformly vain): universally, θρησκεία, James 1:26; useless, to no purpose, πίστις, 1 Corinthians 15:17; foolish, διαλογισμοί, 1 Corinthians 3:20; ζητήσεις, Titus 3:9; given to vain things and leading away from salvation, ἀναστροφή, 1 Peter 1:18. τά μάταια, vain things, vanities, of heathen deities and their worship (הֶבֶל, Jeremiah 2:5; Jeremiah 10:3; הַהֶבֶל אַחֲרֵי יָלַך, πορεύεσθαι ὀπίσω τῶν ματαίων, 2 Kings 17:15; הֲבָלִים, μάταια, Jeremiah 8:19; εἴδωλα, Deuteronomy 32:21; Jeremiah 14:22): Acts 14:15. (Cf. Trench, Synonyms, § xlix.)


Thayer's Expanded Greek Definition, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights rserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com
Abbott-Smith Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament

μάταιος , -ον

(as in Att.., but -αία , -αιον , 1 Corinthians 15:17, 1 Peter 1:18; <μάτην ),

[in LXX for H7723, H1892, H3577, etc.;]

vain, useless: ἀνωφελὴς κ . μ ., Titus 3:9; πίστις , 1 Corinthians 15:17; θρησκεία , James 1:26; διαλογισμοί , 1 Corinthians 3:20 (LXX); ἀναστροφή , 1 Peter 1:18; of idols and heathen gods, τὰ μ . (Jeremiah 2:5, 2 Kings 17:15, al.): Acts 14:15.

SYN.: κενός G2756, q.v.


Abbott-Smith Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament.
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
Vocabulary of the Greek NT

P Oxy I. 58.20 (A.D. 288) τὰ μάταια ἀναλώματα, ";useless expense."; For the adv. see P Oxy VII. 1027.10 (i/A.D.) (= Chrest. II. p. 221) δι᾽ οὗ ματαίως εἱστορεῖ περί τε τοῦ ἀγνοεῖν α [ ]τὸν τὴν τῶν ἐμοὶ γενη [μένων ] (l. γεγενη –) ἀσφαλιῶν θέσιν, ";wherein he vainly relates that he was ignorant of the securities which had been given to me"; (Ed.), and the sepulchral inscr. Kaibel 298.2 f.—

Τίς τοὐμὸν δύστηνον ἐπ᾽ οὔνομα γράψε τὸ χαῖρε;

τίς κωφὴν ματέως θήκατό μοι χάριτα;

The fluctuation between the fem , μάταιος (Titus 3:9, James 1:26) and ματαία (1 Corinthians 15:17, 1 Peter 1:18) is found also in classical texts (Moulton Gr. ii. § 64). In Vett. Val. p. 356.16 μάταια = ";res viles,"; and in ib. p. 276.21 μάταιοι = ";inepti"; : see Kroll’s Index, p. 404.

 


The Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament.
Copyright © 1914, 1929, 1930 by James Hope Moulton and George Milligan. Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Derivative Copyright © 2015 by Allan Loder.
List of Word Forms
ματαια ματαία μάταια μάταιά μάταιαι ματαίαν ματαιας ματαίας ματαιοι μάταιοι ματαίοις μάταιον ματαιος μάταιος ματαίους ματαίω ματαιων ματαίων mataia mataía mataias mataías mataioi mátaioi mataion mataiōn mataíon mataíōn mataios mátaios
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