STRONGS G1175:
δεισιδαιμονία,
-ας,
ἡ, (
δεισιδαίμων),
fear of the gods;
1. in a good sense,
reverence for the gods, piety, religion: Polybius 6, 56, 7; Josephus, Antiquities 10, 3, 2;
καὶ θεοφιλής βίος, Diodorus 1, 70.
2. equivalent to
ἡ δειλία πρὸς τὸ δαιμόνιον (Theophrastus, char. 16 (22) at the beginning [cf. Jebb, p. 263f]);
superstition: [Polybius 12, 24, 5]; Plutarch [Sol. 12, 4]; Alex. 75, 1; de adulat. et am. 25, and in his Essay
περὶ τῆς δεισιδαιμονίας; Antoninus 6, 30
θεοσεβὴς χωρὶς δεισιδαιμονίας.
3. religion, in an objective sense; in which sense Josephus, Antiquities 19, 5, 3, says Claudius commanded the Jews
μὴ τὰς τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν δεισιδαιμονίας ἐξουδενίζειν. Festus in the presence of Agrippa the Jewish king employs the word ambiguously and cautiously, in
Acts 25:19, of the Jewish religion, namely, so as to leave his own judgment concerning its truth in suspense. Cf.
Zezschwitz, Profangräcität u. Biblical Sprachgeist, p. 59; [
K. F. Hermann, Lehrb. d. gottesdienstl. Alterthümer, § 8 note 6; Trench, § xlviii.; (cf.
Kenrick, Biblical Essays, 1864, p. 108ff;
Field, Otium Norv. iii., p. 80f)].
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com
BLB Scripture Index of Thayer's