ἀλαζών (alazōn)
alazōn
braggart
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun alazōn describes a braggart or an empty pretender who seeks attention through loud and flaunting behavior. Its root connects to the idea of vagrancy or wandering, suggesting someone who is spiritually or morally unmoored. In this sense, it implies an impostor who projects a false image of importance rather than possessing genuine substance.
Scripture uses this term sparingly but pointedly to characterize specific types of moral decay. Paul lists alazōns among the dangerous traits of the last days in 2 Timothy 3:2, alongside arrogance and conceit. He also includes them in his portrait of a corrupt society in Romans 1:30. The word highlights a hollow self-promotion that stands in stark contrast to Christian humility.
Translators typically render this word as "boasters" or "vain-glorious," capturing the essence of someone who gives themselves airs. It is distinct from simple pride because it involves a performative aspect, a public display of superiority by one who lacks true merit. The term serves as a warning against the emptiness of self-exaltation.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word translated as "boastful" here describes a person who performs for an audience, projecting importance they do not truly possess. It is more than simple pride; it is a hollow show of superiority designed to draw eyes and admiration. In the ancient world, this was often linked to wandering vagrants who had no real home or standing, relying entirely on loud claims to survive socially.
Paul warns that such behavior marks a society drifting from God. When we feel the urge to inflate our own image, we are echoing that same emptiness. The Christian path invites us toward quiet integrity instead of public performance. We find our worth not in how loudly we speak of ourselves, but in the steady love and humility we show to others.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- boastful,2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἀλαζόνες,1×
- ἀλαζόνας,1×
Key Verses
-
Romans 1:30
backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Paul places this trait among other signs of a heart turned away from God, showing how boastfulness fits into a broader pattern of moral decay.
-
II Timothy 3:2
For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
This verse identifies self-centered boasting as a defining characteristic of difficult times, warning believers to recognize these behaviors in the culture around them.