ἄλογος (alogos)
alogos
unreasonable
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective alogos describes something as irrational or devoid of reason. Its core meaning is straightforward: it denotes a lack of logical faculty or speech. The word combines a negative prefix with the root for "word" or "reason," literally translating to "without reason." In the New Testament, this term appears only three times, making its usage quite rare and specific.
In two instances, Jude and 2 Peter, the word describes beasts or animals. Here it highlights that these creatures act on instinct rather than moral understanding, contrasting their nature with human accountability. The texts suggest that such beings are driven by forces beyond rational choice, operating outside the sphere of ethical reasoning.
The third occurrence is in Acts 25:27, where King Agrippa speaks to Festus. He notes that it seems unreasonable to send a prisoner without clearly stating the charges against him. In this context, alogos does not describe an animal but an absurd or illogical situation. It points to a failure of proper procedure and clarity, marking the action as contrary to sound judgment.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Greek word alogos literally means "without reason" or "unreasonable." It combines a negative prefix with the root for "word" or "reason," pointing to a lack of logical faculty. In the New Testament, this term appears only three times, making its usage quite rare and specific.
In two instances, Jude and 2 Peter, the word describes beasts or animals. Here it highlights that these creatures act on instinct rather than moral understanding, contrasting their nature with human accountability. The texts suggest that such beings are driven by forces beyond rational choice, operating outside the sphere of ethical reasoning.
The third occurrence is in Acts 25:27, where King Agrippa speaks to Festus. He notes that it seems unreasonable to send a prisoner without clearly stating the charges against him. In this context, alogos does not describe an animal but an absurd or illogical situation. It points to a failure of proper procedure and clarity, marking the action as contrary to sound judgment.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- irrational2×
- Absurd1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἄλογα2×
- ἄλογον1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 25:27
For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to also specify the charges against him.”
This verse uses the word to describe an administrative absurdity rather than an animal, highlighting a failure of legal procedure.
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II Peter 2:12
But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed,
Here the term contrasts human moral accountability with the instinctual nature of beasts that act without ethical understanding.
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Jude 1:10
But these speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. They are destroyed in these things that they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason.
The author compares false teachers to creatures driven by natural instinct, emphasizing their lack of spiritual discernment.