ἀναντίρρητος (anantirrētos)
anantirrētos
indisputable
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective anantirrētos describes something that cannot be successfully challenged or denied. Its core meaning is "undeniable" or "indisputable," referring to a fact or truth so clear that no reasonable objection can be raised against it. The word combines a negative prefix with roots related to speaking or arguing, literally suggesting a case that admits no counter-argument.
This term appears only once in the New Testament, in Acts 19:36. The city clerk uses it to calm a riotous crowd in Ephesus by pointing out that their local deities are not subject to reproach. By calling the goddess Artemis anantirrētos, he asserts that her status and reputation are beyond legitimate dispute, using the word’s forceful certainty to restore order.
The vocabulary choice highlights a rhetorical strategy common in ancient civic life: appealing to established, unchallengeable facts to settle conflict. Translators typically render it as "indisputable" or "beyond reproach," capturing the sense that the subject at hand is secure against criticism. The word serves as a linguistic tool for establishing finality in public discourse.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word anantirrētos describes a truth so clear it cannot be successfully challenged or denied. In Acts 19:36, the city clerk uses this term to calm a riotous crowd in Ephesus. He points out that the local goddess Artemis is beyond reproach, using this indisputable fact to restore order and stop the chaos.
For your faith, this reminds us that some truths are settled. We do not need to argue endlessly about what God has already revealed. When we face confusion or conflict, we can look for the solid ground of undeniable reality. This brings peace because we stop striving to prove what is already established.
Trust in the clarity of Scripture. Let it guide your steps when the world around you feels noisy and uncertain. You are invited to rest in the certainty of God's word.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Undeniable1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἀναντιρρήτων1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 19:36
Seeing then that these things can’t be denied, you ought to be quiet and to do nothing rash.
The city clerk uses this term to assert that the goddess Artemis is beyond legitimate criticism, thereby calming the riotous crowd by appealing to an accepted civic fact.