βάρβαρος (barbaros)
barbaros
barbarian
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The adjective barbaros describes someone whose speech sounds rough or unintelligible to a Greek listener. In the ancient world, it identified foreigners who did not speak Greek, carrying an early connotation of rudeness or brutality that emerged after conflicts with Persia. The New Testament uses the term without this negative judgment, simply marking linguistic difference.
This word appears five times in Scripture, notably in Romans 1:14 where Paul notes his readiness to preach to both Greeks and barbarians, and in Acts 28:2 and 28:4 during Paul’s shipwreck on Malta. In Colossians 3:11 and 1 Corinthians 14:11, it highlights the breakdown of cultural barriers, showing that ethnic or linguistic labels no longer divide believers.
Its root likely mimics the sound "bar-bar," representing unintelligible noise to Greek ears. By using this term for outsiders without reproach, the New Testament writers emphasize that the gospel transcends language and culture, treating all people as equal recipients of grace regardless of their native tongue.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word barbaros originally described anyone whose speech sounded like unintelligible noise to Greek ears. It marked a sharp line between those who spoke the common language and everyone else, often carrying a sense of cultural distance or even disdain. In the ancient world, this label defined identity by what you lacked: fluency, refinement, and shared custom.
The New Testament reclaims this term, stripping away its shame. Paul lists himself as a debtor to both Greeks and barbarians (Romans 1:14), showing that the gospel does not require cultural assimilation. In Colossians 3:11, he places 'barbarian' alongside Jew and Greek, declaring that Christ dissolves these old divisions. Your native tongue or background is not a barrier to grace.
This word reminds us that God’s love crosses every linguistic and ethnic boundary. You do not need to adopt a specific culture to belong. The church is a place where every voice, even those sounding foreign to our ears, finds a home in Christ. This inclusion is a gift, inviting us to see neighbors across all differences as equal heirs of hope.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to barbarians,1×
- the natives1×
- natives1×
- a foreigner;1×
- a foreigner1×
- Barbarian,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- βάρβαροι2×
- βάρβαρος·1×
- βάρβαρος,1×
- βάρβαρος1×
- βαρβάροις,1×
Key Verses
-
Romans 1:14
I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish.
Paul explicitly includes himself among those indebted to 'barbarians,' showing the gospel's reach extends beyond the educated elite to all linguistic groups.
-
Colossians 3:11
where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, or free person; but Christ is all, and in all.
This verse lists 'barbarian' alongside social and ethnic categories, emphasizing that Christ’s presence makes these distinctions irrelevant in the community of believers.
-
I Corinthians 14:11
If then I don’t know the meaning of the language, I would be to him who speaks a foreigner, and he who speaks would be a foreigner to me.
Paul uses the concept to illustrate that without shared language, communication breaks down into mutual unintelligibility, highlighting the need for order and understanding in worship.