δεισιδαιμονία (deisidaimonia)
deisidaimonia
religion
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun deisidaimonia captures a complex attitude toward the divine that sits on a fine line between piety and obsession. Derived from words meaning "fear" and "god," it originally described a deep reverence for the gods, but in common Greek usage of the first century, it often carried a negative connotation of superstition or excessive religious anxiety.
This dual nature is evident in its single New Testament appearance in Acts 25:19. The Apostle Paul uses the term to describe the Jewish accusations against him, noting that they argued about their own religion and a certain Jesus who had died but whom Paul claimed was alive. Here, the word highlights a rigid, possibly superstitious adherence to traditional beliefs rather than an open engagement with the new reality of the resurrection.
Translators typically render it as "religious" or "superstition," depending on context. The term serves as a reminder that intense devotion can sometimes slip into fear-based rigidity, distinguishing genuine faith from a anxious need to control spiritual outcomes through ritual or strict adherence.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word deisidaimonia describes a heavy kind of religiosity driven by fear rather than trust. It captures the anxiety of trying to control spiritual outcomes through strict rules or rituals. This is not the free confidence found in the gospel, but a tense clinging to tradition out of dread.
In Acts 25:19, Paul encounters this mindset when Jewish leaders press charges against him based on their own rigid religious standards. They focus on technical disputes rather than the living reality of Jesus. This word warns us that devotion can become a cage if it is rooted in fear instead of faith.
True faith invites us to rest in Christ’s finished work, not to earn favor through anxious performance. When we feel the weight of religious pressure, remember that God desires our trust, not our terror. Let this word encourage you to seek a relationship with God that is simple, honest, and free from unnecessary burden.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- religion1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- δεισιδαιμονίας1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 25:19
but had certain questions against him about their own religion and about one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
Paul uses this term to highlight how the Jewish leaders' rigid adherence to their own religious traditions created a barrier to understanding the resurrection of Jesus.