ἀδιά-κρῐτος G0087
Impartial, without making distinctions; unbiased in judgment or treatment
This rare adjective appears only in James 3:17 describing the wisdom from above as "impartial." The word literally means "undistinguishable" or "not making distinctions," conveying the idea of treating all people equally without favoritism. In Hellenistic usage it could mean "unmixed" or "not discriminated," but James employs it in the moral sense of fair-minded impartiality. The multilingual glosses consistently render this as impartiality (English, Spanish) or use the Greek transliteration (French), confirming this ethical nuance of divine wisdom that shows no partiality.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The sole New Testament occurrence in James 3:17 uses this term to characterize heavenly wisdom as morally impartial—making no unfair distinctions between persons. The Greek lexicon background shows the word family relates to "not discriminating" or "undistinguishable," which James applies to the ethical sphere: godly wisdom judges fairly without favoritism or bias based on external status. 1×
AR["غَيرُ-مُنحازَةٍ"]·ben["নিরপেক্ষ"]·DE["unparteiisch"]·EN["impartial"]·FR["ἀδιάκριτος"]·heb["בְּלִי־מַשְׂאֵי־פָנִים"]·HI["निष्पक्ष"]·ID["tidak-bimbang,"]·IT["adiakritos"]·jav["tanpa-pilih,"]·KO["편파-없고,"]·PT["imparcial"]·RU["беспристрастна,"]·ES["imparcial"]·SW["bila-upendeleo"]·TR["ayrımsız"]·urd["بے-طرف-دار٬"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀδιά-κρῐτος, ον, undistinguishable, mixed, Refs 5th c.BC+; not discriminated, Refs 5th c.AD+adverb -τως without distinction, in common, Refs 1st c.AD+ __b promiscuous, ἐπιμιξίαιRefs 1st c.BC+ __2 unintelligible, Refs 2nd c.BC+ __3 undecided, Refs 2nd c.AD+ __4 active, not making due distinctions, τὸ -τονRefs 1st c.AD+ __5 adverb -τως without examination, Refs 2nd c.AD+