ἀθῷος G0121
innocent, guiltless, free from blame or deserving no punishment
This adjective describes one who is innocent, guiltless, or free from deserving punishment. In Matthew 27, it appears twice regarding Jesus' crucifixion: Judas confesses he betrayed 'innocent blood' (27:4), and Pilate declares himself innocent of 'this righteous man's blood' (27:24). The word emphasizes lack of guilt or culpability, one who does not deserve the punishment threatened or imposed. It's particularly powerful in Matthew's passion narrative: multiple witnesses acknowledge Jesus' innocence even as they participate in His execution. The innocent one suffers for the guilty.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Cross-linguistic glosses uniformly emphasize innocence—Spanish 'Inocente/inocente,' French 'innocent,' German preserving Greek forms with case variations. Both Matthew 27 passages involve declarations of Jesus' innocence: Judas's guilty confession (27:4) and Pilate's self-serving claim (27:24). The multilingual evidence supports this as guiltless, free from deserving punishment. The irony is stark: the innocent one acknowledged by betrayer and judge alike is nevertheless condemned. It's innocence testified even by those complicit in its destruction. 2×
AR["بَرِيءٌ", "بَرِيئًا"]·ben["নির্দোষ"]·DE["ἀθῷον", "Ἀθῷός"]·EN["Innocent", "innocent"]·FR["innocent"]·heb["נָקִי"]·HI["निर्दोष"]·ID["Tidak-bersalah", "tidak-bersalah"]·IT["innocente"]·jav["Resik", "ingkang-boten-lepat."]·KO["무죄하다", "무죄한"]·PT["Inocente", "inocente"]·RU["Невиновен", "невинную"]·ES["Inocente", "inocente"]·SW["Sina-hatia", "isiyo-na-hatia"]·TR["Suçsuz", "suçsuz"]·urd["بے-گُناہ"]
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
ἀθῷος, ον, (θωά, Ionic dialect θωιή):— scot-free, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἀθῴους καθιστάναι τινάς to secure their immunity, Refs; ἀ. ἀπαλλάττειν or -εσθαι to get off scot-free, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 with genitive, free from a thing, πληγῶνRefs 5th c.BC+; ἀ. ἀδικημάτων unpunished for offences, Refs 4th c.BC+ __3 unharmed by, ἀθῷος τῆς Φιλίππου.. δυναστείαςRefs 4th c.BC+ __II not deserving punishment,…