Search / G0411
ἀνεκ-διήγητος G0411
Adj-DFS  |  1× in 1 sense
indescribable, inexpressible, beyond adequate description
This adjective captures what cannot be fully narrated or described. Paul uses it in 2 Corinthians 9:15 to characterize God's gift—so magnificent that human language falls short. The term appears in later Christian writings to describe ineffable divine realities. Spanish and English translations both choose 'indescribable/indescriptible,' while French opts for 'inexprimable' (inexpressible). German renders it 'unaussprechlich' (unspeakable), emphasizing the impossibility of adequate verbal expression.

Senses
1. sense 1 Beyond adequate description (2 Cor 9:15). Paul applies this to God's gift—likely Christ himself or the gospel more broadly. The convergence of Romance and Germanic translations on terms meaning 'beyond description' or 'beyond expression' shows this is not merely difficult to describe but categorically transcends human linguistic capacity. The word conveys not confusion but awestruck inability to capture the magnitude.
COMMUNICATION Communication Auto-detected community 9012 with 4 senses
AR["العَجيبَةِ-وَلا-توصَفُ"]·ben["অবর্ণনীয়"]·DE["unaussprechlich"]·EN["indescribable"]·FR["inexprimable"]·heb["מַתְּנַת-לֹא-תְסֻפָּר"]·HI["अवर्णनीय"]·ID["yang-tak-terkatakan"]·IT["inesplicabile"]·jav["mboten-saged-kacariyosaké"]·KO["말할-수-없는"]·PT["indescritível"]·RU["неизречённый"]·ES["indescriptible"]·SW["isiyoelezeka"]·TR["tarifsiz"]·urd["بیان-سے-باہر"]

Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)

BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀνεκ-διήγητος, ον, indescribable, ineffable, NT+5th c.AD+