ἄπιστος G0571
Unbelieving, faithless; as noun: an unbeliever; also incredible, unbelievable
Apistos (alpha-privative of pistos, 'faithful') carries a double edge in the New Testament. Most often it designates the unbeliever — one outside the community of faith — as when Paul contrasts believers and unbelievers in 1 Corinthians 6:6 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-15. Jesus himself uses it as a stinging rebuke: 'O faithless and perverse generation' (Matt 17:17; Mark 9:19; Luke 9:41). Spanish consistently renders this 'incrédulo,' while German 'ungläubig' mirrors the privative formation. A moral sense emerges in Luke 12:46 and Revelation 21:8, where apistos means faithless — disloyal and unreliable. Acts 26:8 preserves the classical Greek passive sense: 'Why is it judged incredible (apiston) that God raises the dead?'
1. unbelieving, unbeliever — One who does not believe, an unbeliever — the dominant New Testament usage. Applied substantivally to non-Christians (1 Cor 6:6; 7:12-15; 14:22-24; 2 Cor 6:14) and adjectivally as Jesus' rebuke of a 'faithless generation' (Matt 17:17; Mark 9:19). John 20:27 records the risen Christ telling Thomas 'be not unbelieving but believing' (me ginou apistos alla pistos). Spanish 'incrédulo' and German 'ungläubig' consistently mark absence of faith. 20×
AR["الكُفَّارِ","غَيرِ-المُؤمِنينَ","غَيرِ-المُؤمِنِ","غَيْرَ-مُؤْمِنٍ","غَيْرَ-مُؤْمِنَةً","غَيْرُ-المُؤْمِنَةُ","غَيْرُ-المُؤْمِنُ","غَيْرُ-مُؤْمِنٍ","غَيْرِ-المُؤْمِنينَ","غَيْرِ-مُؤْمِنينَ","كافِرٌ","كُفَّارٌ","مَعَ-غَيرِ-المُؤمِنينَ","مِن-غَيْرِ-المُؤْمِنِ"]·ben["অবিশ্বাসী","অবিশ্বাসী,","অবিশ্বাসীদের","অবিশ্বাসীদের!","অবিশ্বাসীদের,","অবিশ্বাসীদের;","অবিশ্বাসীর-চেয়ে","অবিশ্বাসীর?","অবিশ্বাসীরা,"]·DE["unglaeubig","ungläubig"]·EN["than-an-unbeliever","unbeliever","unbelievers","unbelieving","with-unbelievers"]·FR["incrédule"]·heb["חֲסְרֵי-אֱמוּנָה","חֲסַר-אֱמוּנָה","חֲסַר־אֱמוּנָה","לְלֹא-מַאֲמִינִים","לֹא-מַאֲמִין","לֹא-מַאֲמִינִים","לֹא-מַאֲמִינָה","מִ-חֲסַר-אֱמוּנָה"]·HI["अविशवअसि,","अविशवअसेए-से","अविश्वसि","अविश्वासियों","अविश्वासियों-के-साथ","अविश्वासी"]·ID["dengan-tidak-percaya","orang-tidak-percaya","orang-tidak-percaya!","orang-tidak-percaya,","tidak-beriman","tidak-percaya","tidak-percaya,","yang-tidak-percaya","yang-tidak-percaya,","yang-tidak-percaya;"]·IT["apistois","apistou","incredulo"]·jav["-ingkang-boten-pitados","boten-pitados","ingkang-mboten-pitados","ingkang-mboten-pitados,","mboten-pitados","mboten-pitados,","tanpa-pitados","tiyang-ingkang-boten-pitados","tiyang-mboten-pitados","tiyang-mboten-pitados!","tiyang-mboten-pitados;","tiyang-mboten-pitados?","tiyang-sanès-pitados,"]·KO["믿음-없고","믿음-없는","믿지-않는","믿지-않는-자","믿지-않는-자나","믿지-않는-자들-중에","믿지-않는-자들과","믿지-않는-자들에게","믿지-않는-자들의","믿지-않는-자들이","믿지-않는-자와","불신자","불신자가","불신자들","불신자들-에게는","불신자보다"]·PT["com-incrédulos","descrente","descrente,","descrentes,","incrédula","incrédulo","incrédulos","incrédulos,","incrédulos;","o-incrédulo","que-incrédulo"]·RU["неверного","неверное","неверный","неверным","неверующая,","неверующего,","неверующие","неверующий","неверующий,","неверующим","неверующих","неверующих!","неверующих,","неверующую,","с-неверующими"]·ES["con-incrédulos","incrédula","incrédulo","incrédulos","incrédulos!","que-incrédulo"]·SW["asiyeamini","asiyeamini,","asiyeamini?","kisicho-na-imani","kisichoamini","na-wasioamini;","wasioamini","wasioamini!","wasioamini,"]·TR["imansız","imansızdan","imansızla","imansızlara","imansızlara,","imansızların","için-","mi değil-","o-"]·urd["بے-ایمان","بے-ایمان-سے","بے-ایمانوں","بے-ایمانوں-کے","بے-ایمانوں-کے-ساتھ"]
Matt 17:17, Mark 9:19, Luke 9:41, John 20:27, 1 Cor 6:6, 1 Cor 7:12, 1 Cor 7:13, 1 Cor 7:14, 1 Cor 7:14, 1 Cor 7:15, 1 Cor 10:27, 1 Cor 14:22 (+8 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. unfaithful, faithless — Faithless, unfaithful, disloyal — emphasizing moral failure in commitment rather than intellectual absence of belief. In Luke 12:46 the wicked servant is assigned a portion with the 'unfaithful' (apistōn), and Revelation 21:8 lists the apistoi alongside murderers and liars in the lake of fire. The connotation shifts from 'not yet believing' to 'having broken faith,' closer to the classical Greek sense of untrustworthiness. 2×
AR["غَيْرُ المُؤْمِنينَ","غَيْرِ-المُؤْمِنِينَ"]·ben["অবিশ্বাসীদের"]·DE["unglaeubig","ungläubig"]·EN["unfaithful"]·FR["incrédule"]·heb["חַסְרֵי-אֱמוּנָה","לֹא-נֶאֱמָנִים"]·HI["अविश्वासियों"]·ID["orang-tidak-percaya","tidak-beriman"]·IT["apistois","incredulo"]·jav["ingkang-mboten-pracaya","tiyang-boten-pitados"]·KO["믿음-없는-자들과","불신자들과"]·PT["incrédulos"]·RU["неверным","неверными"]·ES["infieles","infieles,"]·SW["wasioamini","wasioamini,"]·TR["imansızların"]·urd["بے-ایمانوں"]
3. incredible, unbelievable — Incredible, unbelievable — the passive adjectival sense applied to propositions rather than persons. In Acts 26:8 Paul asks Agrippa: 'Why is it judged incredible (apiston) among you that God raises the dead?' Spanish 'increíble' captures this perfectly, showing the word's classical range where the alpha-privative negates the credibility of a claim rather than the faith of a person. 1×
AR["لَا-يُصَدَّقُ"]·ben["অবিশ্বাস্য"]·DE["ungläubig"]·EN["incredible"]·FR["incrédule"]·heb["לֹא־נֶאֱמָן"]·HI["अविश्वसनीय"]·ID["tidak-dapat-dipercaya"]·IT["incredulo"]·jav["mboten-pracaya"]·KO["믿을-수-없다고"]·PT["incrível"]·RU["невероятным"]·ES["increíble"]·SW["isiyoaminika"]·TR["inanılmaz"]·urd["ناقابل-یقین"]
Related Senses
G4102 1. faith, trust, belief (239×)G4100 1. believe / have faith in (233×)H0982 1. trust in, rely on (105×)H3988a 1. reject, refuse (56×)G4103 1. faithful, trustworthy, reliable (54×)H0530 1. faithfulness, fidelity, reliability (47×)H0539 1. believe, accept as true (42×)H3985 1. refuse, be unwilling (41×)H0539 2. faithful, trustworthy, sure (39×)H8582 1. lead astray, cause to err (22×)H2623 1. faithful ones / saints (community) (21×)G3982 1. be persuaded or convinced (19×)H8582 2. go astray, err morally (19×)G4105 1. to deceive, lead astray (18×)G3982 2. trust or have confidence in (17×)H2186a 1. reject, spurn (Qal) (16×)H3988a 2. despise, scorn (14×)G3982 3. persuade or convince someone (13×)G4103 2. believing, a believer (13×)G4105 2. to go astray, wander, err (13×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἄπιστος, ον, __I passive, not to be trusted, and so: __I.1 of persons and their acts, not trusty, faithless, ὑπερφίαλοι καὶ ἄ.Refs 8th c.BC+; δολοπλοκίαιRefs 6th c.BC+mistrusted, Refs 5th c.BC+; θράσει ἀ. ἐπαιρόμενος by untrustworthy, groundless confidence, Refs 5th c.BC+; shifty, unreliable, Refs 5th c.BC+ __I.2 of reports and the like, incredible, uncertain in Refs 7th c.BC+; τὸ ἐλπίδων ἄ.…