ἐπιθᾰνάτ-ιος G1935
condemned to death, destined for execution
An adjective meaning sentenced to death or doomed to die, often used of gladiators or condemned criminals. In 1 Corinthians 4:9, Paul says God has exhibited the apostles 'as condemned to death' (ἐπιθανατίους), last of all, like men sentenced to the arena. The term evokes public spectacle of the doomed, displayed for entertainment before inevitable execution. Paul uses this stark image to contrast apostolic suffering with Corinthian pride.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Paul employs vivid arena imagery to describe apostolic ministry. The multilingual glosses (Spanish 'condenados a muerte,' French 'condamné à mort,' German 'zum Tod bestimmt') all capture the death sentence. Apostles are not triumphant celebrities but condemned prisoners paraded before the cosmos—angels, men, the whole creation. This shocking metaphor undercuts the Corinthians' sense of arrival, showing that true apostleship means embracing shame and suffering. 1×
AR["مَحْكومينَ-بِـالمَوْتِ"]·ben["মৃত্যুদণ্ডিতদের,"]·DE["zum-Tod-bestimmt"]·EN["condemned-to-death"]·FR["condamné-à-mort"]·heb["נִדּוֹנֵי-מָוֶת"]·HI["मृत्यु-दण्डितों"]·ID["terhukum-mati"]·IT["condannato-a-morte"]·jav["kaukum-pejah,"]·KO["사형-선고-받은-자들"]·PT["condenados-à-morte"]·RU["обречённых-на-смерть"]·ES["condenados-a-muerte"]·SW["waliohukumiwa-kufa,"]·TR["çünkü"]·urd["موت-کے-سزا-یافتہ"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐπιθᾰνάτ-ιος [νᾰ], ον, condemned to death, NT+1st c.BC+; ἐ. μέλος, of Refs 6th c.BC+ adverb -ίως, ἔχειν, = {ἐπιθανάτως ἔχειν}, Refs 2nd c.AD+ __II. αἱ ἐ. δᾷδες the funeral torches, Refs 4th c.AD+; but ἐ. ἐπιστολή deadly, Refs