ἐπίορκ-ος G1965
perjured, oath-breaking, forsworn
This adjective describes someone who has broken their oath or sworn falsely—a perjurer. It appears in 1 Timothy 1:10 within a vice list of those who violate God's law. The word could describe either the oath itself (as in Homer: 'a false oath') or the person who swears it (the perjurer). The multilingual evidence unanimously identifies this as referring to perjurers—people characterized by oath-breaking. In Greek culture, where oaths by the gods carried sacred weight, perjury was considered both morally reprehensible and potentially dangerous, inviting divine retribution.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Paul's vice catalog in 1 Timothy 1:10 places perjurers among serious offenders against divine law—murderers, slave traders, and the sexually immoral. The cross-linguistic glosses (Spanish perjuros, German meineidige) consistently identify these as persons defined by oath-breaking, not merely occasional liars but habitual violators of sworn commitments. This reflects ancient Mediterranean culture where one's oath was bound up with personal honor and divine witness. 1×
AR["الحانِثينَ"]·ben["মিথ্যা-শপথকারীদের,"]·DE["meineidige"]·EN["for-perjurers"]·FR["ἐπιόρκοις"]·heb["לְ-נִשְׁבְּעֵי-שֶׁקֶר"]·HI["झोओथि-शपथ-लेने-वअलोन"]·ID["orang-yang-bersumpah-palsu"]·IT["epiorkois"]·jav["tiyang-sumpah-palsu,"]·KO["위증자들에게,"]·PT["perjuros"]·RU["клятвопреступникам"]·ES["perjuros"]·SW["kwa-waapaji-wa-uongo"]·TR["yalan-yere-yemin-edenlere"]·urd["جھوٹی-قسم-کھانے-والوں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐπίορκ-ος, ον, sworn falsely, of oaths, εἰ δέ τι τῶνδ᾽ ἐπίορκον 8th c.BC: Ilias Homerus Epicus “Illiad” 19.264: frequently in the phrase ἐπίορκον ὀμόσσαι take a false oath, swear falsely, Refs; in full, ἐπίορκον ὅρκον ὤμοσε Refs he swore a bootless oath, i.e. one which he meant to fulfil, but the gods willed otherwise. __II. of persons, forsworn, perjured, Refs: superlative -ότατος 5th c.BC: Antipho Orator 6.48. adverb -κως 2nd c.AD: Herodianus Grammaticus 6.9.2.