μηδέ-ποτε G3368
never, not at any time; an emphatic negation extending across all time
This compound adverb combines the negative particle with the indefinite temporal marker to create an absolute temporal negation. In 2 Timothy 3:7, Paul describes certain women as always learning but never arriving at knowledge of truth. The multilingual evidence is nearly uniform (Spanish nunca, French/German forms of never), emphasizing the absolute temporal scope. Classical usage confirms this as a strong negative spanning all possible times, often appearing in prohibitions or warnings.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Paul employs this emphatic temporal negative in 2 Timothy 3:7 to characterize the tragic perpetual state of those who learn continuously but never reach genuine knowledge of truth. The cross-linguistic glosses consistently express absolute temporal negation. The context portrays a frustrating cycle: perpetual learning activity with zero arrival at truth—the never emphasizes not just failure up to now but the impossibility of arrival while maintaining their current pattern. 1×
AR["أَبَداً-لا"]·ben["কখনো-না"]·DE["niemals"]·EN["never"]·FR["μηδέποτε"]·heb["לְעוֹלָם-לֹא"]·HI["कभि-नहिन"]·ID["tidak-pernah"]·IT["mēdepote"]·jav["mboten-naté"]·KO["결코-~않는"]·RU["никогда"]·ES["nunca"]·SW["kamwe"]·TR["hiçbir-zaman"]·urd["کبھی-نہیں"]
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
μηδέ-ποτε, Doric dialect μηδέ-ποκα [prev. work]22.1126.11 (Amphict. Delph., 4th c.BC): adverb:— never, with present and past tenses, as well as future, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II μηδέ ποτε and never, Refs 8th c.BC+