Lewd Lewdness
(Act 17:5; Act 18:14)
The English word occurs twice in the NT, once as an adjective (Gr. , Act 17:5) and once as a substantive (, Act 18:14). In neither of these cases has it anything to do with sexual passion-the sense in which the word is now used; it just means vulgar, worthless.
1. Act 17:5.-The word (Authorized Version lewd, Revised Version vile) is used to characterize the or loafers in the market-place whom the unbelieving Jews in Thessalonica incited to an act of popular insurrection against St. Paul. They were so far successful as to prevail on the politarchs to exact bail from Jason for peaceful behaviour, with the consequence that St. Paul and Silas had to escape to Beraea by night.
Owing to the dishonour in which manual pursuits were held in ancient days, every large city had a superfluous population of worthless idlers-clients who lived on the doles of the wealthy, flatterers who fawned at the feet of the influential, the lazzaroni of streets, mere loafers and loiterers, the hangerson of forum, the claqueurs of law-courts, the scum that gathered about the shallowest outmost waves of civilization (F. W. Farrar, St. Paul, 1883, p. 370).
This class is well described by the adjective . Aristotle distinguishes the wicked man () from the , the weak man who sins though he does not mean to do so and who is unrighteous without premeditation (Eth. Nic. vii. 10). The wicked man sins with the full consent of his will. He is positively malignant and injurious to others. Nearly akin in meaning are and , but as Trench says (NT Synonyms8, p. 304), in the positive activity of evil comes far more decidedly out than in . Perhaps Knoxs phrase-the raseal multitude-is as accurate a translation as we can get.
While the is one who diligently follows his occupation and maintains himself by lawful work, the or indicates the man who is wicked in behaviour or in character. The words, however, in Greek are often used with the same latitude as we allow ourselves in English, when we use similar terms. The ordinary speech of the NT is not logically exact.
W. M. Ramsay discusses the question whether the reference to Satan in 1Th 2:18 -and Satan hindered us (from coming)-is to be taken as referring to the hostility of the, multitude. He concludes, however, that the reference is to the attitude of the politarchs, who, by exacting security for good behaviour from Jason, prevented the return of St. Paul to the city (St. Paul the Traveller, 1895, p. 230f.).
Wetstein supplies parallels which throw light on the class denoted by (in loco).
2. Act 18:14.-Here the word lewdness translates the Greek . The Revised Version has villainy. The word is associated with . The usual distinction between them is said to be that refers to illegality-something done contrary to the laws-whereas indicates moral delinquency. The distinction is probably to be maintained here, as Gallio is speaking judicially with reference to a definite charge. St. Paul is guilty neither of the one nor of the other, but according to Gallio the question is a mere dispute about words-a Jewish squabble.
occurs only here in the NT, nor is it found in the classics or in the Septuagint , but it occurs in Plutarch, Pyrrh. 6, and the allied term occurs in Act 13:10 of Elymas. The latter word occurs in papyri in the sense of theft (see J. H. Moulton and George Milligan in Expositor, 8th ser. i. [1911] 477). It is not likely, however, that the term in Act 18:14 is used in this restricted sense.
Literature.-J. R. Lumby, The Acts of the Apostles (Cambridge Bible, 1886), p. 217; Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols) , article Lewdness; R. J. Knowling, in Expositors Greek Testament , The Acts of the Apostles, 1900, in locc. (where literature is given); T. E. Page, The Acts of the Apostles, 1900, p. 201; Thayer Grimms Gr.-Eng. Lexicon of the NT, tr. Thayer , Lexicon, s.v. ; E. Hatch, Essays in Biblical Greek, 1889, pp. 77-82; T. K. Abbott, Essays, 1891, p. 97; R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the NT8, 1876, p. 36ff.
Donald Mackenzie.
Fuente: Dictionary of the Apostolic Church
Lewd, Lewdness
lud, ludnes (, zimmah, , mezimmah, , nabhluth; , poneros, , rhadiourgema):
1. In the Old Testament:
There are three Hebrew words translated lewd, lewdness: (1) Zimmah, meaning a plan, a purpose, so translated several times and then shading off into evil plan; translated also heinous crime, wicked purpose or device. It is the most frequent word for lewdness: Eze 16:27, lewd way; found in Jdg 20:6; Eze 16:27, Eze 16:43, Eze 16:58; Eze 22:9, Eze 22:11; Eze 23:21, Eze 23:27, Eze 23:29, Eze 23:35, Eze 23:44, Eze 23:48, Eze 23:49; Eze 24:13; Hos 6:9. (2) Mezimmah means a plan, generally (evil) machination; used only in Jer 11:15, lewdness. (3) Nabhluth, meaning disgrace in reference to females. Found only in Hos 2:10; the American Revised Version margin shame.
2. In the New Testament:
The word translated lewd, lewdness in the King James Version occurs only twice in the New Testament, and in each instance is more correctly translated in the Revised Version (British and American) by another word: (1) Poneros, found in Act 17:5, translated in the American Standard Revised Version vile. The Greek word elsewhere is translated bad, evil, grievous, harmful, malicious, wicked. the King James Version lewd gives the wrong impression. The idea of unchastity is not present in the text or context. (2) Rhadiourgema likewise occurs only once, namely, Act 18:14, and is correctly translated in the Revised Version (British and American) and the American Standard Revised Version wicked villany. The thought of impurity or lewdness is foreign to the meaning in this connection.