ἐχλεύαζον

echleuazon

mocked

from a derivative probably of χεῖλος; to throw out the lip, i.e. jeer at:--mock.

G5512

Acts 17:32 · Word #7

Lexicon G5512

Lemmaχλευάζω
Transliterationchleuázō
Strong'sG5512
In-contextmocked
Literalwere-mocking

Morphology V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state of being
Tense IMPF — Imperfect — Continuous or repeated past action
Voice ACT — Active — The subject performs the action
Mood IND — Indicative — States a fact or reality
Person 3P — 3rd person — The one spoken about ("he/she/it/they")
Number PL — Plural — More than one

Lexical Info

Lemmaχλευάζω
Strong'sG5512

SIBI-P1 G5512-01

they were throwing out the lip in jeering

Rootχλευάζω (chleuazō)
Core Meaningsto jeer, to mock, to sneer, to deride by lip-gesture
Semantic Rangeto mock, ridicule, sneer at, treat with contempt, deride publicly or scornfully
Conceptual SignificanceIn biblical usage, this term conveys open contempt expressed toward prophets, righteous individuals, or divine truth. It reflects not merely disbelief but embodied scorn—an outward gesture of hardened rejection that signals moral and spiritual resistance.
Morphological NotesVerb; imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural (Gr,V,IIA3,,P,). The imperfect tense indicates continuous or repeated action in past time: "they were ..." or "they kept ...".
Rendering RationaleThe verb χλευάζω derives from imagery connected with the lip (χεῖλος), conveying the act of sneering or jeering through outward gesture and scornful speech. Rendering it as "they were throwing out the lip in jeering" preserves the concrete root imagery while reflecting the imperfect active indicative (ongoing past action) and third person plural form.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Word Usage

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Acts 17:32 ἐχλεύαζον echleuazon mocked