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διάβολος

diábolos

G1228 substantive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

One who slanders or accuses falsely; a slanderer, defamer, or accuser. In secular and literary Greek, refers to a person who makes malicious accusations or slanders others. In specialized contexts (especially in the Septuagint and New Testament), denotes the supernatural adversary or prosecuting accuser, often used to represent the chief opposer of humanity or of God (often rendered as "the Devil" in English, but conceptually rooted in the idea of an accuser).

Semantic Range

slanderer, false accuser, malicious gossiper, adversary in a legal or rhetorical context; accuser in a spiritual or supernatural sense; title for the chief supernatural adversary ('the Devil')

Root / Etymology

From the verb διαβάλλω (diaballō), meaning 'to throw across, to slander, to accuse, to bring charges against.' Formed with the prefix δια- (across, through) and the root βάλλω (to throw).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, διάβολος is used to describe anyone who utters false charges or slanders, with no inherent supernatural connotation (see e.g., works by Plato and other classical authors). The Septuagint often uses διάβολος to translate the Hebrew שָּׂטָן (śāṭān), which primarily means 'adversary' or 'accuser' and may refer to both human and supernatural figures. In the New Testament, διάβολος is generally a personal designation for the supernatural adversary, paralleling the figure of Satan, but the underlying meaning is 'accuser' or 'slanderer.' Standard English translations frequently narrow the word to 'devil,' but this does not reflect the original semantic scope, especially when διάβολος is used of humans (e.g., in reference to false accusers in Timothy or slanderers generally). The transition from general accuser/slanderer to specific title for a supernatural adversary reflects a shift from broader Hellenistic and Israelite traditions into specialized early Christian usage.

Translation Consistency

primary "slanderer" 35 occurrences

διάβολος literally means one who speaks against or falsely accuses. “Slanderer” captures the primary semantic range (false accuser/malicious defamer) and works naturally for both human and spiritual uses (allowing ‘‘the slanderer’’ as a title where the text implies the supernatural adversary). It preserves the etymological force better than the conventional proper-name ‘‘Devil,’’ while remaining a common, natural English noun.

Alternatives (2 occurrences):
"false accusers" (1x) "false accuser" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from διαβάλλω; a traducer; specially, Satan (compare שָׂטָן):--false accuser, devil, slanderer.

Root Family

διάβολος (diabolos) — to slander, to accuse falsely, to bring charges against

Root διαβολ- to accuse falsely, to slander, to bring charges against

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1228-04 διάβολος diabolos ADJ.S NOM M SG devil slanderer slanderer 16
G1228-05 διαβόλου diabolou ADJ.S GEN M SG devil of the accuser of the slanderer 13
G1228-01 διαβόλῳ diabolo ADJ.S DAT M SG devil to the accuser to the slanderer 4
G1228-06 διαβόλους diabolous ADJ.S ACC F PL slanderers false accusers slanderers 2
G1228-03 διάβολον diabolon ADJ.S ACC M SG devil false accuser false accuser 1
G1228-02 διάβολοι diaboloi ADJ.S NOM M PL slanderous false accusers false accusers 1

Occurrences in Scripture

37 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1228-05 Matthew 4:1 διαβόλου diabolou ADJ.S GEN M SG devil of the accuser of the slanderer
G1228-04 Matthew 4:5 διάβολος diabolos ADJ.S NOM M SG devil slanderer slanderer
G1228-04 Matthew 4:8 διάβολος diabolos ADJ.S NOM M SG devil slanderer slanderer
G1228-04 Matthew 4:11 διάβολος diabolos ADJ.S NOM M SG devil slanderer slanderer
G1228-04 Matthew 13:39 διάβολος diabolos ADJ.S NOM M SG devil slanderer slanderer
G1228-01 Matthew 25:41 διαβόλῳ diabolo ADJ.S DAT M SG devil to the accuser to the slanderer
G1228-05 Luke 4:2 διαβόλου diabolou ADJ.S GEN M SG devil of the accuser of the slanderer
G1228-04 Luke 4:3 διάβολος diabolos ADJ.S NOM M SG devil slanderer slanderer
G1228-04 Luke 4:6 διάβολος diabolos ADJ.S NOM M SG devil slanderer slanderer
G1228-04 Luke 4:13 διάβολος diabolos ADJ.S NOM M SG devil slanderer slanderer
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