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δυσνόητος

dysnóētos

G1425 predicate adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Difficult to understand or comprehend; hard to grasp or interpret due to complexity, obscurity, or subtlety. In context, usually describes language, writings, or speech that presents significant obstacles to comprehension, whether because of abstract reasoning, challenging vocabulary, or convoluted arguments.

Semantic Range

hard to understand, difficult to grasp, requiring effort to perceive or comprehend, obscure, recondite

Root / Etymology

From the prefix δυσ- (dys-, 'bad, difficult') + νοέω (noeō, 'to think, perceive, understand'), with the adjectival ending -τος (-tos), forming a verbal adjective indicating capacity or character. Thus, δυσνόητος means 'difficult to understand' or 'not easily grasped by thought.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Attested infrequently in both classical and later Greek, δυσνόητος appears primarily to describe intellectual or interpretive difficulty rather than physical perception. In Hellenistic and Koine Greek contexts, notably used in literature and philosophical discourse. In the New Testament (e.g., 2 Peter 3:16), it is used to characterize writings or teachings that are intellectually demanding or liable to misinterpretation. Greek philosophical works (such as those of Philo or commentators on Aristotle) use the term similarly for concepts or passages that challenge comprehension. English translations often render δυσνόητος as 'hard to be understood,' which is accurate but occasionally narrows the nuance—potentially underplaying the complexity or subtlety characteristic of the referent. The word does not imply willful obscurity but rather objective intellectual difficulty.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from δυσ- and a derivative of νοιέω; difficult of perception:--hard to be understood.

Root Family

δυσνόητος (dysnoētos) — difficult to understand, hard to grasp, obscure to thought

Root νοη- to think, to perceive, to understand

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1425-01 δυσνόητά dusnoeta ADJ.P NOM N PL hard to be understood hard-to-understand things hard to be understood 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1425-01 2 Peter 3:16 δυσνόητά dusnoeta ADJ.P NOM N PL hard to be understood hard-to-understand things hard to be understood
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