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ἀκωλύτως

akōlýtōs

G209 adverb

SILEX Entry

Definition

In an unhindered or unrestricted manner; functioning or proceeding without obstruction or impediment. In usage, the adverb denotes the absence of any external barrier, prohibition, or restraint on action or movement.

Semantic Range

without hindrance, without restraint, without obstruction, openly, unimpeded, unrestrained

Root / Etymology

From the alpha privative (ἀ-, expressing negation) and κωλύω ('to hinder, impede, prevent'), forming the adjective ἀκώλυτος ('unhindered, unimpeded'), which is then adverbialized as ἀκωλύτως ('in an unhindered manner').

Historical & Contextual Notes

The adverb ἀκωλύτως is rare in both classical and Koine Greek, attested mainly in later and literary sources. In the New Testament, it appears in Acts 28:31 to describe Paul 'proclaiming the kingdom of God without hindrance' in Rome. The term emphasizes not merely legal but also practical absence of restrictions; its use underscores that an action is able to proceed openly and without interference, rather than merely 'freely' in the modern sense of liberty or voluntary act. Traditional renderings such as 'no man forbidding him' in some English translations paraphrase but do not fully capture the sense of unimpeded circumstance reflected by the Greek term. The formation and sense are transparent from its constituents, and the usage in the LXX and wider Hellenistic sources is limited, with the meaning consistent when attested.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

adverb from a compound of Α (as a negative particle) and a derivative of κωλύω; in an unhindered manner, i.e. freely:--no man forbidding him.

Root Family

ἀκωλύτως (akōlytōs) — to hinder, to obstruct, to prevent; unhindered, unimpeded

Root κωλῡ- to hinder, to obstruct, to prevent

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G209-01 ἀκωλύτως akolutos ADV unhindered without hindrance without hindrance 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G209-01 Acts 28:31 ἀκωλύτως akolutos ADV unhindered without hindrance without hindrance
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