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ἄκων

ákōn

G210 substantive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Unwilling, not acting of one's own will or volition; compelled or forced to act contrary to personal desire or intention. In Koine Greek contexts, describes a person or action performed lacking consent or done out of compulsion. Can denote a state of being subject to circumstances, pressure, or force rather than free choice.

Semantic Range

unwilling, involuntary, done under compulsion, against one's will, lacking consent

Root / Etymology

From the alpha privative (ἀ-, expressing negation) prefixed to ἑκών (hekōn), which means 'willing, voluntary.' Thus ἄκων literally means 'not willing' or 'unwilling.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Attested from classical Greek (e.g., Homer, Herodotus), where ἄκων regularly describes someone compelled by force, fate, or necessity to do something against preference. In later Hellenistic and Koine usage, including the Septuagint and New Testament (e.g., Romans 8:20), the term retains this core sense of unwillingness or compulsion, in contrast to ἑκών which describes voluntariness or willingness. English translations often render ἄκων as 'unwilling' or 'against one's will,' but context in Greek may also stress the element of compulsion or lack of agency, which is not always captured in translation. The term does not typically carry the sense of 'rebellious' or active resistance, but focuses on the absence of voluntary intent. In philosophical and legal Greek, ἄκων could be distinguished from acts performed 'willingly' (ἑκών) in discussions of moral or legal responsibility.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Α (as a negative particle) and ἑκών; unwilling:--against the will.

Root Family

ἄκων (akōn) — not willing, involuntary, under compulsion

Root ἑκων- not willing, acting under compulsion, involuntary

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G210-01 ἄκων akon ADJ.S NOM M SG unwillingly an unwilling one unwillingly 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G210-01 1 Corinthians 9:17 ἄκων akon ADJ.S NOM M SG unwillingly an unwilling one unwillingly
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