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ἄλογος

álogos

G249 attributive adjective

SILEX Entry

Root λογ- to reason, speak, account

Definition

Lacking reason or rational capacity; not governed by rational thought or speech. The term designates that which is irrational, senseless, or illogical, including non-human creatures (as lacking reason), actions or words judged to be unreasonable, and impulses or passions untamed by reason. In certain contexts, can refer to animals as "irrational beings." By extension, may describe speech, arguments, or behavior considered unreasonable, without sense, or contrary to rational thought.

Semantic Range

irrational, lacking reason, mindless, unreasonable, senseless, non-rational (as of animals), incapable of rational speech or thought

Root / Etymology

From prefix ἀ- (alpha privative, expressing negation) and λόγος (reason, word, discourse). The compound means literally 'without reason' or 'without word.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Classical Greek, ἄλογος is used for non-rational aspects of human experience (impulse, passion) as well as non-rational beings (animals). The term frequently describes anything lacking the capacity for λόγος—reason, rational speech, or principle. In the Septuagint and other Hellenistic texts, ἄλογος can be found describing animals as 'irrational' (i.e., not possessing reason or speech). In the New Testament (e.g., 2 Peter 2:12; Jude 10), the term is used for brute creatures (animals) or of people behaving in a manner considered beneath rational humanity, emphasizing an absence of rational control or understanding. Later Greek and Church writers maintained both the philosophical sense (absence of reason) and the more general use for animals. Traditional English Bible translations sometimes use 'brute,' 'irrational,' or 'unreasonable'; however, the semantic range equally includes 'senseless,' 'mindless,' or 'unreasoning.' The term stands in contrast to λογικός (rational, endowed with reason), and draws from the Greek distinction between beings with and without λόγος.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Α (as a negative particle) and λόγος; irrational:--brute, unreasonable.

Root Family

ἄλογος (alogos) — irrational, lacking reason, without rational speech, senseless

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G249-01 ἄλογα aloga ADJ.A NOM N PL irrational irrational ones 2
G249-02 ἄλογον alogon ADJ.P NOM N SG unreasonable irrational thing 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G249-02 Acts 25:27 ἄλογον alogon ADJ.P NOM N SG unreasonable irrational thing
G249-01 2 Peter 2:12 ἄλογα aloga ADJ.A NOM N PL irrational irrational ones
G249-01 Jude 1:10 ἄλογα aloga ADJ.A NOM N PL irrational irrational ones
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