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ματαιολογία

mataiología

G3150 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Speech that is empty, pointless, or lacking substantive content; the act or practice of speaking without meaningful purpose. In context, refers to senseless, idle, or futile talk often characterized by an appearance of seriousness but lacking in real value. Semantic range includes: empty speech, futile discussion, fruitless chatter, meaningless talk, idle babbling.

Semantic Range

idle talk, empty talk, futile discussion, fruitless speech, meaningless babble, random chattering

Root / Etymology

From ματαιολόγος (one who speaks foolishly or emptily), itself derived from μάταιος ('empty, futile, useless') + λέγω ('to speak, say'). Thus, ματαιολογία is a compound denoting the quality or act of empty or futile speech.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The noun ματαιολογία appears in post-classical and Koine Greek, notably in early Christian literature, with a rare New Testament attestation (1 Timothy 1:6). Its use is polemical, suggesting not merely aimless or idle speech but speech that is fundamentally lacking substance or truth—often applied to teaching or doctrine deemed unprofitable, misleading, or superfluous. In contrast to σοφία (wisdom) or λόγος ἀληθείας (word of truth), ματαιολογία connotes verbal activity that results in no true benefit. English renderings such as 'vain talk,' 'fruitless discussion,' or 'senseless babble' attempt to capture this nuance, but 'vain jangling' (found in some older translations) may obscure the focus on lack of substantive content. Distinct from simple chattering, ματαιολογία has a stronger negative assessment of speech's worth.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ματαιολόγος; random talk, i.e. babble:--vain jangling.

Root Family

ματαιολογία (mataiologia) — empty speech, futile talk, meaningless speaking

Root ματαιολόγ- to be empty, to speak, to talk meaninglessly

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3150-01 ματαιολογίαν mataiologian N ACC F SG vain jangling empty speech empty speech 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3150-01 1 Timothy 1:6 ματαιολογίαν mataiologian N ACC F SG vain jangling empty speech empty speech
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