ἀπιστία (G570) — Greek Lexicon

ἀπιστία

apistía

G570 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Absence of trust or reliability; the state of not believing, lacking assurance, or being untrustworthy or disloyal. Primarily denotes the quality or condition of not having faith or trust in a person, statement, or promise; contextually, can indicate skepticism, lack of conviction, or failure to fulfill obligations due to mistrust or disloyalty.

Semantic Range

lack of trust, disbelief, skepticism, inability or refusal to be convinced, unreliability, unfaithfulness, breach of trust, disloyalty, failure to remain steadfast, lack of confidence

Root / Etymology

From ἄπιστος (apistos, 'untrusting, unbelieving, unfaithful') with the abstract noun suffix -ία, indicating a state or quality; ultimately from the privative prefix ἀ- (a-, 'not') and the root πιστ- ('faith, trust, fidelity').

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἀπιστία refers to disbelief, distrust, or suspicion—either towards statements, persons, or deities—and is not inherently pejorative. In the Hellenistic period and in the Septuagint, the term begins to appear more frequently in religious contexts, often denoting lack of faithfulness towards the God of Israel, sometimes with the sense of covenantal infidelity or apostasy. In the New Testament, ἀπιστία most commonly denotes: (1) lack of trust in God, his promises, or his messengers; (2) reluctance or refusal to believe what is proclaimed; and (3) at times, disloyalty or failure to remain steadfast, especially in relation to communal or covenantal expectations. English translations usually render ἀπιστία as "unbelief," "faithlessness," or occasionally "disobedience"; however, such renderings can obscure the word's broader application to general distrust, unreliability, or breach of trust, whether religious, ethical, or relational. It is not a technical term for denial of doctrinal propositions, but for an underlying attitude of mistrust or lack of fidelity. Contrast with πίστις (pistis, 'trust, faith, faithfulness'). Use of ἀπιστία in post-biblical Greek continues to include both personal and religious spheres; its oppositional pairing with πίστις remains central to its semantic profile.

Translation Consistency

primary "unbelief" 11 occurrences

In the New Testament ἀπιστία primarily denotes the absence or lack of faith/trust — skepticism or not believing — and is most naturally rendered as “unbelief.” While it can contextually imply unfaithfulness or unreliability, “unbelief” best fits the typical sense and will read naturally across contexts.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἄπιστος; faithlessness, i.e. (negatively) disbelief (lack of Christian faith), or (positively) unfaithfulness (disobedience):--unbelief.

Root Family

ἀπιστία (apistia) — not trusting, not believing, not loyal

Root πιστ- not trusting, not believing, not loyal

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G570-01`	ἀπιστίᾳ	apistia	`N DAT F SG`	unbelief	in unfaithfulness	in unbelief	6
`G570-02`	ἀπιστίαν	apistian	`N ACC F SG`	unbelief	lack of trust	unbelief	4
`G570-03`	ἀπιστίας	apistias	`N GEN F SG`	unbelieving	of lack of trust	of unbelief	1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G570-02`	Matthew 13:58	ἀπιστίαν	apistian	`N ACC F SG`	unbelief	lack of trust	unbelief
`G570-02`	Mark 6:6	ἀπιστίαν	apistian	`N ACC F SG`	unbelief	lack of trust	unbelief
`G570-01`	Mark 9:24	ἀπιστίᾳ	apistia	`N DAT F SG`	unbelief	in unfaithfulness	in unbelief
`G570-02`	Mark 16:14	ἀπιστίαν	apistian	`N ACC F SG`	unbelief	lack of trust	unbelief
`G570-01`	Romans 3:3	ἀπιστία	apistia	`N NOM F SG`	unbelief	in unfaithfulness	in unbelief
`G570-01`	Romans 4:20	ἀπιστίᾳ	apistia	`N DAT F SG`	unbelief	in unfaithfulness	in unbelief
`G570-01`	Romans 11:20	ἀπιστίᾳ	apistia	`N DAT F SG`	unbelief	in unfaithfulness	in unbelief
`G570-01`	Romans 11:23	ἀπιστίᾳ	apistia	`N DAT F SG`	unbelief	in unfaithfulness	in unbelief
`G570-01`	1 Timothy 1:13	ἀπιστίᾳ	apistia	`N DAT F SG`	unbelief	in unfaithfulness	in unbelief
`G570-03`	Hebrews 3:12	ἀπιστίας	apistias	`N GEN F SG`	unbelieving	of lack of trust	of unbelief
`G570-02`	Hebrews 3:19	ἀπιστίαν	apistian	`N ACC F SG`	unbelief	lack of trust	unbelief

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