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ἀγράμματος

agrámmatos

G62 attributive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Lacking formal education in letters, specifically unable to read or write (illiterate); in a broader sense, without training in formal literature or scriptural study, unschooled. The term primarily denotes lack of literacy but can extend in certain contexts to refer to someone untutored or not learned in specialized writings or religious texts.

Semantic Range

unable to read or write, illiterate, unschooled, unlettered, untrained in scriptural or literary study

Root / Etymology

Formed from the privative alpha (ἀ-, 'not, without') and γράμμα ('letter,' 'written character,' 'document'). Thus, ἀγράμματος literally means 'without letters.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek sources, ἀγράμματος usually indicates illiteracy, specifically the inability to read or write. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, including the New Testament (e.g., Acts 4:13), it can also signify 'uneducated' or 'unschooled,' particularly lacking training in the Jewish Scriptures or other formal education (see Philo, Josephus for usage among Judeans). The social context often determines emphasis—sometimes stressing lack of basic literacy, at other times absence of advanced literary or religious training. English 'unlearned' or 'illiterate' doesn't distinguish between these nuances: the term could describe anyone from a peasant unable to read to a person lacking specialized instruction. Related Greek terms: παιδεύω (to teach/educate), ἀμαθής (ignorant), ἀδιάβαστος (not having read). In rabbinic or Judean contexts, being ἀγράμματος implied exclusion from scholarly or scribal circles. The nuance of not being educated in the Scriptures is especially significant in New Testament usage. The word does not strictly denote intellectual incapacity, but rather absence of formal learning or access to written tradition.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Α (as negative particle) and γράμμα; unlettered, i.e. illiterate:--unlearned.

Root Family

ἀγράμματος (agrammatos) — without letters, illiterate, unlettered, unschooled

Root γραμμ- letter, writing, written character

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G62-01 ἀγράμματοί agrammatoi ADJ.A NOM M PL unlearned unlettered ones unlettered ones 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G62-01 Acts 4:13 ἀγράμματοί agrammatoi ADJ.A NOM M PL unlearned unlettered ones unlettered ones
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