ἀχειροποίητος (G886) — Greek Lexicon

ἀχειροποίητος

acheiropoíētos

G886 attributive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Not made by human hands; that which is not of human manufacture. Denotes something that is produced independently of human activity, often implying something divine, supernatural, or of heavenly origin. In context, it can refer to a sanctuary, temple, or object that is not constructed by human craft but originates from God or the divine realm.

Semantic Range

not made by human hands, not humanly manufactured, of divine or heavenly origin, not constructed with hands, not of human craft

Root / Etymology

From the negative prefix ἀ- (not) and χειροποίητος ('made by hand', from χείρ 'hand' + ποιέω 'to make'). Thus, ἀχειροποίητος literally means 'not made by hands'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The adjective ἀχειροποίητος is rare in classical Greek, with more frequent attestations in Hellenistic Jewish and early Christian literature. It appears in the Septuagint (notably in some later books and translations) and most prominently in the New Testament (e.g., Mark 14:58; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Colossians 2:11; Hebrews 9:11, 9:24). The word contrasts what is divinely made or transcendent with that which is made by humans (χειροποίητος). In the Second Temple period, it frequently characterizes the anticipated eschatological temple or tabernacle as being of divine rather than human origin. In contexts related to circumcision (Colossians 2:11), the term is metaphorically extended to mean something not performed by literal human action. In English translation tradition, ἀχειροποίητος is sometimes rendered as 'not made with hands' or 'made without hands'; however, such renderings may obscure the cultural and theological background in the Second Temple period, where the term assigned significance to objects, spaces, or acts considered to derive from God or the heavenly realm, not from human skill or ritual.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from Α (as a negative particle) and χειροποίητος; unmanufactured, i.e. inartificial:--made without (not made with) hands.

Root Family

ἀχειροποίητος (acheiropoiētos) — not made by hand, not humanly manufactured, not constructed by human craft, of divine origin

Root χειροποιητ- to make by hand, to produce, to construct

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G886-02`	ἀχειροποίητον	acheiropoieton	`ADJ.S ACC M SG`	made without hands	not made by hands	not made by hands	2
`G886-01`	ἀχειροποιήτῳ	acheiropoieto	`ADJ.A DAT F SG`	not made with hands	to a hand-unmade (feminine)	not made with hands	1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G886-02`	Mark 14:58	ἀχειροποίητον	acheiropoieton	`ADJ.S ACC M SG`	made without hands	not made by hands	not made by hands
`G886-02`	2 Corinthians 5:1	ἀχειροποίητον	acheiropoieton	`ADJ.A ACC F SG`	not made with hands	not made by hands	not made by hands
`G886-01`	Colossians 2:11	ἀχειροποιήτῳ	acheiropoieto	`ADJ.A DAT F SG`	not made with hands	to a hand-unmade (feminine)	not made with hands

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