ἀπερίτμητος

uncircumcised, unclean

Definition

ἀπερίτμητος literally means 'uncircumcised' and is used in the New Testament to describe someone who has not undergone the physical rite of circumcision. In its only biblical occurrence in Acts 7:51, Stephen uses the term metaphorically to accuse the Jewish leaders of being 'stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears.' Here, it signifies a spiritual condition of being closed off to God's message, resistant, and ritually unclean in a moral sense. Thus, the word carries both a literal, physical meaning and a powerful figurative sense describing internal rebellion against God.

Biblical Usage

This word is used only once in the New Testament, in Acts 7:51, within Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin. It is used in a direct, confrontational context of prophetic accusation. Stephen applies the term not to Gentiles, but to his Jewish audience, flipping the typical ethnic and ritual connotation to highlight their spiritual disobedience. The pattern is one of powerful rhetorical inversion, using a term of physical ritual status to condemn a spiritual condition.

Etymology

Derived from the alpha-privative prefix ἀ- (a-), meaning 'not' or 'without,' combined with the adjective περιτμητός (peritmētos, G4061), which means 'circumcised.' περιτμητός itself comes from the verb περιτέμνω (peritemnō, G4059), 'to cut around' or 'to circumcise.' Thus, ἀπερίτμητος directly means 'not having been cut around' or 'uncircumcised.'

Semantic Range

This word is theologically significant as it bridges the Old Covenant sign of circumcision with the New Testament emphasis on heart transformation. In Acts 7:51, it underscores the prophetic critique that external ritual observance is worthless without internal obedience and receptivity to God (cf. Deuteronomy 10:16, Jeremiah 4:4, Romans 2:28-29). Understanding this Greek term enriches reading by highlighting the continuity of this prophetic theme and the serious charge of covenant unfaithfulness that Stephen levels.

In its original Jewish cultural setting, 'uncircumcised' (ἀπερίτμητος) was a stark term of distinction, primarily identifying Gentiles as outside God's covenant with Israel (e.g., Judges 14:3). It could carry connotations of being unclean, profane, and alien. Stephen's application of the term to circumcised Jews would have been shocking and provocative, turning their own marker of covenant identity into an accusation of covenant betrayal. This cultural inversion is central to the word's impact in the narrative.

ἀκροβυστία (akrobustia, G203) — A more common noun for 'uncircumcision' or 'foreskin,' often used in contrast to περιτομή (peritomē, G4061) 'circumcision' in Pauline discussions of Jew/Gentile relations (e.g., Romans 2:25-27, Galatians 2:7).

Word Details

Scripture References