Topical Encyclopedia
The term "barbarous" in the Bible is used to describe people or languages that were foreign or unfamiliar to the Greeks and Romans. It is derived from the Greek word "barbaros," which was used to denote those who did not speak Greek and were considered uncivilized by Greek and Roman standards. In the context of the Bible, "barbarous" does not necessarily carry the negative connotations it might in modern usage but rather signifies cultural and linguistic differences.
Biblical References:1.
Acts 28:2 : "The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold." In this passage, the term "islanders" is translated from the Greek "barbaroi," referring to the inhabitants of Malta. Despite being labeled as "barbarous," these people demonstrated great hospitality and kindness to the Apostle Paul and his companions after their shipwreck.
2.
1 Corinthians 14:11 : "If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and he will be a foreigner to me." Here, the Apostle Paul uses the term "barbaros" to illustrate the confusion and lack of understanding that arises when people speak different languages. The emphasis is on the importance of clear communication within the church, particularly in the use of spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues.
Cultural Context:In the ancient world, the Greeks and Romans often viewed those who did not share their language and culture as "barbarous." This term was not necessarily derogatory but was used to distinguish between those who were part of the Greco-Roman world and those who were not. The Bible reflects this cultural understanding, using "barbarous" to describe people who were outside the cultural and linguistic norms of the time.
Theological Implications:From a theological perspective, the use of "barbarous" in the Bible underscores the universality of the Gospel message. The kindness of the Maltese islanders in
Acts 28 demonstrates that God's love and grace extend beyond cultural and linguistic boundaries. The Apostle Paul's discussion in
1 Corinthians 14 highlights the importance of unity and understanding within the body of Christ, regardless of cultural differences.
Historical Significance:The term "barbarous" also reflects the historical context of the early church, which was expanding beyond Jewish and Greek communities to include a diverse range of peoples. This expansion required the early Christians to navigate cultural differences and communicate the Gospel effectively across linguistic barriers. The use of "barbarous" in the New Testament serves as a reminder of the early church's mission to reach all nations and peoples with the message of Christ.
In summary, the term "barbarous" in the Bible is a reflection of cultural and linguistic diversity in the ancient world. It highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by the early church in spreading the Gospel and emphasizes the inclusive nature of God's kingdom.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Being in the state of a barbarian; uncivilized; rude; peopled with barbarians; as, a barbarous people; a barbarous country.
2. (a.) Foreign; adapted to a barbaric taste.
3. (a.) Cruel; ferocious; inhuman; merciless.
4. (a.) Contrary to the pure idioms of a language.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
BARBARIAN; BARBAROUSbar-ba'-ri-an, bar'-ba-rus (barbaros): A word probably formed by imitation of the unintelligible sounds of foreign speech, and hence, in the mouth of a Greek it meant anything that was not Greek, language, people or customs. With the spread of Greek language and culture, it came to be used generally for all that was non-Greek. Philo and Josephus sometimes called their own nation "barbarians," and so did Roman writers up to the Augustan age, when they adopted Greek culture, and reckoned themselves with the Greeks as the only cultured people in the world. Therefore Greek and barbarian meant the whole human race (Romans 1:14).
InColossians 3:11, "barbarian, Scythian" is not a classification or antithesis but a "climax" (Abbott) = "barbarians, even Scythians, the lowest type of barbarians." In Christ, all racial distinctions, even the most pronounced, disappear.
In1 Corinthians 14:11 Paul uses the term in its more primitive sense of one speaking a foreign, and therefore, an unintelligible language: "If then I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be to him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh will be a barbarian unto me." The speaking with tongues would not be a means of communication. The excited inarticulate ejaculations of the Corinthian revivalists were worse than useless unless someone had the gift of articulating in intelligible language the force of feeling that produced them (dunamis tes phones, literally, "the power of the sound").
InActs 28:2, 4 (in the King James Version ofActs 28:2 "barbarous people" = barbarians) the writer, perhaps from the Greek-Roman standpoint, calls the inhabitants of Melita barbarians, as being descendants of the old Phoenician settlers, or possibly in the more general sense of "strangers." For the later sense of "brutal," "cruel," "savage," see 2 Maccabees 2:21; 4:25; 15:02.
T. Rees
Greek
915. barbaros --barbarous, barbarian...barbarous, barbarian. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: barbaros Phonetic
Spelling: (bar'-bar-os) Short Definition: a foreigner who speaks neither
...Strong's Hebrew
3267. yaaz -- perhapsbarbarous... perhaps
barbarous. Transliteration: yaaz Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-az') Short Definition:
fierce.
... root Definition perhaps
barbarous NASB Word Usage fierce (1).
...4031. Magog -- perhaps "land of Gog," a son of Japheth, also his...
... and their land NASB Word Usage Magog (4). Magog. From Gowg; Magog, a son of Japheth;
also abarbarous northern region -- Magog. see HEBREW Gowg. 4030, 4031....
Library
"You Knew the TooBarbarous And, Beyond Measure, Bloody Ferocity...
... Dialogues of Sulpitius Severus. Chapter IV. "You knew the toobarbarous
and, beyond measure, bloody ferocity of Avitianus? "You...
Ambassadors from DifferentBarbarous Nations Receive Presents from...
... Book IV. Chapter VII."Ambassadors from DifferentBarbarous Nations receive
Presents from the Emperor. Indeed, ambassadors were...
You Would not Think How TheseBarbarous Inventions Spoil Your...
... THE THIRD CENTURY 13 You would not think how thesebarbarous inventions spoil
your knowledge. You would not think how thesebarbarous...
By this You May See who are the Rude andBarbarous Indians: for...
... THE THIRD CENTURY 12 By this you may see who are the rude andbarbarous Indians:
For verily there is no savage nation under the cope of Heaven....
After what Manner Upon the Death of Claudius, Nero Succeeded in...
... CHAPTER 8. After What Manner Upon The Death Of Claudius, Nero Succeeded
In The Government; As Also WhatBarbarous Things He Did....
Preface. Reason for a New Work
... not account it hospitable from its situation, so is it severed from our more civilised
waters by a certain stigma which attaches to itsbarbarous character....
Our Forefathers have Handed Down to us the Tradition, That, after...
... of flame had settled upon each of the Apostles, that they might speak diverse languages,
so that no race however foreign, no tongue howeverbarbarous, might be...
Deified and Stoned
... This half-barbarous crowd had the ancient faith in the gods unweakened, and the
legends, which had become dim to pure Greek and Roman, some of which had...
Trials to be Met.
... What I shall say will apply particularly tobarbarous and degraded nations, such
as the Sandwich Islanders once were; for it is to such nations that the...
And Now the Time is Come for us to Consider the Works of Our...
... which he bestowed, so that they composed and published writings of such authority
that they were translated into every civilized andbarbarous language, [3585...
Thesaurus
Barbarous (1 Occurrence)... 1. (a.) Being in the state of a barbarian; uncivilized; rude; peopled with barbarians;
as, a
barbarous people; a
barbarous country.
... BARBARIAN;
BARBAROUS.
...Barbarian (2 Occurrences)
... 5. (a.) Of, or pertaining to, or resembling, barbarians; rude; uncivilized;barbarous;
as, barbarian governments or nations. Int.... BARBARIAN;BARBAROUS....
Savage (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Uncivilized;barbarous; untamed; of or pertaining to the forest; remote
from human abodes and cultivation; in a state of nature; wild; as, a savage...
Phoenicians
... They cared little about building up new states or for extending their civilization
and moldingbarbarous tribes and imparting to them their culture....
Phoenicia (6 Occurrences)
... They cared little about building up new states or for extending their civilization
and moldingbarbarous tribes and imparting to them their culture....
Nero
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. (n.) A Roman emperor notorious for debauchery andbarbarous
cruelty; hence, any profligate and cruel ruler or merciless tyrant. Int....
Outlandish (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (a.) Hence: Not according with usage; strange; rude;barbarous; uncouth;
clownish; as, an outlandish dress, behavior, or speech. Int....
Gothic
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Pertaining to the Goths; as, Gothic customs;
also, rude;barbarous. 2. (a.) of or pertaining to...
Inhuman (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Cruel;barbarous; savage; unfeeling; destitute
of the kindness and tenderness that belong to a human being;...
Fell (331 Occurrences)
... 2. (v.) imp. of Fall. 3. (a.) Cruel;barbarous; inhuman; fierce; savage; ravenous.
4. (a.) Eager; earnest; intent. 5. (a.) Gall; anger; melancholy....
Resources
What can we learn from the tribe of Simeon? | GotQuestions.orgBarbarous: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
