ἄξιος

ἄξιος, ία, ον (Hom.+; loanw. in rabb.) adj. for *ἄγ-τιος, cp. ἄγω in the sense ‘draw down’ in the scale, ‘weigh’, hence ἄξιος of someone or someth. that is evaluated. Whether the evaluation results in an advantage or a penalty depends on the context or use of a negative particle.

① pert. to having a relatively high degree of comparable worth or value, corresponding, comparable, worthy, of things, in relation to other things,

ⓐ of price equal in value (Eur., Alc. 300; Ps.-Demosth. 13, 10; Herodian 2, 3 [of the value of a thing]; Pr 3:15; 8:11; Sir 26:15; s. Nägeli 62) οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα πρὸς τ. μέλλουσαν δόξαν the sufferings are not to be compared w. the glory to come Ro 8:18 (Arrian, Anab. 6, 24, 1 οὐδὲ τὰ ξύμπαντα … ξυμβληθῆναι ἄξια εἶναι τοῖς … πόνοις=all [the trials] are not worthy to be compared with the miseries). οὐδενὸς ἄ. λόγου worthy of no consideration Dg 4:1 (λόγου ἄ. Hdt. 4, 28; Pla., Ep. 7, 334e; Diod S 13, 65, 3 οὐδὲν ἄξιον λόγου πράξας; Dionys. Hal. 1, 22, 5; Dio Chrys. 22 [39], 1; Vit. Hom. et Hes. 4); cp. vs. 4.

ⓑ gener., of any other relation (Diod S 4, 11, 1 ἄξιον τῆς ἀρετῆς=worthy of his valor; Jos., Vi. 250 βοὴ εὐνοίας ἀξία; Just., A I, 4, 8 οὐδὲν ἄ. τῆς ὑποσχέσεως) καρποὶ ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας fruits in keeping with your repentance i.e. such as show that you have turned from your sinful ways Lk 3:8; Mt 3:8. For this ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα Ac 26:20. καρπὸς ἄ. οὗ ἔδωκεν fruit that corresponds to what he gave us 2 Cl 1:3. ἄ. πρᾶγμα ISm 11:3 (cp. Just., A I, 19, 5 ἀ. θεοῦ δύναμιν). ἄκκεπτα IPol 6:2. ἔργα ἄ. τῶν ῥημάτων deeds corresponding to the words 2 Cl 13:3. πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄ. worthy of full acceptance 1 Ti 1:15; 4:9 (Heraclid. Crit. [III B.C.] Fgm. I 17 πάσης ἄξιος φιλίας; Just., D. 3, 3 ἀποδοχῆς ἄξια). οὐδὲν ἄ. θανάτου nothing deserving death (cp. ἄξιον … τι θανάτου Plut., Marcus Cato 349a [21]) Lk 23:15; Ac 25:11, 25. θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἄ. nothing deserving death or imprisonment 23:29; 26:31 (cp. Hyperid. 3, 14; Appian, Iber. 31 §124 ἄξια θανάτου; Jos., Ant. 11, 144; Herm. Wr. 1, 20 ἄ. τοῦ θανάτου). Foll. by rel. clause ἄ. ὧν ἐπράξαμεν Lk 23:41.

ⓒ impers. ἄξιόν ἐστι it is worthwhile, fitting, proper (Hyperid. 2, 3; 6, 3; 4 Macc 17:8; EpArist 4; 282; Just., A II, 3, 2) w. articular inf. foll. (B-D-F §400, 3; Rob. 1059) τοῦ πορεύεσθαι 1 Cor 16:4. καθὼς ἄ. ἐστιν 2 Th 1:3.

② pert. to being correspondingly fitting or appropriate, worthy, fit, deserving of pers.

ⓐ in a good sense, but one which is sometimes negated. The negative particle in such cases generates the equivalent of ἀνάξιος ‘unworthy’. W. gen. of the thing of which one is worthy τῆς τροφῆς entitled to his food Mt 10:10; D 13:1f. τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς Ac 13:46. τοῦ μισθοῦ Lk 10:7; 1 Ti 5:18. πάσης τιμῆς 6:1 (Dio Chrys. 14 [31], 93; Lucian, Tox. 3 τιμῆς ἄ. παρὰ πάντων). ἄ. μετανοίας Hs 8, 6, 1.—W. gen. of the pers. οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄ. he is not worthy of me=does not deserve to belong to me (perh. ‘is not suited to me’, s. 1 above) Mt 10:37f; cp. PtK 3 p. 15, 17; D 15:1; ἄ. θεοῦ (Wsd 3:5; Just., D. 5, 3) IEph 2:1; 4:1; cp. 15:1; IRo 10:2; ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄ. ὁ κόσμος of whom the world was not worthy=‘they were too good for this world’ (New Life version) Hb 11:38.—W. inf. foll. (M. Ant. 8, 42 οὔκ εἰμι ἄξιος with inf.; BGU 1141, 15 [13 B.C.]; Jos., Ant. 4, 179; Just., A I, 22, 1) οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄ. κληθῆναι υἱός σου I am no longer fit to be called your son Lk 15:19, 21; cp. Ac 13:25; Rv 4:11; 5:2, 4, 9, 12 (WvUnnik, BRigaux Festschr. ’70, 445–61); B 14:1; IEph 1:3; Mg 14; Tr 13:1; Sm 11:1; Hs 8, 2, 5.—W. gen. of the inf. (ParJer 4:5) MPol 10:2. Foll. by ἵνα (B-D-F §393, 4; Rob. 658) ἄ. ἵνα λύσω τὸν ἱμάντα good enough to untie the thong J 1:27 (ἱκανός P^{66, 75}; s. ἱκανός end). Foll. by a rel. clause ἄ. ἐστιν ᾧ παρέξῃ τοῦτο Lk 7:4 (B-D-F §5, 3b; 379; Rob. 724). Abs. (PPetr II, 15 [3], 8 ἄ. γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος; 2 Macc 15:21; Just., D. 39, 2 ὡς ἀξιοί εἰσι) ἄ. εἰσιν they deserve to Rv 3:4; 16:6. Cp. Mt 10:11, 13; 22:8; IEph 2:2; Mg 12; Tr 4:2; IRo 9:2; ISm 9:2; IPol 8:1; B 9:9; 21:8; with a negative or negative implication in the context Hs 8, 11, 1; B 9:9; 14:4. ἄ. τινα ἡγεῖσθαι (Job 30:1) Hv 2, 1, 2; 3, 3, 4; 4, 1, 3; m 4, 2, 1; Hs 7:5; Hs 9, 28, 5 (w. ἵνα foll. in some of these pass. fr. Hermas). ὁ σωτὴρ ἀξίαν αὐτὴν ἡγήσατο the Savior considered her worthy GMary 463, 22. As an epithet of persons IMg 2. Subst. ἀκούει τῶν ἀξίων (God) heeds the deserving AcPt Ox 849, 28 (cp. Just., A I, 52, 3).—Comp. ἀξιώτερος (SIG 218, 25) Hv 3, 4, 3.—Ins: Larfeld I, 493f.

ⓑ in a context in which the evaluation is qualified by unpleasant consequences to the one evaluated (Ael. Aristid. 34 p. 650 D. ἄ. ὀργῆς) ἄ. πληγῶν (Dt 25:2; cp. Jos., Ant. 13, 294) deserving blows Lk 12:48. ἄ. θανάτου (Nicol. Dam.: 90 Fgm. 4 p. 335, 12f Jac.; Appian, Bell. Civ. 2, 108 §452; Mel., HE 4, 26, 6) Ro 1:32. καθώς τις ἄξιός ἐστιν as each deserves Hs 6, 3, 3 of punishments.—JKleist, ‘Axios’ in the Gospels: CBQ 6, ’44, 342–46; KStendahl, Nuntius 7, ’52, 53f.—EDNT. M-M. TW.