Acts 14:15:18Acts.14.15.W18TAB
ματαίων
mataiôn
“vain things”
- Transliteration
- ma-TAI-ôn
- Extended
- mah-TAI-ohn
- IPA
- /maˈtai.ɔːn/
Meaning by language
- English
- vain things
Greek · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Mu | m — as in mother | |
| Alpha | ah — as in father | |
| Tau | t — as in top | |
| Alpha | ah — as in father | |
| Iota | i — as in machine | |
| Omega | o — same as omicron | |
| Nu | n — as in new |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ma-TAI-ôn
- sentence
KAI LE-gon-tes AN-dres TI TAU-ta poi-EI-te KAI hê-MEIS ho-moi-o-pa-THEIS ES-men hy-MEIN AN-thrô-poi eu-ang-ge-li-ZO-me-noi hy-MAS a-PO TOU-tôn tôn ma-TAI-ôn e-pi-STRE-phein e-PI the-ON ZÔN-ta hos e-POI-ê-sen ton ou-ra-NON KAI tên gên KAI tên THA-las-san KAI PAN-ta ta en au-TOIS
Exegesis
This is further specified by the infinitive epistrephein {ἐπιστρέφειν | e-pi-stré-phein} ‘to turn’, which introduces the content of the good news as a call to conversion, marked by the movement apo toutōn tōn mataiōn {ἀπὸ τούτων τῶν ματαίων | a-pó toú-tōn tōn ma-taí-ōn} ‘from these vain things’—a disparaging reference to idols.
Root and etymology
mataiosmu–alpha–tau–alpha–iota–omicron–sigma
“empty, futile, worthless”
In context — Acts 14:15
And they said, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are humans of like nature with you, bringing good news to you so that you turn from these vain things to the living God , who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them.”
About this coordinate
Acts 14:15:18 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 18 of Acts 14:15, so the Greek word ματαίων (mataiôn) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Acts.14.15.W18, which extends further down to each syllable (Acts.14.15.W18.S1) and character.