To revile
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Λοιδορέω (loidoréō) means to revile, insult, or heap abusive speech on another person. In John 9:28 the religious leaders revile the man who has received sight after he challenges their refusal to recognize what Jesus has done.
Reader summary
Full entry for λοιδορέω (G3058) · Open the biblical lexicon
Λοιδορέω (loidoréō) means to revile, insult, or heap abusive speech on another person. In John 9:28 the religious leaders revile the man who has received sight after he challenges their refusal to recognize what Jesus has done.
The BSB source-word alignment has 4 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include How dare you insult (1), they heaped insults on (1), When they heaped abuse on Him (1), When we are vilified (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at John 9:28. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (1), 1 Peter (1), Acts (1), John (1).
Λοιδορέω (loidoréō) means to revile, insult, or heap abusive speech on another person. In John 9:28 the religious leaders revile the man who has received sight after he challenges their refusal to recognize what Jesus has done. Their insult attempts to shame him as Jesus' disciple while they claim Moses for themselves. The narrative shows how abusive speech can function as a tool of exclusion when evidence and honest testimony threaten settled authority.
The New Testament also shows faithful responses to reviling. Paul says that when the apostles are reviled, they bless (1 Cor. 4:12). Peter presents Jesus as the decisive pattern: when reviled, He did not revile in return but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly (1 Pet. 2:23). Acts 23:4 shows that the word can also describe perceived insult toward an officeholder.
This word does not forbid naming evil, confronting false teaching, appealing to lawful authority, or setting protective boundaries. It forbids retaliatory abuse and contempt. Churches must not spiritualize verbal abuse as harmless, nor pressure victims to remain exposed. Christlike non-retaliation entrusts judgment to God while using truthful, wise, and lawful means to protect people and pursue justice.
The verb exposes abusive exclusion in John and is answered elsewhere by apostolic blessing and Christ's non-retaliatory trust in God's judgment.
Then they heaped insults on him and said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses.
Unable to dismiss the man's testimony, the leaders use insult and exclusion to defend their settled verdict about Jesus.
But those standing nearby said, “How dare you insult the high priest of God!”
The charge concerns speech directed toward an officeholder and leads Paul to address the scriptural duty concerning rulers.
We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;
Apostolic ministry answers reviling with blessing rather than mirrored contempt.
When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
Jesus' response to abuse rests in confidence that the Father judges justly.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. to revile
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
4 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I revile, abuse
Read verseI revile, abuse
Read verseI revile, abuse
Read verseI revile, abuse
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 4 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
λοιδορέω is built from this root:
Reviling is speech used as a weapon. In John 9, leaders move from interrogation to insult when the healed man will not surrender what he knows. The abuse marks a failure of both truth and shepherding. The apostolic response is not passive agreement with lies but refusal to answer contempt with contempt. Paul blesses, and Jesus entrusts Himself to the Father who judges justly.
This gives churches a pattern for conflict: speak truth, protect the vulnerable, use appropriate authority, refuse dehumanizing language, and leave vengeance to God. Non-retaliation must not be twisted into forced silence or continued exposure to abuse. Christ's example supports faithful endurance and righteous boundaries together.
John.9.28
The verb names abusive or insulting speech, not every disagreement, rebuke, or judicial accusation. Tone, purpose, truthfulness, and context matter.
Wisdom literature repeatedly warns against destructive speech, while the suffering righteous entrust themselves to God. Jesus fulfills that pattern without surrendering truth.
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