What does ἀνθρώπινος (anthrṓpinos) mean in the Bible?
G442 is an adjective describing what is human, belongs to human life, or is characteristic of people. Romans 6:19 marks Paul's analogy as speaking in human terms because of his hearers' weakness.
Greek · G442
ἀνθρώπινος
Human
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ἀνθρώπινος G442
Pronunciation anthrṓpinos
What does ἀνθρώπινος (anthrṓpinos) mean in the Bible?
G442 is an adjective describing what is human, belongs to human life, or is characteristic of people. Romans 6:19 marks Paul's analogy as speaking in human terms because of his hearers' weakness.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀνθρώπινος (G442) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G442?
The BSB source-word alignment has 7 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include human (2), any human (1), by human (1), in human terms (1), man (1).
Where does ἀνθρώπινος (anthrṓpinos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Acts 17:25. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (3), 1 Peter (1), Acts (1), James (1).
What This Word Actually Means
G442 is an adjective describing what is human, belongs to human life, or is characteristic of people. Romans 6:19 marks Paul's analogy as speaking in human terms because of his hearers' weakness. First Corinthians contrasts human wisdom and words with what the Spirit teaches, calls an earthly tribunal a human court, and describes temptation as common to humanity.
Acts 17:25 denies that God depends on human hands. First Peter 2:13 applies the adjective to a human institution, and James 3:7 uses it of humankind's capacity to tame creatures. The adjective does not mean sinful, false, or powerless by itself. Each noun and argument determine whether the human thing is limited, ordinary, civil, rhetorical, or simply performed by people.
How the Bible Uses It
The local index count is about seven. G442 modifies terms, wisdom, words, a court, temptation, hands, an institution, and the human race across its settings. The adjective identifies a human relation or quality without independently declaring the thing morally evil.
- 1Cor.10.13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.
The temptation is described as common to humanity, but the paragraph warns against presumption and idolatry. Hope rests in God's faithfulness and provision, not in minimizing the trial.
- Rom.6.19
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
Paul signals that his slavery comparison is a human mode of speaking adapted to weakness. He uses the analogy to press a real ethical transfer from impurity toward righteousness and holiness.
- 1Cor.2.13
And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
Paul distinguishes words taught by human wisdom from words taught by the Spirit. The contrast concerns the source and manner of apostolic proclamation rather than a blanket rejection of all human speech or learning.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It human 2× Acts 17:25, 1 Peter 2:13
any human 1× 1 Corinthians 4:3
by human 1× 1 Corinthians 2:13
in human terms 1× Romans 6:19
man 1× James 3:7
what is common to man 1× 1 Corinthians 10:13
Show sample aligned rows
Acts 17:25 ἀνθρωπίνων to human Adjective - Genitive Feminine Plural Romans 6:19 Ἀνθρώπινον to in human terms Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular 1 Corinthians 2:13 ἀνθρωπίνης to by human Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular 1 Corinthians 4:3 ἀνθρωπίνης to any human Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular 1 Corinthians 10:13 ἀνθρώπινος to what is common to man Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular James 3:7 ἀνθρωπίνῃ to man Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular 1 Peter 2:13 ἀνθρωπίνῃ to human Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Acts 17:25
Aligned rows 7
Books represented 5
Acts 1 Romans 1 1 Corinthians 3 James 1 1 Peter 1
Source forms
ἀνθρωπίνῃ 2x anthrōpinē James 3:7, 1 Peter 2:13
ἀνθρωπίνης 2x anthrōpinēs 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 Corinthians 4:3
Ἀνθρώπινον 1x Anthrōpinon Romans 6:19
ἀνθρώπινος 1x anthrōpinos 1 Corinthians 10:13
ἀνθρωπίνων 1x anthrōpinōn Acts 17:25
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular 2x James 3:7, 1 Peter 2:13
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular 2x 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 Corinthians 4:3
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular 1x Romans 6:19
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Plural 1x Acts 17:25
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 10:13
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- In First Corinthians 10:13, preserve both the warning against presumption and the promise of God's faithfulness when explaining temptation as common to humanity.
- Identify the noun modified by G442 before assigning moral force, especially in passages about wisdom, courts, hands, and institutions.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not treat G442 as proof that every human word, court, institution, or skill is ungodly; the surrounding argument supplies each evaluation.
- Do not reduce First Corinthians 10:13 to the adjective common; preserve the paragraph's warning and its confidence in God's faithful provision.
Passage contextPastoral applicationBook contexttheological_synthesis
Evidence Summary
Greek word. human
Strong's G442
Lexical occurrences 7 verses Greek text appearances 7 times Word forms 5 forms 7 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
human
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
7 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Romans 6:19 Adjective Accusative Singular Neuter
ἀνθρώπινον anqrwpinon
belonging to human beings, human
Read verse 1 Corinthians 2:4 Adjective Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀνθρωπίνης anqrwpinhv
belonging to human beings, human
Read verse 1 Corinthians 2:13 Adjective Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀνθρωπίνης anqrwpinhv
belonging to human beings, human
Read verse 1 Corinthians 4:3 Adjective Genitive Singular Feminine
ἀνθρωπίνης anqrwpinhv
belonging to human beings, human
Read verse 1 Corinthians 10:13 Adjective Nominative Singular Masculine
ἀνθρώπινος· anqrwpinov
belonging to human beings, human
Read verse James 3:7 Adjective Dative Singular Feminine
ἀνθρωπίνῃ· anqrwpinh
belonging to human beings, human
Read verse 1 Peter 2:13 Adjective Dative Singular Feminine
ἀνθρωπίνῃ anqrwpinh
belonging to human beings, human
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.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 5 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 5 Aligned forms 7 Case pattern Genitive (3) Number pattern Singular (6)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Masculine 1 Cor 10:13 1×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine 1 Cor 2:13 · 1 Cor 4:3 2×
Genitive · Plural · Feminine Acts 17:25 1×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Jas 3:7 · 1 Pet 2:13 2×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Rom 6:19 1×
Word Origins
ἀνθρώπινος is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
G442 is descriptive before it is evaluative. In Acts 17 the contrast exposes God's independence from human service; in First Corinthians 2 it distinguishes Spirit-taught proclamation from human wisdom; in 4:3 it identifies a human court while reserving final evaluation for the Lord; and in 10:13 it describes temptation as common to humanity while directing confidence to God's faithfulness.
Romans 6:19 marks an analogy as human speech adapted to weakness. First Peter 2:13 and James 3:7 use the adjective in civil and creaturely settings. Teachers should therefore identify the noun and trace the argument before assigning moral force. The word alone does not condemn everything human, excuse temptation, absolutize an institution, or prove that ordinary learning is opposed to the Spirit.
Anchor passage
1Cor.10.13
Doctrinal connections
- Acts 17:24-28 contrasts the Creator's self-sufficiency with human hands and dependence while affirming that God gives life and breath to all.
- Romans 6:19 identifies Paul's slavery analogy as human speech adapted to weakness and directs embodied obedience toward righteousness and holiness.
- First Corinthians 2:10-16 contrasts human wisdom with what the Spirit reveals and teaches without making all human language inherently false.
- First Corinthians 4:1-5 places human evaluation beneath the Lord's final judgment and warns readers not to pronounce judgment before the appointed time.
- First Corinthians 10:12-14 calls temptation common to humanity, warns against presumption, and anchors endurance in God's faithfulness and provision.
- First Peter 2:13-17 and James 3:7-10 show the adjective in civil and creaturely settings, where the local commands define submission and the warning about speech.
G442 is an adjective meaning human or belonging to humanity. The selected lexicon artifact reports about seven New Testament occurrences, while the local Pauline witness reports about five uses in its own corpus scope. These remain qualified project-witness counts. The forms agree with several different nouns, so translators may render the relation as human, common to man, or by humankind according to the construction.
From Old to New Testament
The seven New Testament uses provide the governing evidence for this companion. Broader biblical teaching about humanity, sin, government, wisdom, and divine sovereignty may illuminate those passages, but G442 alone cannot carry a complete anthropology or a universal verdict on every human institution.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain