ἀντίκειμαι (antíkeimai) describes being set against, opposing, or functioning as an adversary. The opposition may come from hostile people, as in Luke 13:17, Luke 21:15, First Corinthians 16:9, and Philippians 1:28.
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Reader summary
Full entry for ἀντίκειμαι (G480) · Open the biblical lexicon
ἀντίκειμαι (antíkeimai) describes being set against, opposing, or functioning as an adversary. The opposition may come from hostile people, as in Luke 13:17, Luke 21:15, First Corinthians 16:9, and Philippians 1:28.
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include adversaries (1), adversary (1), are opposed (1), oppose [me] (1), oppose [you] (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 13:17. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Timothy (2), Luke (2), 1 Corinthians (1), 2 Thessalonians (1).
G480 describes being set against, opposing, or functioning as an adversary. The opposition may come from hostile people, as in Luke 13:17, Luke 21:15, First Corinthians 16:9, and Philippians 1:28. Galatians 5:17 uses the verb for the flesh and Spirit being opposed to one another. First Timothy applies it to what is contrary to sound teaching and to an adversary seeking occasion for slander.
Second Thessalonians 2:4 uses it of the figure who opposes and exalts himself in the chapter's eschatological warning. The verb identifies opposition; it does not establish that every critic is evil, that resistance proves a ministry is faithful, or that all eight settings describe the same kind of conflict.
The selected artifact reports about eight New Testament occurrences. G480 describes adversaries of Jesus and His witnesses, opposition to gospel ministry, the conflict of flesh and Spirit, teaching contrary to sound doctrine, an adversary's opportunity, and eschatological self-exaltation.
Because a great door for effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me.
The same sentence names both effective opportunity and many opponents. Paul does not treat resistance as proof that he should leave Ephesus or as automatic proof that any contested work is God's open door.
For the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching
The opposition is to sound teaching as defined by the surrounding ethical list and the gospel entrusted to Paul. Leaders may not substitute their own status or preferences for that textual standard.
He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
This is a concentrated eschatological use involving opposition to worship and self-exaltation. It should remain within the full argument and not become a lexical shortcut for date-setting or accusation.
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. Opposition that involves active resistance or hostility, not mere disagreement
Opposition that involves active resistance or hostility, not mere disagreement
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
8 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I resist, oppose
Read verseI resist, oppose
Read verseI resist, oppose
Read verseI resist, oppose
Read verseI resist, oppose
Read verseI resist, oppose
Read verseI resist, oppose
Read verseI resist, oppose
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 7 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)
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 8 lexical occurrence verses.
ἀντίκειμαι is built from these roots:
G480 identifies real opposition without supplying a universal verdict on the opponent. Jesus' adversaries in Luke 13 resist His Sabbath healing, and Luke 21 prepares disciples for hostile contradiction during witness. First Corinthians 16:9 shows that effective ministry and many opponents can coexist, while Philippians 1:28 calls believers not to be frightened.
Galatians 5:17 uses the same verb for the conflict between flesh and Spirit. First Timothy measures what is contrary by sound teaching and warns against giving an adversary occasion for slander. Second Thessalonians 2 applies the verb within a specific eschatological warning. Churches should discern opposition by Scripture and conduct, not by a leader's wounded status.
Resistance may require endurance, correction, or repentance, but conflict alone proves none of them.
1Cor.16.9
G480 is a verb for being set against or opposing. It appears in finite and participial forms and can describe people, conduct, spiritual conflict, or an eschatological figure. Across project witnesses, the broad artifact total is near eight and STEP TAGNT supplies roughly six Pauline uses. Subject, complement, and discourse identify the nature of the opposition.
Scripture often records opposition to God's servants and also rebukes God's people when they oppose His will. Those wider patterns can inform discernment, but G480 does not permit readers to place themselves automatically among the faithful merely because they experience resistance.