(1) "Hypocrisy" occurs only once in the Old Testament as the translation of choneph (Isaiah 32:6, the Revised Version (British and American) "profaneness"); chaneph, from which it is derived, means properly "to cover," "to hide," or "becloud," hence, to pollute, to be polluted or defiled, to make profane, to seduce; as a substantive it is translated "hypocrite" (Job 8:13; 13:16; 15:34; 17:8; 20:5; 27:8; 34:30; 36:13, in all which instances the Revised Version (British and American) has "godless man," "godless men," "godless"; Proverbs 11:9, the Revised Version (British and American) "the godless man"; Isaiah 9:17, the Revised Version (British and American) "profane"; Isaiah 33:14, the Revised Version (British and American) "the godless ones"); it is rendered "hypocritical," in Psalms 35:16; Isaiah 10:6, the Revised Version (British and American) "profane."

(2) "Hypocrisy," "hypocrite" are frequent in the New Testament, chiefly in Christ's discourses in the Gospels. The word hupokrisis (primarily, "an answer," "response") meant generally, in classical Greek, stageplaying, acting, the histrionic art; hence, it came to mean acting a part in life, etc. We find hupokrisis in this sense in 2 Macc 6:25, the Revised Version (British and American) "dissimulation," and hupokrinomai, "to pretend," "to feign," etc. Ecclesiastes 1:18; 32:15; 33:2, translated "hypocrite"; 2 Macc 5:25, "pretending peace," the Revised Version (British and American) "playing the man of peace"; 6:21, the Revised Version (British and American) "to make as if." Hupokrites (literally, "an actor") is the Septuagint for chaneph (Job 34:30; 36:13), equivalent to bad, wicked, godless, which is perhaps included in some of our Lord's uses of the words, e.g. Matthew 23:27 f, "full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (compare Matthew 23:29 f; Matthew 24:51); but, in general, the meaning is acting a part, false, deceptive and deceived, formally and outwardly religious and good, but inwardly insincere and unrighteous; the hypocrite may come to deceive himself as well as others, but "the hypocrite's hope shall perish" (Job 8:13 the King James Version). On no class did our Lord pronounce such severe condemnation as on the hypocrites of His day.

"Hypocrisy" (hupokrisis) occurs in Matthew 23:28; Mark 12:15; Luke 12:1; 1 Timothy 4:2; 1 Peter 2:1 (in Galatians 2:13 it is rendered "dissimulation"); "hypocrite" (hupokrites), Matthew 6:2,5,16; 7:5; 15:7; 22:18; 23:13,15,23,25 ff,29; Matthew 24:51; Mark 7:6; Luke 12:56; 13:15; in James 3:17, anupokritos is "without hypocrisy," so the Revised Version (British and American), Romans 12:9 ("unfeigned," 2 Corinthians 6:6; 1 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:5; 1 Peter 1:22).

W. L. Walker

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

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