Original Word: δεισιδαιμονέστερος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: deisidaimonesteros
Pronunciation: day-see-die-moh-NES-ter-os
Phonetic Spelling: (dice-ee-dahee-mon-es'-ter-os)
KJV: too superstitious
Word Origin: [the compound of a derivative of the base of G1169 (δειλός - afraid) and G1142 (δαίμων - demons)]

1. more religious than others

devout, religious, superstitious.

The compound of a derivative of the base of deilos and daimon; more religious than others -- too superstitious.

see GREEK deilos

see GREEK daimon

1174 deisidaimonésteros (from deidō, "to dread" and daimōn, "a deity") – properly, religious (superstitious) fear, driven by a confused concept of God – producing "sincere" but very misdirected religion. Indeed, this is the mark of heathenism.

Word Origin
cptv. of deisidaimón (fearing the gods); from deidó (to fear) and daimón
Definition
very fearful of gods, religious, superstitious.

STRONGS NT 1174: δεισιδαίμων

δεισιδαίμων, δεισιδαιμον, genitive δεισιδαιμονος (δείδω to fear, and δαίμων deity), fearing the deity or deities, like the Latinreligiosus; used either

1. in a good sense, reverencing god or the gods, pious, religious: Xenophon, Cyril 3, 3, 58; Ages. 11, 8; Aristotle, pol. 5, 11 (p. 1315a, 1); or

2. in a bad sense, superstitious: Theophrastus, char. 16 (22); Diodorus 1, 62; 4, 51; Plutarch, de adul. c. 16; de superstit. c. 10f Paul in the opening of his address to the Athenians, Acts 17:22, calls them, with kindly ambiguity, κατά πάντα δεισιδαιμονεστέρους (namely, than the rest of the Greeks (Winer's Grammar, 244 (229)), cf. Meyer at the passage), as being devout without the knowledge of the true God; cf. Bengel at the passage.

Scope of Usage

The term occurs only once in the Greek New Testament, Acts 17:22, where Paul opens his Areopagus address: “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious” (Berean Standard Bible). The word functions as a comparative adjective, assessing the Athenians’ pervasive devotion to unseen powers—whether pagan deities or, in Paul’s redirection, the one true God. Its singular New Testament appearance heightens the significance of its contextual and theological weight.

Historical Background: Athens and the Areopagus

Athens in the first-century world was famed for philosophy, art, and an array of idols that crowded its streets and hills. The Areopagus (Mars Hill) served as both court and forum for philosophical presentation. When Paul addressed the council, he stood amid altars dedicated to gods with well-known names and to one marked “To an unknown god” (Acts 17:23). Greeks often embraced any divinity that might secure blessing or avert disaster, illustrating an anxious and indiscriminate piety. Paul’s choice of the comparative form stressed that the Athenians surpassed others in this religious zeal.

Paul’s Evangelistic Strategy

1. Observation before proclamation. Paul notes what the city “is full of” (Acts 17:16) and then employs the very sight of their devotions as a bridge to the gospel.
2. Affirmation without commendation. By acknowledging their religiosity, he gains a hearing without endorsing their idolatry.
3. Redefinition of worship. Paul shifts the focus from temples “made by human hands” (Acts 17:24) to the Creator who “gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25).
4. Call to repentance. The heightened religiosity becomes the ground for calling all people to “repent, because He has set a day when He will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:30-31). The single occurrence of the term thus underlies a method: identify cultural longing, expose its insufficiency, and direct listeners to the resurrected Christ.

Theological Significance

• Universal religious impulse. Humanity’s inborn sense of the divine often drifts into superstition when unmoored from revelation (Romans 1:20-23). The Athenians’ attitude exemplifies that drift.
• God’s gracious self-disclosure. Rather than leave seekers in vagueness, God “makes Himself known” (Acts 17:27) in creation, providence, and definitively in Jesus Christ.
• Judgment and resurrection. The comparative adjective points to a zeal that cannot save; only faith in the risen Lord secures salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
• Consistency of Scripture. From Isaiah’s denunciation of idols (Isaiah 44:9-20) to Paul’s Areopagus proclamation, Scripture consistently portrays false worship as futile while offering true knowledge of God.

Practical Ministry Lessons

• Engage culture respectfully yet truthfully, recognizing spiritual hunger even in misguided forms.
• Use familiar symbols or language as starting points, but swiftly move to the exclusivity of Christ.
• Avoid flattery that dulls the call to repentance; affirm only what leads to clearer revelation of God.
• Expect varied responses: some mocked Paul, some delayed, and some believed (Acts 17:32-34).

Parallels in Hellenistic Literature

Classical writers such as Pausanias and Plutarch used cognate words to describe scrupulous fear toward deities—often viewed as excessive or superstitious. Paul’s usage taps into this cultural recognition, neither praising nor ridiculing but redirecting it to the sovereign Lord.

Related Biblical Concepts

Superstition: 1 Samuel 4:3-11; Jonah 1:5-16

Idolatry: Exodus 20:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9

General Revelation: Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:19-20

Repentance: Ezekiel 18:30-32; Acts 3:19

Summary

Strong’s Greek 1174 labels an intense, though misdirected, religiosity. Paul’s lone use of the term at the Areopagus models how to confront spiritual yearning with the gospel, affirming the quest while correcting its object. The passage underscores that only the God who raised Jesus from the dead fulfills humanity’s deepest religious longings and will one day judge all people in righteousness.

δεισιδαιμονεστερους δεισιδαιμονεστέρους deisidaimonesterous deisidaimonestérousInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts