Original Word: ἄκαρπος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: akarpos
Pronunciation: ah-KAR-pos
Phonetic Spelling: (ak'-ar-pos)
KJV: without fruit, unfruitful
NASB: unfruitful, without fruit
Word Origin: [from G1 (α - Alpha) (as a negative particle) and G2590 (καρπός - fruit)]

1. barren
{literally or figuratively}

without fruit, unfruitful.

From a (as a negative particle) and karpos; barren (literally or figuratively) -- without fruit, unfruitful.

see GREEK a

see GREEK karpos

175 ákarpos (an adjective, from 1 /A "not" and 2590 /karpós, "fruit") – properly, unfruitful.

175 /ákarpos ("unfruitful") refers to any thought (action) not originated and empowered by the Lord, i.e. not born of faith (birthed and empowered by God).

By definition, all decisions that are not born "of faith are sin" (Ro 14:23) – which automatically renders them eternally fruitless ("a waste"). This is the case regardless of how impressive or acceptable they are in the eyes of the world.

Word Origin
from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and karpos
Definition
unfruitful
NASB Translation
unfruitful (6), without fruit (1).

STRONGS NT 175: ἄκαρπος

ἄκαρπος, (καρπός) (from Aeschylus down), without fruit, barren;

1. properly: δένδρα, Jude 1:12.

2. metaphorically, not yielding what it ought to yield, (A. V. unfruitful): Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19; destitute of good deeds, Titus 3:14; 2 Peter 1:8; contributing nothing to the instruction, improvement, comfort, of others, 1 Corinthians 14:14; by litotes pernicious, Ephesians 5:11 (Wis. 15:4; cf. Grimm on Wis. 1:11).

Agricultural backdrop

In the Mediterranean world of the first century, orchards and vineyards were staple features of daily life; a tree or vine that failed to bear was cut down or burned for fuel. Against that background ἄκαρπος evokes the shock of wasted potential and imminent loss. The prophets had already warned that a fruitless vineyard signaled covenant failure (Isaiah 5:1-7; Hosea 10:1). The New Testament sustains this imagery, treating unfruitfulness not as a neutral deficiency but as a moral and spiritual crisis.

The word in the teaching of Jesus

Matthew 13:22 and its parallel in Mark 4:19 place ἄκαρπος in the Parable of the Sower. The seed choked by thorns “becomes unfruitful” when “the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things” crowd out the word. Unfruitfulness here is the tragic end of a process, not its beginning; the seed germinates but never ripens. The warning searches every hearer: spiritual sterility can arise even where initial reception was positive.

Unfruitful worship and the mind (1 Corinthians 14:14)

Paul applies the adjective to the understanding that remains “unfruitful” when one prays in a tongue without interpretation: “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” The point is not that glossolalia is wrong, but that worship must edify both spirit and intellect. Fruitlessness, then, may hide beneath the veneer of fervent devotion whenever clarity and love are neglected.

Unfruitful deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:11)

“Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Moral evil produces nothing of enduring value; it is sterile by nature. Paul contrasts such works with “the fruit of the light” (Ephesians 5:9), reinforcing the biblical pattern in which righteousness is measured by the harvest it yields.

Community service that prevents barrenness (Titus 3:14)

“Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.” Here ἄκαρπος threatens congregational witness when believers remain passive. Practical compassion becomes the antidote, linking orthodoxy and love for neighbor.

Knowledge that must bear fruit (2 Peter 1:8)

“If you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Virtue, perseverance, and love are indispensable fertilizers. Knowledge divorced from transformed character shrivels on the branch.

False teachers as barren trees (Jude 12)

Jude brands the intruders “autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted.” The season when harvest ought to appear only underscores their emptiness. Their doom is certain because they supply nothing nourishing to the flock.

Theology of fruit and judgment

1. Fruit is the outward evidence of genuine faith (John 15:8; Galatians 5:22-23).
2. Unfruitfulness invites divine scrutiny and, if unrepented, removal (Luke 13:6-9; Hebrews 6:7-8).
3. The Spirit alone enables perpetual fruitfulness, yet believers are commanded to cultivate conditions—obedience, perseverance, love—that allow that fruit to mature.

Ministry implications

• Preaching: expose “fruitless deeds of darkness” while cultivating soil for lasting change.
• Discipleship: move saints beyond passive knowledge to active service, lest they become “unfruitful.”
• Worship: balance spiritual fervor with intelligible instruction so the mind is not barren.
• Leadership assessment: test ministries by their harvest, for barren trees betray falsehood.

Summary

ἄκαρπος gathers the Old Testament’s vineyard warnings, the Gospels’ parables, and the Epistles’ pastoral charges into a single, urgent summons: the people of God must bear visible, Spirit-wrought fruit. Anything else, no matter how promising at first glance, ends in sterility and judgment.

ακαρπα άκαρπα ἄκαρπα ακαρποι άκαρποι ἄκαρποι ακαρποις ακάρποις ἀκάρποις ακαρπος άκαρπος άκαρπός ἄκαρπος ἄκαρπός ακαρπους ακάρπους ἀκάρπους ακάρπω akarpa ákarpa akarpoi ákarpoi akarpois akárpois akarpos ákarpos ákarpós akarpous akárpousInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts