οὐδέποτε
oudepote
never
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word οὐδέποτε (oudepote) is a negated form meaning "never." This word is used to convey a strong sense of denial or exclusion, emphasizing that something will not occur or has never existed. As it appears 16 times in the Bible, its usage is varied, often expressing the speaker's perspective on past events, future expectations, or general circumstances. In terms of range of usage, οὐδέποτε is used in both affirmative and negative sentences, and its context determines its meaning. For instance, it can be used to negate a preceding statement or to emphasize a future event that will never happen. Sometimes, it's contrasted with other expressions of time, such as "always" (ὅταν, hotan) or "once" (εἰς πολλά, eis polla). The significance of οὐδέποτε lies in its ability to convey absolute negation or exclusion. Because of its frequency and varied usage in the Bible, it is a crucial component in understanding the nuances of many biblical statements, especially those involving divine promises, prohibitions, or future events. By acknowledging the meaning and usage of οὐδέποτε, readers can more accurately interpret the intended message of these statements, gaining a clearer understanding of the biblical text.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
16 total occurrences across the text
Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’
Matthew 9:33When the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke. The multitudes marveled, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
Matthew 21:16and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Did you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babies you have perfected praise?’ ”
Matthew 21:42Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?’
Matthew 26:33But Peter answered him, “Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.”
Mark 2:12He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Mark 2:25He said to them, “Did you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry—he, and those who were with him?
Luke 15:29But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
Luke 15:29But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
John 7:46The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!”
Acts 10:14But Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
Acts 11:8But I said, ‘Not so, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.’
Acts 14:8At Lystra a certain man sat, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked.
1 Corinthians 13:8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.
Hebrews 10:1For the law, having a shadow of the good to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.
Hebrews 10:11Every priest indeed stands day by day serving and often offering the same sacrifices which can never take away sins,