Stuck in Idle

The word ἀτακτέω and the related word ἀτακτωs appear only in 2 Thessalonians in the Bible.

A quick review of English Bible translations offers a smorgasbord of choices for translating this word: "idle" in the NRSV and NIV, "undisciplined" in the NASB, "unpeacable" in the ancient Wycliffe Bible, "disorderly" in the KJV and American Standard Version , "loafing" in the Contemporary English Version and "freeload" in The Message .

The Liddell-Scott Greek-English Lexicon states that the word is "of a soldier" and lists three definitions: 1) to be undisciplined, to neglect one's duty, fail to discharge obligation; 2) lead a disorderly life; 3) raise a riot or rebellion. Thayer's Greek Lexicon translates ἀτακτέω as to "be undisciplined, disorderly."

The idea that the word stems from the realm of military use aids in our effort to derive at the best understanding of the word. In a military setting, one would expect to find soldiers who are all working together as a cohesive unit, working toward the same goal. Throughout his writings, Paul talks about Christian believers being of one body - essentially all part of the same unit - in their direction to love and serve the Lord. It therefore makes sense for Paul to use a word that has some degree of connection with the life of a soldier in his instructions for the family of Christians.

As these words do not appear elsewhere within the Biblical cannon, we are not about to compare them against the context of other passages of Scripture. The word, and its related forms, however does appear several other places in ancient literature .

According to the Liddell-Scott Greek-English Lexicon, forms of the word show up in the following ancient sources.

Demosthenes , Olynthiac 3 , 11

Flavius Josephus , Jewish Antiquities , 17.10.10

Lysias, Against Alcibiades 1 , 18

Xenophon , Cyropaedia , 7.2.6

Xenophon, Economics , 7.31

In each case, the word translates to some kind of indication of disorderly conduct . While it is unlikely that many parishioners would have any knowledge of any of these sources, the Josephus reference is probably the one most likely to spark some faint glimmer of recognition. The Josephus passage is about a group of soldiers and Josephus writes "...for they behaved themselves very disorderly, and disobeyed his orders."

While the "of soldiers" reference in Liddell-Scott is helpful, it does not appear in another often-used reference guide. The Arndt-Gingrich Lexicon makes no mention of soldiers, armies or the military. It provides a definition of "idle, lazy."

It is not normally the case that I would cite The Message translation of the Bible in a scholarly word study, but in this instance, I believe The Message translates ἀτακτέω in a way that most clearly captures Paul's intent when read by a modern audience. The Message translates this word as "freeload" (the full sentence reads: "Don't permit them to freeload on the rest."). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines freeload as "to impose upon another's generosity or hospitality without sharing in the cost or responsibility involved." I believe this translation accurately captures the sense of what Paul was saying to the church in Thessalonica: that all should be working together, that no person should be sitting back and allowing the others to do the work, but still gaining benefit. I believe the translation of "freeloading" would best convey Paul's intent to today's church.