Bible Dictionaries
Superstitious

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: δεισιδαιμονία

(Strong's #1175 — Noun Feminine — deisidaimon — dice-ee-dahee-mon-ee'-ah )

"reverent to the deity" (deido, "to fear;" daimon, "a demon," or "pagan god"), occurs in Acts 17:22 in the comparative degree, rendered "somewhat superstitious," RV (AV, "too superstitious"), a meaning which the word sometimes has; others, according to its comparative form, advocate the meaning "more religious (than others)," "quite religious" (cp. the noun in Acts 25:19 ). This is supported by Ramsay, who renders it "more than others respectful of what is divine;" so Deissmann in Light from the Ancient East, and others. It also agrees with the meaning found in Greek writers; the context too suggests that the adjective is used in a good sense; perhaps, after all, with kindly ambiguity (Grimm-Thayer). An ancient epitaph has it in the sense of "reverent" (Moulton and Milligan).

Bibliography Information
Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Superstitious'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​ved/​s/superstitious.html. 1940.