Bible Lexicons

βάρβᾰρος, ον,

I

1. barbarous, i.e. non-Greek, foreign, not in Hom. (but cf. βαρβαρόφωνος) ; β. ψυχαί Heraclit. 107; esp. as Subst. βάρβαροι, οἱ, originally all non-Greek-speaking peoples, then specially of the Medes and Persians, A. Pers. 255, Hdt. 1.58, etc.: generally, opp. Ἕλληνες, Pl. Plt. 262d, cf. Th. 1.3, Arist. Pol. 1252b5, Str. 14.2.28; βαρβάρων Ἕλληνας ἄρχειν εἰκός E. IA 1400; β. καὶ δοῦλον ταὐτὸ φύσει Arist. Pol. 1252b9; οἱ β. δουλικώτεροι τὰ ἤθη φύσει τῶν Ἑλλήνων ib. 1285a20; β. πόλεμον war with the barbarians, Th. 2.36 codd.; ἡ βάρβαρος (sc. γῆ), opp. αἱ Ἑλληνίδες πόλεις, Th. 2.97, cf. A. Pers. 187, X. An. 5.5.16. Adv. -ρως, opp. Ἑλληνικῶς, Porph. Abst. 3.3.

2. esp. of language, φωνὴ β. A. Ag. 1051, Pl. Prt. 341c; γλῶσσα β. S. Aj. 1263, cf. Hdt. 2.57, Str. l. c. supr., etc.; συλλραφαί Hippias 6 D.; of birds, Ar. Av. 199. Adv., βαρβάρως, ὠνόμασται have foreign names, Str. 10.3.17.

3. Gramm., of bad Greek, Gell. 5.20.5; τὸ β., of style, opp. Ἑλληνικόν, S.E. M. 1.64.

II after the Persian war, brutal, rude, ἀμαθὴς καὶ β. Ar. Nu. 492; τὸ τῆς φύσεως β. καὶ θεοῖς ἐχθρόν D. 21.150; σκαιὸς καὶ β. τὸν τρόπον Id. 26.17; β. ἀνηλεής τε Men. Epit. 477: Comp. -ώτερος X. Ephesians 2:4 : Sup., πάντων βαρβαρώτατος θεῶν Ar. Av. 1573, cf. Th. 8.98, X. An. 5.4.34.

III used by Jews of Greeks, LXX 2 Maccabees 2:21. name for various plasters, Androm. and Herasap. Gal. 13.555. (Onomatopoeic acc. to Str. 14.2.28.)