Quick Definition
ἀρνέομαι v. I deny, repudiate
Strong's Definition
perhaps from 1 (as a negative particle) and the middle voice of 4483; to contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate
KJV Usage: deny, refuse
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | ἀπαρνέομαι
33.277 · Communication · Admit, Confess, Deny
to deny to say that one does not know about or is in any way related to a person or event In translating ἀρνέομαι[a] and ἀπαρνέομαι[a], one can often use an equivalent phrase such as ‘to say that one does not know’ or ‘to say that one has nothing to do with.’
In denying an event, as in LUK 8:45, it may be possible to translate ‘but they all said they knew nothing about it.’ It is also possible to deny having done something, and therefore one may translate the response in LUK 8:45 as ‘but they all said that they did not do it’ or ‘... that they did not touch him.’
MAT 10:33 · MAT 10:33 · MAT 26:70 · MAT 26:72 · MRK 14:68 · MRK 14:70 · LUK 8:45 · LUK 22:57 · JHN 1:20 · JHN 13:38 · JHN 18:25 · JHN 18:27 · ACT 3:13 · ACT 3:14 · ACT 4:16 · 2TI 2:12 · 1JN 2:22 · 1JN 2:22 · 1JN 2:23
34.48 · Association · Establish or Confirm a Relation
to deny to deny any relationship of association with someone In a number of languages one may best translate ‘deny’ as ‘to make manifest not to know.’ Accordingly, one may translate the first part of LUK 12:9 as ‘whoever shows people that he does not know me’ or ‘whoever refuses to admit that he does know me.’ Denial need not involve some verbal formulation, though in some languages this is the most common practice. See also 33.277.
LUK 12:9 · 1TI 5:8 · 2TI 2:12 · 2TI 2:12 · 2TI 3:5 · TIT 1:16 · 2PE 2:1 · 1JN 2:22 · 1JN 2:23 · JUD 1:4 · REV 2:13 · REV 3:8
31.25 · Hold a View, Believe, Trust · Agree, Consent
to refuse to agree to, to not consent to to refuse to agree or consent to something
30.52 · Think · To Think About, with the Implied Purpose of Responding Appropriately
to disregard, to pay no attention to, to say no to to refuse to give thought to or express concern for There are a number of problems involved in rendering appropriately ἀρνέομαι[d] and ἀπαρνέομαι[b] as in LUK 9:23 and MRK 8:34.
In a number of languages it simply makes no sense to translate ‘to say No to oneself,’ nor is it possible in many instances to use an expression such as ‘to deny oneself,’ since it almost always implies to deny oneself something. Sometimes the meaning may be expressed in a figurative or idiomatic manner, for example, ‘to refuse to pay attention to what one’s own desires are saying’ or ‘to refuse to think about what one just wants for oneself.’ In certain instances other kinds of idioms may be employed, for example, ‘to put oneself at the end of the line’ or even ‘to say to one’s heart, Keep quiet.’
36.43 · Guide, Discipline, Follow · Follow, Be a Disciple
to refuse to follow, to refuse to obey, to reject to refuse to follow someone as a leader
88.231 · Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior · Hypocrisy, Pretense
to be false to oneself, to be untrue to oneself to behave in a way which is untrue to one’s real self, in a sense of denying certain valid aspects of one’s personality It is possible in some languages to translate ‘he cannot be false to himself’ in 2TI 2:13 as ‘he cannot be different from what he really is’ or ‘he cannot be otherwise than good.’
1 It is quite possible that ἀπαρνέομαι[a] is somewhat more forceful in meaning than ἀρνέομαι[a], but this cannot be demonstrated from NT usage. 2 ἀπαρνέομαι[b] appears to be somewhat more forceful in meaning than ἀρνέομαι[d].
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἀρνέομαι, -οὔμαι ; fut. ἀρνήσομαι ; impf. ἠρνούμην ; 1 aor. ἠρνησάμην (rare in Attic, where generally ἠρνήθην, cf. Matth. i. p. 538 [better Veitch 5. v.]); pf. ἤρνημαι ; a depon. verb [(fr. Hom. down) ] signifying 1. to deny, i. 6. εἰπεῖν... οὐκ [to say... not, contradict]: Mk. xiv. 70; Mt. xxvi. 70; Jn. i. 20; xviii. 25, 27; Lk. viii. 45; Acts iv. 16; foll. by ὅτι οὐ instead of simple ὅτι, in order to make the negation more strong and explicit: Mt. xxvi. 72; 1 Jn. ii. 22; (on the same use in Grk. writ. οἵ. Kiuhner ii. p. 761; [Jelf ii. 450; W. § 65,2 8.; B. 355 (305))). 2. to deny, with an ace. of the pers., in various senses: a. dpv. Ἰησοῦν is used of followers of Jesus who, for fear of death or persecution, deny that Jesus is their master, and desert his cause, [to disown]: Mt. x. 33; Lk. xii. 9; [Jn. xiii. 38 L txt. T Tr WH]; 2 Tim. ii. 12, (ἀρν. τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. Rev. iii. 8, means the same); and on the other hand, of Jesus, denying that one is his follower: Mt. x. 33; 2 Tim. ii. 12. Ὁ. ἀρν. God and Christ, is used of those who by cherishing and disseminating pernicious opinions and immorality are adjudged to have apostatized from God and Christ : 1 Jn. ii. 22 (ef. iv. 2; 2Jn. 7-11); Jude4; 2 Pet. ii. 1. 6. ἀρν. ἑαυτόν to deny himself, is used in two senses, a. to disregard his own interests : Lk. ix. 23 [R WH mrg. ἀπαρν.}; cf. ἀπαρνέομαι. β. to prove false to himself, act entirely unlike himself: 2 Tim. ii. 13. 3. to deny 1. 6. abnegate, abjure; ri, to renounce a thing, forsake it: τὴν ἀσέβειαν κ. τὰς ἐπιθυμίας, Tit. ii. 12; by act to show estrangement from a thing: τὴν πίστιν, 1 Tim. v. 8; Rev. ii. 13; τὴν δύναμιν τῆς εὐσεβείας, 2 Tim. iii. 5. 4. not to accept, to reject, refuse, something offered : τινά, Acts iii. 14; vil. 35; with an inf. indicating the thing, Heb. xi. 24. [ComP.: ἀπ-αρνέομαι.Ἴ
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἀρνέομαι arneomai 33x
to deny, disclaim, disown, Mt. 10:33; to renounce, Tit. 2:12; to decline, refuse, Heb. 11:24; absol. to deny, contradict, Lk. 8:15
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἀρνέομαι, -οῦμαι, depon.,
[in LXX: Ge 18:15 (כּחשׁ pi.), Wi 12:27 16:16 17:10, IV Mac 8:7 10:15*;]
to deny, say no, opp. to εἰπεῖν: absol., Mt 26:70, Lk 8:45; seq. ὅτι, I Jo 2:22; c. inf., He 11:24.
In late Gk. (MM, s.v.), c. acc. pers., to deny, refuse to acknowledge, disown: Ac 3:14 7:35; Ἰησοῦν, Mt 10:33, II Ti 2:12, I Jo 2:22, Ju 4; ἑαυτόν, Lk 9:23, II Ti 2:13 (prove false to).
C. acc. rei (in cl. to refuse), to deny, abjure: I Ti 5:8, Tit 2:12, II Ti 3:5 (cf. ἀπαρνέομαι)
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἀρνέομαι. Syll 35655 (B.c. 6—a letter of Augustus) αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ἐνέμεινεν ἀρνούμενο[ς] ‘persisted in his denial.” OG/S 48451 (ii/A.D.) ἅπερ ἀρνουμένων αὐτῶν ἡδέως ἐπίστευον. For the aor. midd. (rare in Attic: cf. Veitch Grk Verbs s.v.) cf. BGU 1. 195 (ii/A.D.) ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ μὴ ἀρνήσασθαι ἐφ᾽ ἑκάστῳ τοῦτον .. ., P Flor I. 611}: 49 (4.D. 86-8) ἠρνήσατο οὗτος [τὴ]ν κλη[ρ]ονομίαν τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ ἐγὼ τὴν (these three words interlineated) τοῦ ἰδίου πατρός. See also Helbing Gr. p. 99, and Mayor £/. of Jude, p. 72, where it is stated that ἀρνέομαι (denego) with acc. of a person (‘‘to disown”) is unclassical, and seems to be confined to Christian literature. The verb is MGr.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἀρνέομαι (arneomai) — to deny. ἀρνέομαι, future -ήσομαι[Refs 5th c.BC+] (ἀπ-), [NT]aorist passive ἠρνήθην frequently in Attic dialect, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: also aorist middle ἠρνησάμην[Refs 8th c.BC+]; rare in Trag. and Attic dialect, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect ἤρνημαι[Refs 4th c.BC+]:—deny, disown, τεὸν ἔπος ἀρνήσασθαι[Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀρνούμενοι ἔπαινοι negative praises, [Refs 1st c.AD+]
2. refuse, τόξον.. δόμεναί τε καὶ ἀρνήσασθαι[Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀ. χρείαν decline, renounce a duty or office, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ζωὰν ἀ., of a suicide, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; ἀ. ἀνθρώπους cast aside humanity, [Refs 4th c.AD+]
3. absolutely, say No, decline, ὁ δ᾽ ἠρνεῖτο στεναχίζων[Refs 8th c.BC+]
4. in expressing denial, with infinitive, either without μή, deny that.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; or with μή, say that.. not.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οὐδ᾽ αὐτὸς ἀρνεῖται μὴ οὐ.. [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; also οὐκ ἂν ἀρνοίμην τὸ δρᾶν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀ. ὅτι οὐ.., ὡς οὐ.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]
5. in expressing refusal, with infinitive, ἀ. εἶναι χρηστούς[Refs 5th c.BC+]: poetry also with participle, οὐ γὰρ εὐτυχῶν ἀρνήσομαι[Refs 5th c.BC+]