hi-pok´ri-si, hip´ō̇-krit (חנף, ḥōneph, חנף, ḥānēph; ὑπόκρισις, hupókrisis, ὑποκριτής, hupokritḗs):
(1) “Hypocrisy” occurs only once in the Old Testament as the translation of ḥōneph ([Isa 32:6], the Revised Version (British and American) “profaneness”); ḥānēph, from which it is derived, means properly “to cover,” “to hide,” or “becloud,” hence, to pollute, to be polluted or defiled, to make profane, to seduce; as a substantive it is translated “hypocrite” ([Job 8:13]; [Job 13:16]; [Job 15:34]; [Job 17:8]; [Job 20:5]; [Job 27:8]; [Job 34:30]; [Job 36:13], in all which instances the Revised Version (British and American) has “godless man,” “godless men,” “godless”; [Pro 11:9], the Revised Version (British and American) “the godless man”; [Isa 9:17], the Revised Version (British and American) “profane”; [Isa 33:14], the Revised Version (British and American) “the godless ones”); it is rendered “hypocritical,” in [Psa 35:16]; [Isa 10:6], the Revised Version (British and American) “profane.”
(2) “Hypocrisy,” “hypocrite” are frequent in the New Testament, chiefly in Christ’s discourses in the Gospels. The word hupokrisis (primarily, “an answer,” “response”) meant generally, in classical Greek, stageplaying, acting, the histrionic art; hence, it came to mean acting a part in life, etc. We find hupokrisis in this sense in 2 Macc 6:25, the Revised Version (British and American) “dissimulation,” and hupokrı́nomai, “to pretend,” “to feign,” etc. Ecclesiasticus 1:29; 32:15; 33:2, translated “hypocrite”; 2 Macc 5:25, “pretending peace,” the Revised Version (British and American) “playing the man of peace”; 6:21, the Revised Version (British and American) “to make as if.” Hupokritēs (literally, “an actor”) is the Septuagint for ḥānēph ([Job 34:30]; [Job 36:13]), equivalent to bad, wicked, godless, which is perhaps included in some of our Lord’s uses of the words, e.g. [Mat 23:27] f, “full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (compare [Mat 23:29] f; [Mat 24:51]); but, in general, the meaning is acting a part, false, deceptive and deceived, formally and outwardly religious and good, but inwardly insincere and unrighteous; the hypocrite may come to deceive himself as well as others, but “the hypocrite’s hope shall perish” ([Job 8:13] the King James Version). On no class did our Lord pronounce such severe condemnation as on the hypocrites of His day.
“Hypocrisy” (hupokrisis) occurs in [Mat 23:28]; [Mar 12:15]; [Luk 12:1]; [1Ti 4:2]; [1Pe 2:1] (in [Gal 2:13] it is rendered “dissimulation”); “hypocrite” (hupokritēs), [Mat 6:2], [Mat 6:5], [Mat 6:16]; [Mat 7:5]; [Mat 15:7]; [Mat 22:18]; [Mat 23:13], [Mat 23:15], [Mat 23:23], [Mat 23:25], [Mat 23:29]; [Mat 24:51]; [Mar 7:6]; [Luk 12:56]; [Luk 13:15]; in [Jas 3:17], anupókritos is “without hypocrisy,” so the Revised Version (British and American), [Rom 12:9] (“unfeigned,” [2Co 6:6]; [1Ti 1:5]; [2Ti 1:5]; [1Pe 1:22]).
