ἄλογος, (λόγος, reason); 1. destitute of reason, brute: ζῷα, brute animals, Jud_1:10; 2Pe_2:12 (Wis_11:16; Xenophon, Hier. 7, 3, others). 2. contrary to reason, absurd: Act_25:27 (Xenophon, Ages. 11, 1; Thucydides 6, 85; often in Plato, Isocrates, others).

ἄλογος alogos 3x without speech or reason, irrational, brute, 2Pe_2:12 ; Jud_1:10 ; unreasonable, absurd, Act_25:27

ἄ -λογος , -ον , [in LXX : Exo_6:12 ( H8193 H6189 ), Num_6:12 ( H5307 ), Job_11:12 , Wis_11:15-16 , 4Ma_3:1-21 * ;] 1. without reason, irrational: ζῷα , 2Pe_2:12 , Jud_1:10 . 2. contrary to reason: Act_25:27 ( v . MM , VGT , s.v. ).†

ἄλογος [page 24] The adverb occurs in the curious acrostic papyrus of early i/A.D., P Tebt. II. 278 30 f. , where the story of the loss of a garment is told in short lines, beginning with the successive letters of the alphabet ζητῶι καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκωι . ἦρτε ἀλόγως . I seek, but do not find it. It was taken without cause. In P Fay 19 2 ff. (Hadrian s letter) the writer asserts that his death took place ο ]ὔτε ἀω̣[ρεὶ οὔτ ]ε ἀλόγως οὔτε οἰκτρῶς οὔτε ἀ̣π̣[ροσ ]δοκήτω [ς οὔτε ἀνοή ]τως , the sense of unreasonably seems clear, ἀλόγως being emphasized by ἀνοήτως , as ἀωρεί is by ἀπροσδοκήτως . So BGU I. 74 .8 (A.D. 167) καὶ γὰρ ἂν ἄλογον εἴη κτλ ., P Lond 973 b .11 f. (iii/A.D.) ( = III. p. 213) μὴ δόξῃς με ἀλόγ̣ὠ̣ [ . . ., P Tebt II. 420 5 (iii/A.D.) ἀλόγος ( l. -ως ) ἐξήλθατε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ . Later examples are P Lips I. 111 20 (iv/A.D.) and P Amh II. 145 16 (iv/v A.D.) ἐ ]λ̣υπήθην διότι ἀπεδήμησας ἀλόγως , I am grieved because you went away without cause. There is a curious use of a derived verb in P Tebt I. 138 (late ii/B.C.), where an assailant σπασάμενος ταύτην ( sc. μάχαιραν ) βουλόμενός με ἀλογῆσαι κατήνεγκε [πλ ]ηγαῖς τρισὶ κτλ . a rather aggressive neglect or contempt ! Cf. BGU I. 22 14 f. (A.D. 114) ( = Selections , p. 75) ἄλογόν μοι ἀηδίαν συνεστήσατο , picked a senseless quarrel against me, and similarly P Ryl II. 144 15 (A.D. 38), P Lond 342 6 (A.D. 185) ( = II. p. 174), ib. 214 8 (A.D. 270 5) ( = II. p. 161), χθὲς ἀλόγως γενόμενος εἰς ἀμπελικὸν χωρίον , entered violently or without authorisation. Similarly P Flor I. 58 .7 (iii/A.D.) ἀ̣λόγως ἐπελθ [ό ]ντες δίχα παντὸς νόμου , a brutal assault. We shall see a similar activity developed in καταφρονεῖν . On the other hand BGU IV. 1024 vi. 15 (iv/v A.D.) ἔδοξεν τῷ Ζ . ἄλογον εἶναι τὴν ἀξίωσιν shows the sense unreasonable. P Grenf II. 77 9 (iii/iv A.D.) ἀλόγως ἀπέστητε μὴ ἄραντες [τὸ σ ]ῶμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν is not far from unfeelingly. P Oxy III. 526 .4 (ii/A.D.) οὐκ ἤμην ἀπαθὴς ἀλόγως σε καταλείπιν , so unfeeling as to leave you without reason (Edd.). And so on, always with a sense going decidedly beyond unreasonably and shading into brutally. Hence the noun use of the modern Greek ἄλογο , horse : it is nearly approached in P Oxy I. 138 .29 (early vii/A.D.), χορηγῆσαι ἄλογα εἰς τὰς γεουχικὰς χρείας , where animals in harness are meant, if not horses exclusively. Prof. Thumb remarks that as early as Dion Cassius the word = animal : cf. Hatzidakis Einl. , p. 34 f. Psa. 32꞉ 9 [MT Psa_33:9 ] supplies the line of development.

ἄλογος "without λόγος", i. e., without speech, speechless, infans, Plat. :—adv. ἀλόγως, Soph. "unutterable", Lat. infandus, Plat. "without reason, irrational", id=Plat. , etc.: τὰ ἄλογα "brutes, animals", id=Plat. , Xen. ; (in modern Greek ἄλογον is "a horse"). "not reckoned upon, unexpected", Thuc.

ἄ-λογος, -ον [in LXX: Exo.6:12 (שָׂפָה עָרֵל), Num.6:12 (נָפַל), Job.11:12, Wis.11:15-16, 4Ma.3:1-21 * ;] __1. without reason, irrational: ζῷα, 2Pe.2:12, Ju 10. __2. contrary to reason: Act.25:27 (see MM, VGT, see word).† (AS)