BLAME, BLAMELESS
A. Verb.
momaomai (μωμάομαι, 3469), “to find fault with, to blame, or calumniate,” is used in 2 Cor. 6:3, of the ministry of the gospel; in 8:20, of the ministration of financial help.¶
Notes: (1) Cf. the synonymous verb, memphomai, “to find fault,” Mark 7:2; Rom. 9:19; Heb. 8:8. See FAULT.¶
(2) In Gal. 2:11, kataginosko is rightly rendered “stood condemned,” RV, for KJV, “was to be blamed. See CONDEMN.
B. Adjectives.
1. amomos (ἄμωμος, 299): See BLEMISH, B.
2. amometos (ἀμώμητος, 298), translated in Phil. 2:15 “without blemish” (KJV, “without rebuke”), is rendered “blameless” in 2 Pet. 3:14 (KJV and RV).¶
3. amemptos (ἄμεμπτος, 273), related to memphomai (A, Note), is translated “unblameable” in 1 Thess. 3:13; “blameless,” in Luke 1:6; Phil. 2:15; 3:6; “faultless” in Heb. 8:7. See FAULTLESS, UNBLAMEABLE.¶
“If amomos is the ‘unblemished,’ amemptos is the ‘unblamed.’ … Christ was amomos in that there was in Him no spot or blemish, and He could say, ‘Which of you convinceth (convicteth) Me of sin?’ but in strictness of speech He was not amemptos (unblamed), nor is this epithet ever given to Him in the NT, seeing that He endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself, who slandered His footsteps and laid to His charge ‘things that He knew not’ (i.e., of which He was guiltless).” Trench, Syn. Sec.103.
4. anaitios (ἀναίτιος, 338), “guiltless” (a, negative, n, euphonic, and aitia, “a charge”), is translated, “blameless” in the KJV of Matt. 12:5, “guiltless” in 12:7. The RV has “guiltless” in both places.¶ In the Sept., in Deut. 19:10, 13, and 21:8–9.¶ See GUILTLESS.
5. anepileptos (ἀνεπίληπτος, 423), lit., “that cannot be laid hold of,” hence, “not open to censure, irreproachable” (from a, negative, n, euphonic, and epilambano, “to lay hold of”), is used in 1 Tim. 3:2; 5:7; 6:14 (in all three places the RV has “without reproach”; in the first two KJV, “blameless,” in the last, “unrebukeable”; an alternative rendering would be “irreprehensible). See REPROACH, UNREBUKEABLE.¶
6. anenkletos (ἀνέγκλητος, 410) signifies “that which cannot be called to account” (from a, negative, n, euphonic, and enkaleo, “to call in”), i.e., with nothing laid to one’s charge (as V 2, p 69 the result of public investigation), in 1 Cor. 1:8, RV, “unreproveable,” KJV, “blameless”; in Col. 1:22, KJV and RV, “unreproveable”; in 1 Tim. 3:10 and Titus 1:6–7, KJV and RV, “blameless.” It implies not merely acquittal, but the absence of even a charge or accusation against a person. This is to be the case with elders.¶
C. Adverb.
amemptos (ἀμέμπτως, 274), in 1 Thess. 2:10, “unblameably”; in 5:23, “without blame,” KJV, “blameless,” is said of believers at the judgment-seat of Christ in His Parousia (His presence after His coming), as the outcome of present witness and steadfastness. See B, No. 3, above.¶
Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, pp. 68–69). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.