Language Studies

Greek Thoughts

EMPORION* - εχηγεομαι (Strong's #1834)
Emporium, merchandise, market

Please note that all Biblical quotes are presented from the Literal Translation.

This week we are studying the word ἐμπὸριον (Strong's #1712), which is translated "market" and the "merchandise" in the marketplace. We might also use the word "emporium" for its translation. This neuter noun, ἐμπὸριον, is derived from the masculine noun ἔμπὸρος (Strong's #1713), which means "one who travels for business," or "a merchant." The root of both ἐμπὸριον and ἔμπὸρος is made up of two Greek words, the preposition ἐν (Strong's #1722) meaning "in" and πορεὺομαι (Strong's #4198), which is a word denoting "to travel for business or for a certain purpose."

It is important to note that πορεὺομαι is distinguished from ἔρχομαι (Strong's #2064), which means to come or go in a general sense; and ἐμπὸριον is used for the indoor marketplace, as opposed to ἀγορὰ (Strong's #58), which is used in the gospels for the open, outdoor marketplace.

John 2:16 is the only place in the New Testament where ἐμπὸριον is used. The context is found in John 2:12-17 where John presents the cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry.

12)

After this, He went down unto Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not remain there many days.

13)

And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up unto Jerusalem.

14)

And He found in the temple those selling oxen, and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers sitting.

As previously indicated, John places this event at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, but the synoptic gospel writers place the cleansing of the temple at the end of His ministry (see Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; and Luke 19:45-46). The details John records here are also different from those the synoptic writers record. Therefore, both the placement and difference in detail of these accounts dictate that the Lord actually cleanses the temple two times, once at the beginning of His ministry and once at the end — some three years later.

The scene John describes as taking place in the temple area is a common one. Merchants are actually conducting business in the Court of the Gentiles (since that is the only place where they would be allowed to set up shop). Some are selling animals for sacrifice (as a convenience for those traveling long distances and needing an animal for sacrifice upon their arrival). Others are moneychangers, there to exchange Roman denarii and Attic drachmas for the legal Tyrian coinage so that the half-shekel temple tax can be paid. (Roman and Attic coinage have portraits on them believed by the Jews to be idolatrous and therefore are not allowed in the temple). All of the goods and services being provided are for the temple rites; but, not surprisingly, each merchant is charging a fee for his service.

15)

And after having made a whip from out of ropes, He cast everyone out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coin of the moneychangers, and overturned the tables.

16)

And to the ones selling doves He said, "Remove these things from here; do not be making the house of My Father a house of merchandise (ἐμπὸριον)."

Jesus makes this statement (John 2:16) in reference to Zechariah where the condition of the future messianic kingdom is presented in Zechariah 14:20-21:

20)

In that day there will be HOLINESS TO YAHWEH upon the bells of the horses and the pots in the temple of Yahweh like the basins before the altar.

21)

And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be a holy thing to Yahweh of hosts and all the ones sacrificing will come and they will take from them and will boil in them and there will not be a merchant again in the temple of Yahweh of hosts in that day.

The Hebrew word translated "merchant" is pronounced KEN-AH-AN-EE. This word is translated as both "Canaanite" and "merchant." When translated "Canaanite," the word is used to distinguish the name of the people living in the land of Canaan from other peoples. The Canaanites were also known as merchants, especially the Phoenicians. Therefore, this word is also used for the term "merchant," just as "Chaldean" evolved to mean "astrologers." If we consider John 2:16 and Zechariah 14:21 together, we see that Jesus is cleansing the temple, not only for His day, but also in preparation for the coming messianic kingdom when "there will not be a merchant again in the temple of Yahweh of hosts in that day."

John 2:17 records the reaction of the disciples to the Lord's cleansing of the temple:

17)

And His disciples remembered that it is written, "The zeal of Your house consumed Me."

They are remembering Psalm 69:9. This psalm tells us that the Messiah would be consumed with the zeal for the Father's house. He would be consumed with keeping the place where God's people gather reserved solely for those desiring to pray and seek the Lord. Therefore, when the Lord cleanses the temple, as recorded in , he does so not because of what the merchants are doing, but because of where they are doing it: in the temple of the Lord. The fact that the Lord cleanses the temple again three years later depicts how the nature of man returns to the status quo after a rebuke and message is given.

Of course, the sin nature of man has not changed; nor have his practices. There are places of worship today that have been transformed into makeshift marketplaces with merchants selling their wares, and this is justified in the minds of the leaders and merchants because all is done in the name of the Lord and for His work. However, since Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, one must conclude that the Lord is just as zealous for His Father's house today as He was two thousand years ago. In like manner, we need to be zealous about the places of worship and fellowship that we have today. We need to keep them free from merchandising, even when those things pertain to the Lord. We need to reserve our houses of worship for those who desire to pray and seek the Lord. Then His Spirit will be poured out on all participants, and His Spirit will not be grieved by a merchants' emporium.

* EMPORION is the English font spelling of the Greek word ἐμπὸριον.

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