Language Studies

Greek Thoughts

EMPOREUOMAI* - Part 2 - εχηγεομαι (Strong's #1834)
Make merchandise of, make a gain of, to exploit

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

Two weeks ago, we studied the noun form of the verb that we are presently studying. That noun is ἐμπὸριον (Strong's #1712) and is translated "market" and the "merchandise" in the marketplace. Our study was taken from the only place ἐμπὸριον is found in Scripture, John 2:16 where Jesus drives the merchants out of the temple area because they are conducting business there. We saw that Jesus is emphatic about His Father's house being a house of prayer.

This understanding, that God's house is a house of prayer, has been carried over into our two- week study of the related verb, ἐμπορεὺομαι (Strong's #1710), which means, "to make merchandise of, to make gain of, to exploit." In part one of this study, which we took last week, we looked at James 4:13-17, the first place the verb form, ἐμπορεὺομαι, is found in Scripture. Here James addresses those who are making plans to go into a city and do business (ἐμπορεὺομαι) for profit. He admonishes them (James 4:15) on the proper approach for Christians to have toward life; we are to make plans with the Lord's will in mind.

This week we take the second part of our study on ἐμπορεὺομαι from 2 Peter 2:1-3. This is the second place in Scripture that ἐμπορεὺομαι is used. While Peter's first epistle is written to warn Christians about attacks coming against the church from the outside world, this second letter warns of attacks coming against the church from inside the church itself, specifically through false teachers and heretical doctrines.

1)

Now false prophets also arose among the people,^F1 as also false teachers will be among you,^F2 who will deceitfully bring in heresies of destruction, even while denying the Master who had bought them, bringing upon themselves quick destruction;

In this verse, Peter declares that false teachers will mingle with true believers. These will "deceitfully bring in" their false teachings. The word used to describe this deceitful entrance is παρεισὰγω (Strong's #3919), which means to bring in undetected. Peter is saying that false teachers will not always be recognizable by their appearance or by their initial teachings; instead, false teachings will enter in undetected. This is more than likely accomplished by the mingling of heresy with truth so that a false teaching is not as obvious to believers as it would otherwise be.

2)

and many will follow after their destructive ways, through whom the way of truth will be blasphemed;

He clearly states here the sad result of such false teachers saying that many will follow after their destructive ways.

3)

and in covetousness they will make merchandise of you (ἐμπορεὺομαι) with plastic words; for whom the judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction is not sleeping.

In this verse, the first thing that Peter clarifies is the common motive of false teachers, covetousness. The word for covetousness is πλεονεξὶα (Strong's #4124), which means, "to want to have more." It is a word applying to all situations. Basically, if a person desires to have more than God has given him, that desire is called covetousness. As Christians, we are to be content with what we have, but false teachers will desire to obtain more than they already have. To that end, they will try to motivate believers to produce for them or for the church.

The second thing presented in this verse is the end result of the false teachers' covetousness. Peter says, "they will make merchandise of you." Another meaning of ἐμπορεὺομαι is, "to make gain" or "to exploit." Within the church, false teachers will exploit or make merchandise of believers in order to reach their goal of obtaining more.

The third thing Peter mentions is what instrument or method false teachers will use to carry out their manipulation of Christians, "plastic words." The Greek word used here is πλαστὸς (Strong's #4112) from which we get our word plastic. It means "to shape and form words according to one's desires." Therefore, according to Peter, false teachers will use words that they have shaped and formed (just as a salesman would do) in an attempt to motivate people to give to them in order to satisfy the teachers' desire to "have more."

The teachings and example given to His church by Jesus, in conjunction with the teachings of Peter in 2 Peter 2:1-3, have tremendous importance for believers today. We have seen that Jesus spoke emphatically and acted decisively against Man's fleshly instinct to do business in God's house. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus drove out those who were doing business in the temple, because His Father's house is a house of prayer. At the end of His ministry, Jesus drove the merchandisers out again, saying that they had made the House of Prayer a "den (or cave) of robbers" (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46). Peter, taking his language from the actions and teachings of Jesus, presents that false teachers will come undetected into the church attempting to exploit people for their own gain. They will use plastic words, distorted through the use of human logic and reason, shaped and formed around the Gospel.

The false teachers both of Peter's day and our own, are running the church like an emporium, using the sales techniques of the world in order to attract more people and get more money. The deceit is found in the pronouncement that all is being done "in the name of the Lord" and that all is done "for the Lord." Take heed as to what both Jesus and Peter have warned. Do not be persuaded by worldly logic. Do not be caught in the "many" that follow the destructive ways fashioned by false teachers.

* EMPOREUOMAI is the English font spelling of the Greek word ἐμπορεὺομαι.

Technical Notes:

F1: The prepositional phrase ἐν͂τῷ͂λαῷ, "in the people," is translated μεταξύ͂τοῦ͂λαοῦ, "among the people."

F2: The prepositional phrase ἐν͂ὑμῖν, "in you," is translated μεταξὺ͂σας, "among you."

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