Bible Lexicons

ἐριθεία (not ἐριθεία, cf. Winers Grammar, § 6, 1 g.; (Chandler § 99)) (ἐριθια WH; see Iota and Tdf. Proleg., p. 88), ἐριθείας, ἡ (ἐριθεύω to spin wool, work in wool, Heliodorus 1, 5; middle in the same sense, Tobit 2:11; used of those who electioneer for office, courting popular applause by trickery and low arts, Aristotle, polit. 5, 3; the verb is derived from ἔριθος working for hire, a hireling; from the Maced. age down, a spinner or weaver, a worker in wool, Isaiah 38:12 the Sept.; a mean, sordid fellow), electioneering or intriguing for office, Aristotle, pol. 5, 2 and 3 (pp. 1302b, 4 and 1303a, 14); hence, apparently, in the N. T. "a courting distinction, a desire to put oneself forward, a partisan and factious spirit which does not disdain low arts; partisanship, factiousness": James 3:14, 16; κατ' ἐριθείαν, Philippians 2:3; Ignatius ad Philadelph. § 8 [ET]; οἱ ἐξ ἐριθείας (see ἐκ, II. 7), Philippians 1:16 () (yet see ἐκ, II. 12 b.); equivalent to contending against God, Romans 2:8 (yet cf. Meyer (edited by Weiss) at the passage); in the plural αἱ ἐριθείαι (Winers Grammar, § 27, 3; Buttmann, § 123, 2): 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20. See the very full and learned discussion of the word by Fritzsche in his Commentary on Romans, i., p. 143f; (of which a summary is given by Ellicott on Galatians 5:20. See further on its derivation, Lobeck, Path. Proleg., p. 365; cf. Winer's Grammar, 94 (89)).