Bible Lexicons

μετασχηματίζω: future μετασχηματίσω (cf. Buttmann, 37 (32)); 1 aorist μετεσχημάτισα; middle present μετασχηματίζομαι; to change the figure of, to transform (see μετά, III. 2): τί, Philippians 3:21 (see below); middle followed by εἰς τινα, to transform oneself into someone, to assume one's appearance, 2 Corinthians 11:13f; followed by ὡς τίς, so as to have the appearance of someone, 2 Corinthians 11:15; μετασχηματίζω τί εἰς τινα, to shape one's discourse so as to transfer to oneself what holds true of the whole class to which one belongs, i. e. so as to illustrate by what one says of himself what holds true of all: 1 Corinthians 4:6, where the meaning is, 'by what I have said of myself and Apollos, I have shown what holds true of all Christian teachers.' (4 Macc. 9:22; Plato, legg. 10, p. 903 e.; (Aristotle, de caele 3, 1, p. 298{b}, 31, etc.); Josephus, Antiquities 7, 10, 5; 8, 11, 1; Plutarch, Ages. 14; def. orac. c. 30; (Philo, leg. ad Gaium § 11); Sextus Empiricus, 10, p. 688, Fabric. edition (p. 542, 23 edition, Bekker).) [SYNONYMS: μεταμορφόω, μετασχηματίζω: (cf. Philippians 3:21) "μετασχηματίζω would here refer to the transient condition from which, μεταμορφόω to the permanent state to which, the change takes place. Trench (N. T. Synonyms, § lxx.), however, supposes that μετασχηματίζω is here preferred to μεταμορφόω as expressing 'transition but no absolute solution of continuity', the spiritual body being developed from the natural, as the butterfly from the caterpillar" (Lightfoot on Phil. 'Detached Note,' p. 131). See μορφή, at the end]