Strong's Lexicon kapéleuó: To peddle, to huckster, to trade deceitfully Original Word: καπηλεύω Word Origin: Derived from κάπηλος (kapelos), meaning "a huckster" or "a retailer." Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for καπηλεύω, the concept of deceitful trade or exploitation can be related to Hebrew words such as מִרְמָה (mirmah, Strong's 4820), meaning "deceit" or "fraud." Usage: The verb καπηλεύω primarily refers to the act of peddling or trading, often with a connotation of deceit or exploitation. In the New Testament, it is used metaphorically to describe the corrupt handling or adulteration of God's word for personal gain or dishonest purposes. Cultural and Historical Background: In the ancient Greco-Roman world, a κάπηλος (kapelos) was a small-scale merchant or retailer who often sold goods in the marketplace. These traders were sometimes viewed with suspicion, as they were known to dilute or adulterate their products to increase profits. This cultural context informs the metaphorical use of καπηλεύω in the New Testament, where it describes those who would corrupt the message of the Gospel for selfish motives. HELPS Word-studies 2585 kapēleúō – properly, to act as an unscrupulous merchant, i.e. "a huckster" who profits by "peddling the Word of God" for personal gain. 2585 /kapēleúō ("peddler") is only used in 2 Cor 2:17 – of people "marketing the ministry" (the Word of God) for fast gain. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom kapélos (a huckster, peddler) Definition to make a trade of NASB Translation peddling (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2585: καπηλεύωκαπηλεύω; (κάπηλος, i. e. a. an inn-keeper, especially a vintner; b. a petty retailer, a huckster, pedler; cf. Sir. 26:29 οὐ δικαιωθήσεται κάπηλος ἀπό ἁμαρτίας); a. to be a retailer, to peddle; b. with the accusative of the thing, "to make money by selling anything; to get sordid gain by dealing in anything, to do a thing for base gain" (οἱ τά μαθήματα περιαγοντες κατά πόλεις καί πωλοῦντες καί καπηλεύοντες, Plato, Prot., p. 313 d.; μάχην, Aeschylus the Sept. 551 (545); Latincauponari bellum, i. e. to fight for gain, trade in war, Ennius quoted in Cicero, offic. 1, 12, 38; ἑταιραν τό τῆς ὥρας ἄνθος καπηλευουσαν, Philo de caritat. § 14, cf. leg. ad Gaium § 30, and many other examples in other authors). Hence, some suppose that καπηλεύειν τόν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ in 2 Corinthians 2:17 is equivalent to to trade in the word of God, i. e. to try to get base gain by teaching divine truth. But as pedlers were in the habit of adulterating their commodities for the sake of gain (οἱ κάπηλοί σου μίσγουσι τόν οἶνον ὕδατι, Isaiah 1:22 the Sept.; κάπηλοί, οἱ τόν οἶνον κεραννύντες, Pollux, onomast. 7, 193; οἱ φιλοσοφοι ἀποδιδονται τά μαθήματα, ὥσπερ οἱ κάπηλοί, κερασάμενοι γέ οἱ πολλοί καί δολωσαντες καί κακομετρουντες, Lucian. Hermot. 59), καπηλεύειν τί was also used as synonymous with to corrupt, to adulterate (Themistius, or. 21, p. 247, Hard. edition says that the false philosophers τό θειοτατον τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀγαθῶν κιβδηλεύειν τέ καί αἰσχύνειν καί καπηλεύειν); and most interpreters rightly decide in favor of this meaning (on account of the context) in 2 Corinthians 2:17, cf. δολουν τόν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, 2 Corinthians 4:2. (Cf. Trench, § lxii.) From kapelos (a huckster); to retail, i.e. (by implication) to adulterate (figuratively) -- corrupt. |
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