εὐλογ-ία G2129
Blessing—whether a divine pronouncement of favor, a concrete gift of bounty, or (rarely) deceptive flattery disguised as praise.
Literally 'good word' (eu + logos), this noun spans a wide arc in Paul's letters. At its fullest it names the spiritual blessings God bestows in Christ (Eph 1:3), the 'cup of blessing' at the Lord's Supper (1 Cor 10:16), and the promised blessing of Abraham extended to all nations (Gal 3:14). Paul also uses it concretely of a generous monetary gift: what the Corinthians promised should be ready as a 'blessing' (bounty), not as extortion (2 Cor 9:5–6). In one striking counter-usage, Romans 16:18 warns that false teachers use 'eulogia'—smooth, fair-sounding speech—to deceive the naive, inverting the word's positive valence into a weapon of manipulation.
Senses
1. blessing, act of blessing — Blessing as a pronouncement of divine favor, a state of blessedness, or a concrete gift from God. Covers the 'spiritual blessings' of Eph 1:3, the covenantal 'blessing of Abraham' (Gal 3:14), the eucharistic 'cup of blessing' (1 Cor 10:16), and the generous bounty Paul encourages from the Corinthians (2 Cor 9:5–6). In Hebrews, Isaac and Esau both contend over the patriarchal blessing (Heb 6:7; 12:17). Spanish 'bendición/bendiciones,' French 'bénédiction,' and German 'Segen' all converge on a single warm, sacred vocabulary across these passages—testimony to how consistently the word evokes divine goodness. 15×
AR["البَرَكَةَ", "البَرَكَةُ", "البَرَكَةِ", "بَرَكاتٍ", "بَرَكَة", "بَرَكَةً", "بَرَكَةٌ", "بَرَكَةٍ", "بَرَكَةُ", "بَرَكَةِ", "بَرَكَتَكُمْ"]·ben["আশীর্বাদ", "আশীর্বাদ!", "আশীর্বাদ,", "আশীর্বাদ-দিয়ে", "আশীর্বাদে", "আশীর্বাদের", "আশীর্বাদের,"]·DE["Segen"]·EN["blessing", "blessings", "of-blessing"]·FR["bénédiction"]·heb["בְּרָכָה", "בְּרָכוֹת", "בִּרְכַּת", "בִּרְכַת", "בִּרְכַתְכֶם"]·HI["अअशिरवअद", "अशिश", "आशीर्वाद", "आशीर्वाद-की", "आशीर्वादों-के", "आशीष", "आशीष!", "आशीष,"]·ID["berkat", "berkat!", "berkat,", "berkat-berkat"]·IT["benedizione"]·jav["berkah", "berkah,", "berkah-berkah"]·KO["복으로", "복을", "복이", "존송-과", "존송-을", "존송-이", "찬송-과", "축복-을", "축복-의", "축복들에", "축복으로", "축복을"]·PT["bênção", "bênção,", "bênçãos", "de-bênção"]·RU["Благословение,", "благословение", "благословение!", "благословение,", "благословением", "благословения", "благословения,", "благословениях"]·ES["bendiciones", "bendición", "de-bendición"]·SW["Baraka,", "baraka", "baraka!", "baraka,", "wa-baraka"]·TR["bereket", "bereketi", "bereketin", "bereketini", "bereketinin", "bereketlerle", "kutlamayı", "kutsama", "mubareklikte", "o-", "ve-", "övgü"]·urd["برکت", "برکت-کا", "برکت-کی", "برکتوں"]
2. flattery, smooth/fair speech — Flattery or smooth speech used deceptively—a bitter inversion of the word's usual meaning. In Romans 16:18, Paul warns that certain people 'by smooth talk and flattery (eulogia) deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.' Here the 'good word' becomes a rhetorical weapon. Notably, most translations struggle to signal this shift: Spanish still renders 'bendiciones' and French 'bénédiction,' but English breaks sharply to 'flattery' or 'fair speech,' capturing the irony that blessing-language can itself become a tool of deception. 1×
AR["الْمُبَارَكَاتِ"]·ben["আশীর্বাদের"]·DE["Segen"]·EN["flattery"]·FR["bénédiction"]·heb["בְּרָכָה"]·HI["आशीर्वाद-से"]·ID["pujian"]·IT["benedizione"]·jav["panyandra"]·KO["칭찬-으로"]·PT["lisonías"]·ES["bendiciones"]·SW["baraka"]·TR["duaların"]·urd["خوشامد"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
εὐλογ-ία, ἡ, good or fine language, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 plausibility, ἔχει τινὰ εὐλογίαν Refs 4th c.BC+; habet εὐλογίαν NT+1st c.BC+; ἡ τοῦ δόγματος εὐ. probably in Refs 1st c.BC+ __II praise, eulogy, Refs 5th c.BC+; good fame, glory, ἀγήραντος εὐ. Refs 5th c.BC+ __II.2 especiallypraise to God, LXX+NT __III act of blessing, opposed to κατάρα, LXX+NT __III.2 blessing called down or bestowed, LXX+NT…