πλεονέκτ-ης G4123
A greedy person, one who grasps for more than his due; covetous, avaricious.
Formed from pleon (more) and echō (to have), pleonektēs literally means 'one who has more'—a person who always wants more than their share. Paul includes greedy persons in his vice lists alongside the sexually immoral and idolaters (1 Cor 5:10–11; 6:10), indicating how seriously the early church viewed covetousness. In Ephesians 5:5 he equates greed with idolatry, declaring that no greedy person has any inheritance in Christ's kingdom. The Spanish 'avaro,' French 'cupide,' and German 'habgierig' all convey this grasping, acquisitive character.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A greedy or covetous person, one who seizes more than is rightfully theirs. All four New Testament occurrences appear in Pauline vice lists. In 1 Corinthians 5:10–11 believers are told not to associate with the greedy; in 6:10 they are excluded from God's kingdom. Ephesians 5:5 makes the striking equation that a pleonektēs is an idolater—placing material gain in the place of God. The French 'cupide' and German 'habgierig' both capture the insatiable, grasping quality of this character type. 4×
AR["الطَّمّاعونَ", "بِـالطَّمّاعينَ", "طمّاعٍ", "طَمّاعٍ"]·ben["লোভী", "লোভী,", "লোভীদের", "লোভীরা,"]·DE["habgierig"]·EN["greedy", "greedy-person"]·FR["cupide", "πλεονέκτης"]·heb["חַמְדָן", "חַמְדָנִים"]·HI["लोभि", "लोभियों", "लोभी"]·ID["orang-serakah,", "serakah"]·IT["avarizia", "pleonektēs"]·jav["tiyang-serakah", "tiyang-serakah,", "tiyang-tamak,"]·KO["탐욕하는-자", "탐욕하는-자들", "탐욕하는-자들과", "탐하는-자-는"]·PT["avarento", "avarento,", "avarentos"]·RU["жадные,", "жадный,", "корыстолюбивый,", "с-жадными"]·ES["avaro", "avaros"]·SW["mwenye-tamaa", "mwenye-tamaa,", "wenye-tamaa,"]·TR["acgozlu", "açgözlüler", "o-", "ya da-"]·urd["لالچی", "لالچیوں"]
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
πλεονέκτ-ης, ου, ὁ, ={ὁ πλέον ἔχων}, one who has or claims more than his due, greedy, grasping, Refs 5th c.BC+ adjective λόγος π. a greedy, arrogant speech, Refs 5th c.BC+: superlative πλεονεκτίστατος Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 ἐν παντὶ πλεονέκτην τῶν πολεμίων making gain from their losses, Refs __3 metaphorically in in Mathematics texts, of τὸ ὑπερτελές, Refs 4th c.AD+