τέχν-η G5078
art, craft, trade, skill; the learned ability or profession by which one makes a living
In ancient usage, technē encompassed both the technical skill required for a craft and the profession itself—from metalworking to shipbuilding to fortune-telling. The word could carry negative connotations (cunning, tricks) or positive ones (artistic mastery). In the New Testament, it appears in straightforward references to honest trades and professions. Interestingly, this is the root of our English "technology," though the ancient concept was more personal and artisanal than our industrial-age understanding.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The three occurrences span different contexts: Acts 17:29 discusses objects "formed by art (technē) and human imagination" in Paul's Athens speech, contrasting manufactured idols with the living God. Acts 18:3 notes that Paul shared the same "trade" (tentmaking) with Aquila and Priscilla. Revelation 18:22 laments that in fallen Babylon, no craftsman of any "craft" will be found. The multilingual evidence shows semantic range: Spanish arte/oficio (art/trade), French métier (profession), German Handwerk (handicraft), reflecting the word's dual reference to both skill and occupation. 3×
AR["صَنْعَةٍ", "ـالصَّنْعَةِ", "فَنِّ"]·ben["কলার", "পেশায়", "শিল্পের"]·DE["Handwerk", "τέχνης", "τέχνῃ"]·EN["craft", "of-craft", "trade"]·FR["Handwerk", "métier"]·heb["אֻמָּנוּת", "מְלְאכָה", "מְלֶאכֶת"]·HI["कला", "पेशे-से", "शिल्प-का"]·ID["keahlian", "kerajinan", "pekerjaan"]·IT["arte", "technēs"]·jav["kaprigelan", "padamelan", "seni"]·KO["기술과", "기술의", "직업으로"]·PT["arte"]·RU["искусства", "ремесла", "ремеслом"]·ES["arte", "de-arte", "de-oficio"]·SW["kazi", "ufundi,", "ustadi"]·TR["meslekte", "sanatın"]·urd["پیشہ-میں", "ہنر", "ہنر-کا"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
τέχν-η, ἡ, (τέκτων) art, skill, cunning of hand, especially in metalworking, Refs 8th c.BC+; also of a shipwright, Refs 8th c.BC+; of a soothsayer, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 craft, cunning, in bad sense, δολίη τ. Refs 8th c.BC+: plural, arts, wiles, Refs 8th c.BC+; τέχναις τινός by his arts (or simply by his agency), Refs; τέχνην κακὴν ἔχει he has a bad trick, Refs 8th c.BC+ __3 way, manner, or means…