What Does Jude 1:16 Mean?
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own cravings; their mouth speaks swollen words beyond measure, admiring faces for the sake of gain.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.THE KEY
The striking turn is that admiration has a price: the face receiving praise is chosen for the advantage it can return.
THE MEANING
This verse makes a living pattern visible: dissatisfaction mutters, desire sets the direction, and speech swells to win advantage. Praise is directed toward the person who can provide a benefit. The words expose the exchange underneath them.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that grand speech or flattering attention proves sincere regard. Here praise can be a transaction, aimed at whoever offers gain.
THE ROOT
πρόσωπα
prosōpa
GROWS FROM
πρόσωπον
prosōpon
Face, appearance, presence, or person.
The word translated “persons” is πρόσωπα (prosōpa), literally faces and also persons. The related word προσωπολημψία (prosōpolēmpsia), meaning partiality or respect of persons, preserves that face-language: Jude depicts attention directed selectively toward people, for the stated purpose of gain.
ALSO GROWS
prosōpon: Face, presence, or person.
πρόσωπον
The plural πρόσωπα (prosōpa) in Jude makes the praised people into faces being singled out.
prosōpolēmpsia: Partiality; respect of persons.
προσωπολημψία
James 2:9 uses this related word for favoring people, exposing the same face-based valuation.
ἐπιθυμίαις
epithymiais
GROWS FROM
θυμός
thymos
Heat or passion; an ardent impulse.
“cravings” in this verse is epithymiais. The word ἐπιθυμία (epithymia) means desire or longing, often strong desire; its family carries the sense of an impulse with heat behind it. “Walking after” these desires makes them a direction of movement: appetite leads the conduct, rather than remaining a passing thought.
ALSO GROWS
epithymia: Strong desire or longing.
ἐπιθυμία
The plural ἐπιθυμίαις (epithymiais) names the desires that set the direction of the walk.
epithymeō: To desire or long for.
ἐπιθυμέω
This verb from the same word family makes the active pull of desire visible.
ὑπέρογκα
hyperonka
GROWS FROM
ὄγκος
ogkos
Bulk, mass, or weight.
“swollen words beyond measure” in this verse is hyperonka. The Greek word ὑπέρογκα (hyperonka) pictures words grown bulky or excessive. The image is speech made large enough to impress, while the verse reveals the advantage that this display serves.
ALSO GROWS
ogkos: Bulk, mass, or weight.
ὄγκος
Hebrews 12:1 uses the same noun for a weight to be laid aside, sharing the image of something burdensome or excessive.
hyperogkos: Overgrown, extravagant, or bombastic.
ὑπέρογκος
This related form describes language swollen beyond ordinary measure, as in Jude’s “great swelling words.”
THE PATTERN
When desire governs the inner life, speech and regard can become instruments for gaining favor.
To regard faces is not good, for a piece of bread the strong man will rebel.But if you receive faces, you miss the mark, and are exposed by the instruction as those who step across.A good human brings out good from the good treasure of the heart, and an evil human brings out evil from the evil treasure of the heart, for from the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.THE THREAD
But if you receive faces, you miss the mark, and are exposed by the instruction as those who step across.James uses προσωπολημψία (prosōpolēmpsia), meaning partiality or respect of persons, from the same face-word family as Jude’s πρόσωπα (prosōpa), “persons.” Jude shows this partial regard aimed at gain; James names the same face-based valuation as a breach of the neighbor’s claim.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us