Greek word · G2051
ἐρίζω
erizō
to quarrel
To quarrel, wrangle, contend with someone, compete as a rival. In older Greek it covers both open quarrels and rivalry for a prize. The related noun ἔρις (eris) means "strife, discord", and Eris was the Greek goddess of discord.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Matthew 12:19
- Range of meaning
To quarrel, wrangle, contend with someone, compete as a rival. In older Greek it covers both open quarrels and rivalry for a prize. The related noun ἔρις (eris) means "strife, discord", and Eris was the Greek goddess of discord.
- Against the English
BSB, NIV, ESV and NASB have "quarrel", which is accurate. KJV and WEB have "strive", which in 1611 meant "contend, fight" but to a modern reader suggests "try hard". NLT's "fight" pushes the meaning toward physical conflict, but the word is mostly about verbal and social contention.
- How it drifted
The English verb "strive" has shifted over time from "quarrel, contend" toward "make strenuous effort" ("strive for excellence"), so the KJV rendering now misleads.
- Used elsewhere in the period
This is its only use in the New Testament. The noun ἔρις appears in Paul's lists of community-destroying behaviour (Rom 1:29; 1 Cor 1:11; 3:3; Gal 5:20), always meaning factional quarrelling. It is used widely in classical Greek from Homer on for contending and rivalry. Importantly, the verb has nothing directly matching it in the Hebrew of Isaiah 42:2 ("he will not cry out") or the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament ("he will not shout").
Where it appears
Matthew · 1
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Matthew 12:19 ἐρίσει will He quarrel
He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets.
Here: "He will not quarrel." The word means getting into a heated dispute or rivalry. This is its only use in the New Testament, and it is not in the Hebrew or Greek text of Isaiah 42:2. Matthew appears to have chosen it himself to fit the scene: Jesus has just pulled back from the Pharisees' plot (12:14–15).
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.