Greek word · G2162

εὐφημία

euphēmia

good report

"Good-speaking": in classical Greek, especially auspicious speech or reverent silence at religious rites ("euphēmeite!" = "speak well / keep holy silence!"). It then came to mean praise, acclaim, good repute.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament.

What it means

εὐφημία, -ας, ἡ

(εὔφημος), [in Sm.: Psalms 42:5 47:2 100:2 126:2 * ;]

good report, praise: opposite to δυσφημία, 2 Corinthians 6:8.†

(AS)

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 2 Corinthians 6:8

Range of meaning

"Good-speaking": in classical Greek, especially auspicious speech or reverent silence at religious rites ("euphēmeite!" = "speak well / keep holy silence!"). It then came to mean praise, acclaim, good repute.

Against the English

"Good report" (KJV, WEB, NIV) and "praise" (BSB, ESV). Both are fine once "report" is understood as reputation.

How it drifted

English "euphemism" comes from the same root, by way of the idea of speaking gently about unpleasant things, but that sense plays no part here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Only here in the New Testament. The related adjective euphēmos appears in Phil 4:8 ("whatever is commendable / of good repute"). LSJ records both the ritual and the "praise" senses.

Similar words

Where it appears

2 Corinthians · 1

  1. 2 Corinthians 6:8 εὐφημίας, good report,

    through glory and dishonor, slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine;

    Here: "Good-speaking": praise, good repute, people speaking well of him. This is its only use in the New Testament.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.