Greek word · G3045
λιπαρός
liparos
rich
Literally oily, fatty, glistening with oil or fat. From that: rich, fertile (of land), sleek and well-fed (of people or animals), and rich or costly (of food and way of life). In general it means opulent and luxurious.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
λιπαρός, -ά, -όν
(λίπος, fat), [in LXX: Judges 3:29, Nehemiah 9:35, Isaiah 30:23 (שָׁמֵן)* ;]
oily, fatty; metaphorically, of living, rich, dainty: τὰ λ. καὶ τ. λαμπρά, Revelation 18:14.†
(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 Revelation 18:14
- Range of meaning
Literally oily, fatty, glistening with oil or fat. From that: rich, fertile (of land), sleek and well-fed (of people or animals), and rich or costly (of food and way of life). In general it means opulent and luxurious.
- Against the English
KJV and WEB say “dainty.” The BSB says “luxury,” the ESV “delicacies.” In 1611 “dainty” meant choice, delicious and costly, like a delicacy. To a modern ear it suggests small, delicate or fussy, which is far from “rich, fat, sumptuous.”
- How it drifted
“Dainty” has shifted from “excellent, delicious” (a ‘dainty’ was a delicacy) to “small and delicate.”
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the Septuagint it describes rich, fertile land, as in Nehemiah 9:25, 35, where Israel took “a rich land” and grew fat on God's goodness. In classical Greek it describes gleaming oiled athletes and prosperous cities. Only here in the New Testament (BDAG s.v.).
Where it appears
Revelation · 1
-
Revelation 18:14 λιπαρὰ sumptuous things
And they will say: “The fruit of your soul’s desire has departed from you; all your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be seen again.”
Here: Literally “oily, fat, glistening with richness.” It is used of rich food and costly living, so it means the delicacies and luxuries of the table.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.