Greek word · G4180

πολυλογία

polylogia

wordiness

Much speaking, wordiness, talkativeness. It is built from polys ('much, many') and logos ('word').

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πολυλογία, -ας, ἡ

[in LXX: Proverbs 10:19 (דָּבָר רֹב)* ;]

much speaking, loquacity: Matthew 6:7.†

(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 Matthew 6:7

Range of meaning

Much speaking, wordiness, talkativeness. It is built from polys ('much, many') and logos ('word').

Against the English

KJV 'much speaking' and BSB 'many words' are accurate. The trouble is that readers of the KJV meet 'vain repetitions' first and read 'much speaking' through it, when the logic actually runs the other way.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek Old Testament (LXX), Proverbs 10:19: 'From much speaking (ek polylogias) you will not escape sin.' Ecclesiastes 5:1–2 (Hebrew 5:1) warns that God is in heaven and you are on earth, 'so let your words be few'. Sirach 7:14 (LXX) says 'do not repeat a word in your prayer'. The Talmud (b. Berakhot 61a) cites Ecclesiastes for the rule that a person's words before God should be few.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 6:7 πολυλογίᾳ many words

    And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.

    Here: Literally 'many-wordedness'. Jesus names the quantity of words as what they rely on, which explains what the rare verb 'babble' means.

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