Greek word · G4197

πορεία

poreia

journey

(1) A journey, trip or march; (2) a way of going, conduct, the course of one's life (like Hebrew derekh, "way").

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

πορεία, -ας, ἡ

(πορεύω), [in LXX chiefly for הֲלִיכָה and cogn. forms ;]

1. a journey: Luke 13:22.

2. a going: metaphorically ("the rich man perishes while he is still on the move," Hort., in l), James 1:11.†

(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 James 1:11

Range of meaning

(1) A journey, trip or march; (2) a way of going, conduct, the course of one's life (like Hebrew derekh, "way").

Against the English

KJV and YLT have "ways/way". BSB, ESV, NASB and WEB have "pursuits". NIV paraphrases with "business". "Pursuits" is a reasonable middle course, but to modern ears it sounds like hobbies or ambitions and loses the picture of a man literally on the road.

How it drifted

Translators looked for a word covering both "journeys" and "way of life". "Pursuits" can mislead modern readers toward personal goals or leisure interests.

Used elsewhere in the period

Luke 13:22 (Jesus "making his journey" to Jerusalem). Jonah 3:3 in the Greek ("a journey of three days"). Habakkuk 3:6 in the Greek (God's "everlasting goings/ways"). The Latin Vulgate renders it in itineribus suis, "in his journeys".

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 13:22 πορείαν progress

    Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem.

James · 1

  1. James 1:11 πορείαις pursuits

    For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

    Here: Literally "goings" or "journeys". It may mean the business trips of a trader (compare 4:13, "we will go into such a city and trade") or, by extension, his whole way of life. The plural fits a man who is always on the move.

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