Greek word · G5171

τρυφάω

tryphaō

to self-indulge

To live softly, delicately, luxuriously; to revel or take delight in abundance. Its noun τρυφή (truphē) means softness, daintiness, luxury. In Greek moral writing it was a stock vice: the self-pampering of the wealthy, often linked with moral weakness and decadence.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

τρυφάω, -ῶ

(τρυφή), [in LXX: Nehemiah 9:25 (עָדַן hithp.), Isaiah 66:11 (עָנַג hithp.), Sirach 14:4 * ;]

to live daintily, luxuriously, to fare sumptuously: James 5:5 (cf. ἐν-τρυφάω).†

SYN.: σπαταλάω (which see), στρηνιάω (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 5:5

Range of meaning

To live softly, delicately, luxuriously; to revel or take delight in abundance. Its noun τρυφή (truphē) means softness, daintiness, luxury. In Greek moral writing it was a stock vice: the self-pampering of the wealthy, often linked with moral weakness and decadence.

Against the English

"Lived in luxury" (BSB, WEB, YLT) is accurate. KJV's "lived in pleasure" is close, though "pleasure" is broader than the original. What the Greek adds is the sense of softness: a life cushioned against hardship while others in vv. 4 and 6 carry the hardship.

Used elsewhere in the period

It appears only here in the New Testament. Compare τρυφή in Luke 7:25 (those "living in luxury" in palaces) and 2 Pet 2:13. In the Greek Old Testament the verb can be neutral or positive: Neh 9:25 has Israel "delighting" in God's great goodness. Sirach 14:16 warns that there is no seeking τρυφή in the grave. The Shepherd of Hermas (Similitude 6) gives a whole vision to the "angel of luxury and deceit", where τρυφάω and σπαταλάω appear side by side. That pairing shows the two verbs were a recognised word-pair in early Christian moral warning.

Similar words

Where it appears

James · 1

  1. James 5:5 ἐτρυφήσατε You lived in luxury

    You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.

    Here: Soft, pampered, comfortable living, the classic vice Greek moralists pinned on the rich. The past tense sums up their whole life as a finished thing, as if James is already standing at the judgment looking back on it.

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