Greek word · G5396

φλυαρέω

phlyareō

to talk nonsense

To talk nonsense, babble, or chatter idly. With an object, to talk nonsense about someone or bring empty charges against them. The related adjective φλύαρος means 'gossipy' or 'a babbler' (1 Timothy 5:13, of people 'saying what they should not').

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

φλυαρέω, -ῶ

(φλύαρος),

to talk nonsense: with accusative of person(s), ἡμᾶς (EV, prating against us), 3 John 1:10.†

(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 3 John 1:10

Range of meaning

To talk nonsense, babble, or chatter idly. With an object, to talk nonsense about someone or bring empty charges against them. The related adjective φλύαρος means 'gossipy' or 'a babbler' (1 Timothy 5:13, of people 'saying what they should not').

Against the English

KJV 'prating against us' is accurate but archaic. BSB 'malicious slander' and WEB/NASB 'unjustly accusing us' bring out the hostility but lose the note of emptiness. ESV and NIV keep the word 'nonsense'.

Used elsewhere in the period

In classical and Hellenistic Greek it is common for foolish or idle talk (Plato, Aristophanes, Xenophon). Writers used it to dismiss an opponent's speech as rubbish. This is its only occurrence in the New Testament.

Similar words

Where it appears

3 John · 1

  1. 3 John 1:10 φλυαρῶν prating against

    So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church.

    Here: 'Babbling against us.' It means empty, baseless talk. The charges are serious in intent ('evil words') but have no substance. This is the only place the word occurs in the New Testament.

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