Greek word · G5471

χαλκεύς

chalkeus

coppersmith

Strictly a worker in chalkos (copper or bronze). In practice it came to mean any smith or metalworker, including workers in iron.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament.

What it means

χαλκεύς, -έως, ὁ

(χαλκός), [in LXX for חָרָשׁ, etc. ;]

a worker, in metal, esp. a copper-smith: 2 Timothy 4:14.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Range of meaning: Strictly a worker in chalkos (copper or bronze). In practice it came to mean any smith or metalworker, including workers in iron.
Against the English: 'Coppersmith' (KJV, BSB, WEB, YLT, ESV) follows the word's root. 'Metalworker' (NIV) is closer to how the term was used in the first century.
How it drifted: English 'coppersmith' fixes the man to one metal. The Greek was broader.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Greek Old Testament, Genesis 4:22 calls Tubal-cain a worker in bronze and iron. Greek writers from Homer onward use chalkeus for smiths in general. The LXX and other Greek literature use it of metal craftsmen generally.

2 Timothy · 1

2 Timothy 4:14 χαλκεὺς coppersmith

Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

Here: Originally a worker in bronze or copper, but by this period it often meant any smith or metalworker. It is a manual trade, and here it is mainly a way of identifying him.

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