Speak (2980) laleo by Greek Word Studies

Speak (2980) (laleo) is the Greek verb meaning to make a sound and then to utter words. Vincent says that laleo is "used of speaking, in contrast with or as a breaking of silence, voluntary or imposed. Thus the dumb man, after he was healed, spake (Mt 9:33 "And after the demon was cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the multitudes marveled, saying (lego), "Nothing like this was ever seen in Israel.") and Zacharias, when his tongue was loosed, began to speak (Lk 1:64 "And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God") The use of the word laleo ...contemplates the fact rather than the substance of speech. Hence it is used of God (Heb 1:1), the point being, not what God said, but the fact that he spake to men. On the contrary, lego refers to the matter of speech. The verb originally means to pick out, and hence to use words selected as appropriate expressions of thought, and to put such words together in orderly discourse." (Vincent, M. R. Word studies in the New Testament). Kenneth Wuest adds that "Laleo (was) used originally just of sounds like the chatter of birds, the prattling of children, (but was also used) of the most serious kind of speech. It takes note of the sound and the manner of speaking. One thinks of the words in the song In the Garden; “He speaks, and the sound of His voice is so sweet, the birds hush their singing.” (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans) As an example Wuest notes that when Jesus healed a deaf man who had difficultly speaking the multitude "were utterly astonished, saying (lego), “He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak (laleo).” (Mk 7:37). Wuest explains that in this verse laleo is used to emphasize "not the matter, but the fact of speech. The crowd was not interested in what the man was saying, but in the fact that he was able to express himself articulately." (Ibid) Robertson says that laleo contrasts with the other NT word for speak (lego) in that laleo is "rather an onomatopoetic word (laleo > la-la) with some emphasis on the sound and manner of speaking. The word is common in the vernacular papyri examples of social intercourse." (Word Pictures in the New Testament) In a similarly instructive use of laleo Luke records that after the Holy Spirit had come upon the believers at Pentecost "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak (laleo) with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance." (Acts 2:4) Trench commenting on the use of laleo in this verse writes that "it is not what those in an ecstatic condition utter, but the fact of this new utterance itself, and quite irrespective of the matter of it, to which the sacred narrators would call our attention." Trench goes on to explain that if laleo refers to "the fact of uttering articulated speech (as) the prominent notion, in lego it is the words uttered, and that these correspond to reasonable thoughts within the breast of the utterer. Thus while the parrot or talking automaton (referring to the image of the antichrist "And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak (laleo) and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed." Rev 13:15) may be said, though even they not without a certain impropriety, laleo, seeing they produce sounds imitative of human speech and in poetry, though by a still stronger figure, laleo may be ascribed to grasshoppers (Theocritus, Idyl. v. 34) and to pipes and flutes (Idyl. xx. 28, 29); yet inasmuch as there is nothing behind these sounds, they could never be (described as lego) for in lego lies the (idea of) ennoia, (relates to thought, especially to development of a perspective that provides insight and shapes attitude and actions) or thought of the mind (ennoia is used in Heb. 4:12), as the correlative to the words on the lips, and as the necessary condition of them." (Trench, R. C. Synonyms of the New Testament. Hendrickson Publishers. 2000) Paul uses laleo in the present imperative charging Timothy to continually speak truth that is fitting and becoming to sound doctrine. Sound doctrine or Truth requires certain behaviors that reflect and are appropriate to it.1Ti 2:10; Eph 5:3 It is important to note that the apostle is not here focusing on the teaching and preaching of sound doctrine itself, as he does in Titus 1:9 (note). He is rather focusing on practical instruction about the things which are fitting for, that is, based on and appropriate to, the sound doctrine that already has been taught. Fitting (4241) (prepo) has the basic meaning of being prominent or conspicuous and came to be used of a distinguishing characteristic. Thus the "distinguishing characteristic" of Titus (and all believers) should be a lifestyle that is consistent with sound doctrine. The present tense = their speech was to continually be fitting. This association between truth and behavior was emphasized by Paul in the opening verse where he wrote that it is "the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness" (NIV, see note Titus 1:1) In the last section of the first chapter Paul had just described those whose lives were not in keeping with their "profession". "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/titus_21-10.htm#Speak:%20(2980)%20laleo

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Speak (2980) laleo

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