ἐμπόριον (emporion)
emporion
marketplace/trade
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun emporion refers to a marketplace or trading center where commerce takes place. Derived from the word for merchant, it denotes a physical location dedicated to trade rather than the act of selling itself. In the New Testament, this term appears only once, in John 2:16.
Jesus uses the word when driving merchants out of the temple, calling it a "house of trade." This usage highlights the tension between sacred space and commercial activity. The sources note that while the term can broadly mean any mart or exchange, its singular biblical occurrence focuses on the specific corruption of worship through business.
Translators typically render emporion as "marketplace" or "trading place." This choice emphasizes the economic nature of the activities occurring in the temple courts. The word serves as a concrete label for the commercial intrusion that Jesus challenged, marking a clear distinction between holy devotion and secular profit.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word emporion describes a bustling marketplace or trading center, a place defined by commerce and exchange. In the New Testament, it appears only once, in John 2:16, where Jesus drives merchants from the temple courts. He calls the sacred space a "marketplace," highlighting how commercial activity had crowded out genuine worship.
This moment reminds us that God desires our hearts to be places of reverence, not transaction. When we allow worldly concerns or selfish motives to dominate our spiritual lives, we risk turning prayer into business and devotion into duty. Jesus’ action challenges us to examine what occupies the center of our attention.
May your life remain a sanctuary where God is honored above all else. Let your worship be sincere, free from the noise of competing priorities, and focused on the one who gave His life for you.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- of trade.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐμπορίου.1×
Key Verses
-
John 2:16
To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!”
Jesus uses this term to condemn the commercialization of the temple, directly linking the physical space to the corruption of worship.