περιεργάζομαι (periergazomai)
periergazomai
be a busybody
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb periergazomai describes the act of being a busybody, specifically one who bustles about uselessly or wastes labor on trifling matters. It carries the sense of officious inquisitiveness into other people’s affairs, suggesting a restless energy that achieves nothing of value. The word appears only once in the New Testament, in Second Thessalonians 3:11.
Its structure combines a prefix implying "around" or "excess" with a root meaning "to work." This etymology highlights the futility of the action: it is work done without purpose, often at the expense of one’s own responsibilities. Paul uses this term to correct a specific behavior in the Thessalonian church, where some individuals were not keeping order but instead meddling in matters that did not concern them.
Translators typically render this word as "busybody" or "meddler," capturing the negative social and spiritual weight of the action. The term distinguishes itself from genuine service by its lack of constructive outcome; it is activity for its own sake, driven by curiosity rather than love. This single usage provides a sharp warning against the distraction of unnecessary involvement in others’ lives.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word περιεργάζομαι describes a restless energy that meddles in matters not our own. It combines the idea of working with the sense of going around, suggesting activity that achieves nothing of value. In the early church, some people were so focused on other people’s business that they neglected their own responsibilities and became a burden to the community.
This warning remains relevant today. When we spend our time judging or interfering in lives that are not ours to manage, we lose the peace that comes from faithful stewardship of our own calling. True service is quiet, purposeful, and rooted in love, not in a need to control or criticize what belongs to others.
God invites us to focus on our own walk with Him. By keeping our eyes on our own duties and trusting God with the affairs of others, we find freedom from anxiety and the joy of genuine peace. Let us choose purposeful work over idle meddling.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- being busybodies.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- περιεργαζομένους.¶1×
Key Verses
-
II Thessalonians 3:11
For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who don’t work at all, but are busybodies.
This is the only New Testament occurrence, where Paul uses the term to correct those who were idle yet intrusive in the community.