1707. emplekó
Lexical Summary
emplekó: To entangle, to involve

Original Word: ἐμπλέκω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: emplekó
Pronunciation: em-plek'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (em-plek'-o)
KJV: entangle (in, self with)
NASB: entangled, entangles
Word Origin: [from G1722 (ἔν - among) and G4120 (πλέκω - twisting)]

1. to entwine
2. (figuratively) involve with

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
entangle.

From en and pleko; to entwine, i.e. (figuratively) involve with -- entangle (in, self with).

see GREEK en

see GREEK pleko

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from en and plekó
Definition
to weave in, to entwine, i.e. to involve with
NASB Translation
entangled (1), entangles (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1707: ἐμπλέκω

ἐμπλέκω (see ἐν, III. 3): passive (present ἐμπλέκομαι); 2 aorist participle ἐμπλακεις; to inweave; tropically, in passive, with the dative of thing, to entangle, involve in: 2 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 2:20. (From Aeschylus down.)

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Greek 1707 conveys the idea of becoming entwined or involved so thoroughly that freedom of movement or single-minded purpose is hindered. The term appears only twice in the Greek New Testament, yet those two contexts—military devotion (2 Timothy 2:4) and moral relapse (2 Peter 2:20)—set the boundaries for a rich biblical theme: the peril of worldly entanglement and the call to unhampered devotion to Christ.

Background and Imagery

The Greek term evokes the picture of something woven together or ensnared, whether threads in a fabric, branches in a thicket, or a fish caught in a net. Classical writers used the word for soldiers tangled in undergrowth and litigants implicated in lawsuits. Within Scripture this imagery gathers Israel’s experience of nets and snares (Psalm 25:15; Proverbs 29:6) and the prophetic warning against alliances that “entangle” God’s people (Isaiah 8:15).

Usage in the New Testament

2 Timothy 2:4: “No soldier in active service entangles himself in civilian affairs, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”

Paul employs military language to urge Timothy toward the single focus required of Christ’s servant. Anything that diverts energy from the Commander’s orders—however innocent in itself—becomes an impediment.

2 Peter 2:20: “If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, yet are again entangled in it and overcome, their final state is worse than the first.”

Peter exposes false teachers who once appeared liberated but have re-entered the web of corruption. Here entanglement is moral and spiritual; the consequence is bondage that exceeds their former condition.

Theological Significance

1. Freedom in Christ versus Bondage to the World

Both passages presuppose the believer’s liberation through the gospel (John 8:36; Galatians 5:1). Entanglement threatens that freedom, whether by sin’s defilement or by distractions that blunt obedience.

2. Perseverance and Apostasy

Peter’s warning underscores the seriousness of relapse. To become “again entangled” after tasting redemption reveals a heart never fully surrendered, fulfilling the proverb of the dog returning to its vomit (2 Peter 2:22). The text stands as a sober call to perseverance.

3. Single-minded Service

Paul’s soldier metaphor frames Christian life as warfare requiring undivided allegiance (Ephesians 6:10–17). Civilian pursuits are not inherently sinful, yet when they preoccupy the heart they compete with Christ’s lordship.

Pastoral and Practical Applications

• Discernment: Believers must evaluate activities—occupational, recreational, relational—asking whether they facilitate or impede obedience.
• Spiritual Discipline: Regular prayer, Scripture intake, and fellowship keep the soul from drift and entanglement.
• Accountability: Community admonition helps identify creeping involvement with worldliness before it hardens into bondage.
• Mission Focus: Churches and ministries guard against administrative busyness or cultural accommodation that distract from the Great Commission.

Historical Interpretation

Early fathers such as Chrysostom cited 2 Timothy 2:4 to exhort clergy to simplicity and detachment from secular honors. Reformers applied the verse to critique ecclesiastical entanglement with state power. In devotional literature, 2 Peter 2:20 served as a caution against post-conversion complacency, urging vigilance lest initial zeal degenerate into greater captivity.

Related Biblical Motifs

Net and snare imagery: Psalm 124:7; Ecclesiastes 9:12

Worldliness: James 4:4; 1 John 2:15–17

Single hearted devotion: Matthew 6:24; Philippians 3:13–14

Spiritual warfare: 1 Timothy 1:18; 2 Corinthians 10:3–5

Summary

Strong’s Greek 1707, though rare, crystallizes a central biblical warning: anything that re-weaves the believer into the world’s corrupt fabric or diverts the soldier of Christ from his commanding Officer threatens spiritual vitality and ultimate destiny. Scripture calls the redeemed to remain unentangled, pursuing the freedom and focus that glorify the One who enlisted and saved them.

Forms and Transliterations
εμπλακεντες εμπλακέντες ἐμπλακέντες εμπλακήσεται εμπλεκεται εμπλέκεται ἐμπλέκεται emplakentes emplakéntes empleketai empléketai
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Englishman's Concordance
2 Timothy 2:4 V-PIM/P-3S
GRK: οὐδεὶς στρατευόμενος ἐμπλέκεται ταῖς τοῦ
NAS: soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs
KJV: that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs
INT: No one serving as a soldier entangles himself with the of this

2 Peter 2:20 V-APP-NMP
GRK: δὲ πάλιν ἐμπλακέντες ἡττῶνται γέγονεν
NAS: they are again entangled in them and are overcome,
KJV: they are again entangled therein, and
INT: moreover again having been entangled they are subdued has become

Strong's Greek 1707
2 Occurrences


ἐμπλακέντες — 1 Occ.
ἐμπλέκεται — 1 Occ.

1706
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