Lexical Summary timiotés: Honor, value, preciousness Original Word: τιμιότης Strong's Exhaustive Concordance wealth, prosperityFrom timios; expensiveness, i.e. (by implication) magnificence -- costliness. see GREEK timios HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 5094 timiótēs (a feminine noun, derived from the feminine noun 5092 /timḗ, "perceived value, worth") – that brand of wealth which has overwhelming value in the eyes of the beholder (incredibly, personally esteemed). This emphatic term is used only in Rev 18:19. See 5092 (timē). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom timios Definition preciousness, worth NASB Translation wealth (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5094: τιμιότηςτιμιότης, τιμιότητος, ἡ (τίμιος); a. properly, preciousness, costliness; an abundance of costly things: Revelation 18:19. b. metaphorically, worth, excellence: Aristotle, de partt. an. 1, 5 (p. 644b, 32); eth. Nic. 10, 7 at the end (p. 1178a, 1); διαφερουσι τιμιοτητι αἱ ψυχαί καί ἀτιμία ἀλλήλων, de gen. anim. 2, 3 (p. 736b, 31). The term conveys intrinsic value, high esteem, and the costly nature of something prized. It belongs to a wider family that includes τιμή (honor), τίμιος (precious), and ἔντιμος (held in honor). Together they express worth that calls for recognition, respect, and often costly devotion. Singular New Testament Occurrence Revelation 18:19 uses the genitive form τιμιότητος in the lament of the sea-farers over Babylon: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich from her wealth! In a single hour she has been destroyed!”. Here the “preciousness” of Babylon’s merchandise stands as a symbol of her seductive power—and of the transience of worldly treasure under God’s final judgment. Old Testament and Jewish Background Although the exact form is absent in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint frequently employs related roots to render Hebrew terms for “glory,” “honor,” and “precious things” (for example, Proverbs 3:15; Isaiah 43:4). In Temple worship the holy vessels were called “precious” (τίμια) in 2 Kings 25:15 LXX, underscoring the linkage between worth and consecration to God. Revelation’s Theology of Value Revelation sets a stark contrast between the fading splendor of Babylon and the enduring glory of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:11, 19). Earthly opulence that resists God is exposed as fleeting; true worth is tied to righteousness, faithfulness, and the Lamb’s redemptive work. Christ as Supreme Worth The New Testament redirects the believer’s perception of “preciousness” from material wealth to the person and work of Christ: Honor in the Community of Faith The same semantic family grounds practical exhortations: Such texts call believers to replicate God’s valuation—granting dignity where He grants dignity. Ministry Implications 1. Stewardship: Revelation 18 warns against measuring success by economic “preciousness.” Ministries must evaluate resources by how they advance eternal purposes, not by market appraisal. Eschatological Perspective The lone appearance of τιμιότης stands at the climax of Scripture to remind the church that God will decisively overturn false economies of worth. What Babylon flaunts, God strips away in an hour. What God values, He establishes forever. |
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