5094. timiotés
Lexical Summary
timiotés: Honor, value, preciousness

Original Word: τιμιότης
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: timiotés
Pronunciation: tee-mee-OT-ace
Phonetic Spelling: (tim-ee-ot'-ace)
KJV: costliness
NASB: wealth
Word Origin: [from G5093 (τίμιος - precious)]

1. expensiveness
2. (by implication) magnificence

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
wealth, prosperity

From 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 Origin
from timios
Definition
preciousness, worth
NASB Translation
wealth (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5094: τιμιότης

τιμιότης, τιμιότητος, (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).

Topical Lexicon
Linguistic Range and Conceptual Field

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:
1 Peter 2:7 – “To you who believe, He is precious.”
Acts 20:28 – the church is purchased with Christ’s own blood, the costliest price conceivable.
Philippians 3:8 – Paul counts all things loss “because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Honor in the Community of Faith

The same semantic family grounds practical exhortations:
Romans 12:10 – “Outdo one another in showing honor.”
1 Timothy 5:17 – Elders who rule well are “worthy of double honor.”
Hebrews 13:4 – “Marriage should be honored by all.”

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.
2. Discipleship: Teaching centers on transferring affection from temporal luxuries to the incomparable treasure of Christ (Matthew 6:21).
3. Worship: As the Old Covenant vessels were precious because they served holy purposes, so every believer—now “a vessel for honorable use” (2 Timothy 2:21)—is to be dedicated to the Lord’s service.
4. Mission: The gospel proclaims that people of every tribe are “redeemed… by Your blood” (Revelation 5:9); each soul possesses a worth set by Calvary, motivating evangelism and compassionate outreach.

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.

Forms and Transliterations
τιμιοτητος τιμιότητος timiotetos timiotētos timiótetos timiótētos
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Revelation 18:19 N-GFS
GRK: ἐκ τῆς τιμιότητος αὐτῆς ὅτι
NAS: became rich by her wealth, for in one
KJV: her costliness! for
INT: through the riches of her for

Strong's Greek 5094
1 Occurrence


τιμιότητος — 1 Occ.

5093
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