G2097 εὐαγγελίζω (euangelízō)

I preached (2097) (euaggelizo/euangelizo euaggelizo/euangelizo from eu = good, well + aggéllo = proclaim, tell; English = evangelize) means to announce good news concerning something. Euaggelizo was often used in the Septuagint for preaching a glad or joyful message (cf. 1Sam. 31:9; 2 Sa 1:20; 4:10). Euaggelizo/euangelizo in its original sense could be used to refer to a declaration of any kind of good news, but in the NT it (with 2 exceptions discussed below) refers especially to the glad tidings of the coming kingdom of God and of salvation obtained through Jesus Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Most of NT uses of euaggelizo are translated "preach" or "preach the gospel," whichever fits more smoothly into the context. There are two passages that illustrate the original meaning of simply to "bring glad tidings" or "bring good news" of any nature. The first is in Luke... Lk 1:19 And the angel answered and said to him (Zacharias), "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and I have been sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. (that he would have a son, John the Baptist). The other is 1 Thessalonians... 1Thessalonians 3:6 (note) But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news (euaggelizo) of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you Aside from these two passages euaggelizo usually has the technical meaning of publishing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the NAS, the verb is translated - bring glad tidings(1), bring good news(2 - one referring to birth of John the Baptist and the other to the birth of Jesus, so that the latter would in a sense refer to "preaching the good news"), brought good news (1Thes 3:6), good news preached(2), gospel preached(4), preach(4), preach good news(1), preach the gospel(12), preached (m) (9), preached the gospel(4), preaching(8),preaching a gospel(1), preaching good news(1), preaching the gospel(4). Most of the NT uses of euaggelizo are in the passive voice or middle voice, but there are two uses in which the active voice is used in Revelation where those who do the announcing are respectively God and an angel... but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel (the sounding of the seventh trumpet initiates the seven bowls of God’s wrath), when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached (euaggelizo) to His servants the prophets. (See note Revelation 10:7) (Comment: The message declared to the prophets was ultimately one of good news: the gospel! Not only of Christ’s provision for man’s sin, but of God’s ultimate reclamation of fallen creation. The complete gospel includes much more than individual redemption, but extends to the entire redemptive revelation of God: "We, therefore, plant ourselves upon the divinest of records, and upon the most authentic, direct, and solemn of all sacred utterances, and say, that he whose gospel drops and repudiates from its central themes the grand doctrine of the consummation of all things, as portrayed in this Apocalypse, is not the true Gospel of God." Reference) And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel (euaggelion) to preach (euaggelizo) to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people (See note Revelation 14:6) (Comment: The angel gospelled the gospel to those below on the earth. Not only was his message one of good news, but the very fact of his delivery of the message was a manifestation of that good news. For this angel on his lonely mission above the ravaged earth below stands as a beacon to the grace and mercy of God. He has not left these on the earth during the final week {Ed note: The last 3.5 years known as the Great Tribulation} of His wrath without recourse. In the midst of terrible devastation and turmoil, He has not left those who have not yet heard subject to the well-intentioned, but often ineffective, witness of men. He provides a supernatural messenger who will finally fulfill the gospel mandate to all the earth {"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come. Mt 24:14 And evidently many souls will respond to this eternal gospel during the 3.5 years of the Great Tribulation according to "numerical estimate" in Revelation 7:9 - see note).}. Reference) NIDNTT adds that in Classical Greek... The middle verb euangelizomai (Aristophanes), euangelizo, a form not encountered until later Greek., together with the adjectival noun euangelion (Homer) and the noun euangelos (Aesch.), are all derived from angelos, (aggelos) messenger (probably an Iranian loan-word originally), or the verb. angello (announce; Angel). Euangelos, messenger, is one who brings a message of victory or other political or personal news that causes joy. In the Hellenistic period the word can also mean one who announces oracles. Similarly the verb euangelizomai means to speak as a messenger of gladness, to proclaim good news; and where it is used in a religious sense, to promise. euangelizomai also gains a religious meaning when it is used in connection with the appearance of a “divine man”, whose approach is announced with joy (e.g. of Apollonius of Tyana in Philostratus, VA 1, 28, 3rd cent. A.D.). On the other hand, the verb. is often found with its original sense weakened to make it synonymous with angello, to bear a message, announce. Moulton and Milligan record a secular example of euaggelizo where a... reference is made to the arrival from Memphis of a slave of the strategus Apollonius, announcing a victory he had gained. Vine writes that euaggelizo ... is almost always used of “the good news” concerning the Son of God as proclaimed in the gospel [exceptions are e.g., Luke 1:19; 1 Thess. 3:6, in which the phrase “to bring (or show) good (or glad) tidings” does not refer to the gospel]; Gal. 1:8 (2nd part). With reference to the gospel the phrase “to bring, or declare, good, or glad, tidings” is used in Acts 13:32; Rom. 10:15; Heb. 4:2...In the Septuagint (LXX) the verb is used of any message intended to cheer the hearers, e.g. 1Sa 31:9; 2Sa 1:20. (Vine, W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 1996. Nelson) Euaggelizo is used 55 times in the NT (Matt. 11:5; Lk. 1:19; 2:10; 3:18; 4:18, 43; 7:22; 8:1; 9:6; 16:16; 20:1;Acts 5:42; 8:4, 12, 25, 35, 40; 10:36; 11:20; 13:32; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:35; 16:10; 17:18; Rom. 1:15; 10:15; 15:20; 1 Co. 1:17; 9:16, 18; 15:1f; 2 Co. 10:16; 11:7; Gal. 1:8f, 11, 16, 23; 4:13; Eph. 2:17; 3:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:6; Heb. 4:2, 6; 1 Pet. 1:12, 25; 4:6; Rev. 10:7; 14:6). In the following examples, note that the verb is translated "preach the gospel" or "preach the good news". In other instances, the verb is translated as "preach" with a separate Greek word or phrase added for what is being preached (Kingdom of God, Jesus, Jesus as the Christ) Mt 11:5 the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. Lk 2:10 And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; Lk 3:18 So with many other exhortations also he (John the Baptist) preached the gospel to the people. Lk 4:43 But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." Lk 8:1 And it came about soon afterwards, that He began going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming (kerusso) and preaching the kingdom of God; and the twelve were with Him (Note that kerusso signifies to proclaim as a herald {kerux} while euangelizo means to announce a good message). Acts 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (Note the preceding verse - 41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.) Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Acts 8:35 And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. Acts 11:20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. Acts 13:32 "And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, Acts 17:18 And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. And some were saying, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?" Others, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,"-- because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. Acts 4:2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. (Comment: The "gospel" is not just a New Testament revelation, for it was preached to the children of Israel in the wilderness.) 1Peter 1:12 (note) It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look. Revelation 14:6 (note) And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people Euaggelizo is used 17 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (1Sa 31:9; 2Sam. 1:20; 4:10; 18:19f, 26, 31; 1 Ki. 1:42; 1 Chr. 10:9; Ps. 40:9; 68:11; 96:2; Isa. 40:9; 52:7; 60:6; 61:1; Jer. 20:15; Joel 2:32; Nah. 1:15). Below are several representative uses from the OT. Keep in mind that the use of euaggelizo in the Septuagint (LXX) had the basic sense meaning "to deliver a message,” but the stem itself contains the element of joy, so that announcing a victory was a common use and the messenger views himself as the bearer of good tidings. 2 Samuel 4:10 when one told me, saying, 'Behold, Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, (Lxx = euaggelizo) I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. Psalm 40:9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, Thou knowest. Psalm 96:2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings (Lxx = euaggelizo) of His salvation from day to day. Isaiah 40:9 Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news (Lxx = euaggelizo); Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" Isaiah 52:7 How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news (Lxx = euaggelizo), Who announces peace And brings good news (Lxx = euaggelizo) of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news (Lxx = euaggelizo) to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners; (Jesus quoted this verse in Luke 4:18 as He began His ministry) Nahum 1:15 Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news (Lxx = euaggelizo), Who announces peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; Pay your vows. For never again will the wicked one pass through you; He is cut off completely. UNLESS YOU BELIEVED IN VAIN: hektos ei me eike episteusate (2PAAI): (1Cor 15:14; Ps 106:12,13; Luke 8:13; John 8:31,32; Acts 8:13; 2Cor 6:1; Gal 3:4; Jas 2:14,17,26) Believed in vain - This phrase has been variously interpreted. One way is to describe a belief that is only a mental assent and represents a dead faith like James warned against (see discussion of believe below) Or this phrase could reflect a failure to believe in the truth of resurrection, the central tenet of the Gospel. To fail to believe in the resurrection would also make their faith worthless as regards genuine salvation. Another way this belief might be in vain is if the object of the belief is not reliable or valid, specifically if the resurrection of Christ were not true. Later in this chapter Paul addresses this writing that... if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain (mataios - not the same word for "vain" as in verse 2), your faith also is vain. (1Cor 15:14) Some commentators do not attempt to dogmatically separate these possibilities. For example, Garland comments that... If they do not hold firmly to what has been preached about the resurrection, they jeopardize their future with God. If they do not have faith that holds out, they believed in vain (cf. 1Cor 15:58; 16:13). If they have faith in something that is untrue, they believed in vain (1Co 15:14). The resurrection is the keystone that integrates the incarnation and Christ’s atoning death. If it is removed, the whole gospel will collapse. If there is no resurrection of the dead (1Co 15:12), humans remain under the tyranny of sin and death, and their bouts of doubt and despair are fully justified. (Garland, D. E. 1 Corinthians. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic) The Wycliffe Bible Commentary has a similar note writing that... Believed in vain does not indicate loss of salvation as a possibility. The apostle means either that a faith that does not persevere is not true saving faith, or that a faith lodged in a purported resurrection of the Messiah would be groundless if the message of Christ’s resurrection were untrue. The latter interpretation is probably correct. If Christ was not crucified and resurrected, salvation is impossible. (Pfeiffer, C F: Wycliffe Bible Commentary. 1981. Moody or Logos) Albert Barnes writes that... You will be saved by it, if you adhere to it, unless it shall turn out that it was vain to believe, and that the doctrine was false. That it was not false, he proceeds to demonstrate. Unless all your trials, discouragements, and hopes were to no purpose, and all have been the result of imposture; and unless all your profession is false and hollow, you will be saved by this great doctrine which I first preached to you (Albert Barnes. Barnes NT Commentary) John Gill writing on in vain says Paul is not saying... that true faith cannot be in vain; for that is the faith of God's elect, the gift of his grace, the operation of his Spirit; Christ is the author and finisher of it, and will never suffer it to fail; it will certainly issue in everlasting salvation: But then as the word may be heard in vain, as it is by such who are compared to the wayside, and to the thorny and rocky ground; and as the Gospel of the grace of God may be received in vain; so a mere historical faith (Ed note: mental assent, intellectual belief) may be in vain; this a man may have, and not the grace of God, and so be nothing; with this he may believe for a while, and then drop it: and since each of these might possibly be the case of some in this church, the apostle puts in these exceptions, in order to awaken the attention of them all to this important doctrine he was reminding them of. (Gill, J. Exposition of the Entire Bible) The Bible Knowledge Commentary writes that... To reject bodily resurrection eviscerated “the gospel” and made faith vain (eikÄ", “without cause” or “without success”; cf. vv. 14, 17) because it had an unworthy object (cf. 1Cor 15:13, 17). Believing the gospel includes holding firmly to belief in Christ’s resurrection. Unless one holds firmly, his belief is “in vain”; cf. Matt. 13:18-22). (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor or Logos) Hodge in his classic commentary on Corinthians writes... The Greek word translated in vain may mean either “without cause” (as in Colossians 2:18) or “without effect”—that is, to no purpose (as in Galatians 3:4 and 4:11). If it means the former, then Paul means to say, “Unless you believed without evidence—that is, you had no ground for your faith.” If it means the latter, the meaning is, “Unless your faith is worthless.” The clause may be connected with the preceding words, “If you hold firmly, which you do, or will do, unless you believed without cause.” The better connection is with the words “you are saved”: “You are saved if you persevere, unless indeed faith is worthless.” If, as the people in Corinth taught, there is no resurrection, Paul says, our faith is vain (verse 14); it is an empty, worthless thing. So here he says that the Gospel secures salvation, unless faith is of no account. (Hodge, Charles. 1 Corinthians) John MacArthur favors the interpretation that in vain refers to their faith being worthless writing that... A professing Christian who holds to orthodox doctrine and living and then fully rejects it proves that his salvation was never real. He is able to let go of the things of God because he is doing the holding. He does not belong to God and therefore God’s power cannot keep him. Such a person does not hold fast the word because his faith is in vain. It was never real. He cannot hold fast because he is not held fast. (MacArthur, J: 1Corinthians. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos) Kistemaker takes the view of MacArthur writing... Paul notes that even though the Corinthians are holding fast to Christ’s gospel, he wants them to live in accordance with its teachings. If they are merely hearers but not doers of the proclaimed gospel, they have believed in vain. The flow of the verse is that the Corinthians are saved because they have received the gospel; but they must hold on to that gospel and so demonstrate this in their conduct. Otherwise their faith will be hollow and worthless. Faith must exhibit perseverance in the teachings and application of the gospel to be genuinely active. If this is not the case, says Paul, “you have believed in vain.” (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. NT Commentary Set. Baker Book or Logos) (Ed note: Kistemaker is not saying that by their perseverance they earn salvation but that since their faith is genuine, they will persevere. Their perseverance demonstrates that their faith is authentic saving faith.) Calvin agrees writing that by the phrase unless you believed in vain... he warns them that they had needlessly and uselessly professed allegiance to Christ, if they did not hold fast this main doctrine. John Wesley commenting on this phrase writes it means in essence... Unless indeed your faith was only a delusion. J Vernon McGee comments on... “Unless ye have believed in vain”—that is, unless it was an empty faith. There is a faith that is an empty faith (McGee, J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or Logos) Reformation Study Bible adds that... Denying the resurrection of Christ makes our faith useless Elwell writes that... Paul begins by reminding the Corinthians “of the gospel I preached to you,” which they received, in which they have placed their trust, and by which they are saved if they continue to “hold firmly” to their faith in its truth. For otherwise, if initial acceptance gives way to confirmed disbelief, they will have believed in vain. (Evangelical Commentary on the Bible. Baker Book House) Matthew Henry writes that... We believe in vain, unless we continue and persevere in the faith of the Gospel. We shall be never the better for a temporary faith; nay, we shall aggravate our guilt by relapsing into infidelity. And in vain is it to profess Christianity, or our faith in Christ, if we deny the resurrection; for this must imply and involve the denial of his resurrection; and, take away this, you make nothing of Christianity, you leave nothing for faith or hope to fix upon. Utley writes that the... The word “vain” (eikÄ") means “to no purpose” (cf. Gal 3:4; 4:11). It is obvious from Mt 13:1-9, 18-23 that false professions are a reality of religious life. This phrase forms the fourth in a series which describes necessary elements of the Christian life: acceptance, position, progress, and continuance. Salvation is a process which involves repentance, faith, obedience (both initially and ongoing), as well as perseverance. (Utley, R. J. D. Volume 6: Paul's Letters to a Troubled Church: I and II Corinthians. Study Guide Commentary Series. Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International) Oster writes that... The doctrine of faith in Jesus’ resurrection is too central in Paul’s gospel for the interpreter to diminish the sense of a statement such as “you have believed in vain.” Fee is quite accurate when he observes, “To deny the objective reality of Christ’s resurrection is to have a faith considerably different from Paul’s”  or again (quoting Fee)... There seems to be little hope of getting around Paul’s argument, that to deny Christ’s resurrection is tantamount to a denial of Christian existence altogether…. Nothing else is the Christian faith, and those who reject the actuality of the resurrection of Christ need to face the consequences of such rejection, that they are bearing false witness against God himself. Like the Corinthians they will have believed in vain since the faith is finally predicated on whether or not Paul is right on this issue. (Oster, R. 1 Corinthians. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub. Co) Bruce feels... Not that Paul really entertains this as a serious possibility, but if the denial of the resurrection is carried to its logical conclusion, then it would be shown that their belief was fruitless, perhaps because it was exercised superficially or at random. Expositor's Bible Commentary writes that... the sentence "Otherwise you have believed in vain" means that the gospel assures salvation unless the supposed faith they had was actually empty and worthless and therefore unenduring. (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament. Zondervan Publishing) Barton comments that... Because acceptance of that gospel had saved them, they should hold firmly to it. To do otherwise would mean that they had believed in vain. If they could be so easily swayed to other messages, tangents, and untruths, then perhaps what they claimed as belief was not belief at all. If the faith they thought they had could not assure them of salvation, then that faith was worthless. (Barton, B, et al: The NIV Life Application Commentary Series: Tyndale or Logos) William MacDonald explains that... It was by the gospel of the resurrection that they had been saved—unless, of course, there was no such thing as resurrection, in which case they could not have been saved at all. The if in this passage does not express any doubt as to their salvation, nor does it teach that they were saved by holding fast. Rather, Paul is simply stating that if there is no such thing as resurrection, then they weren’t saved at all. In other words, those who denied bodily resurrection were launching a frontal attack on the whole truth of the gospel. To Paul, the resurrection was fundamental. Without it there was no Christianity. Thus this verse is a challenge to the Corinthians to hold fast the gospel which they had received in the face of the attacks which were currently being made against it. (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or Logos) W E Vine writes that... This word eike, “in vain,” is taken by some to mean “without consideration.” It may signify “to no purpose.” That would be so, if Christ has not been raised. The most probable significance is “without cause”; the apostle’s preaching would have had no validity, and therefore would have afforded no ground for belief. (Vine, W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson or Logos) Barnett writes that Paul's words... ‘If you are holding fast to it, unless you believed in vain, ’ are really a probing exhortation. They did not ‘believe in vain’ at the beginning, though he is concerned that they may not be ‘holding fast’ what they initially believed. ‘Drifting’ from the gospel is a continuing concern (cf. He 2:1-note). Clearly Paul is urging them to continue to hold tenaciously and purposefully to the gospel. (Barnett, P. W. 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