Quick Definition
καπηλεύω v. I hawk, trade in
Strong's Definition
to retail, i.e. (by implication) to adulterate (figuratively)
Derivation: from (a huckster);
KJV Usage: corrupt
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb
57.202 · Possess, Transfer, Exchange · Earn, Gain, Do Business
to peddle for profit, to huckster to engage in retail business, with the implication of deceptiveness and greedy motives
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
καπηλεύω ; (κάπηλος, i.e. a. an inn-keeper, esp. a vintner; b. a petty retailer, a huckster, pedler; ef. Sir. XXVI. 29 οὐ δικαιωθήσεται κάπηλος ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας); a. to be a retailer, to peddle ; b. with ace. of the thing, to make money by selling anything; to get sordid gain by dealing in anything, to do a thing for base gain (οἱ τὰ μαθήματα περιάγοντες κατὰ πόλεις καὶ πωλοῦντες K. καπηλεύοντες, Plat. Prot. p. 318 ἃ. ; μάχην, Aeschyl. Sept. 551 (545); Lat. cauponari hellum, i. 6. to fight for gain, trade in war, Enn. ap. Cie. offic. 1, 12, 38; ἑταίραν τὸ τῆς ὥρας ἄνθος καπηλεύουσαν, Philo de caritat. § 14, ef. leg. ad Gaium § 30, and many other exx. in other auth.). Hence some suppose that καπηλεύειν τ. λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ in 2 Co. ii. 17 is equiv. to 10 trade in the word of God, i. e. to try to get base gain by teaching divine truth. But as pedlers were in the habit of adulterating their commodities for the sake of gain (of κάπηλοί σου μίσγουσι τὸν οἶνον ὕδατι, Is. i. 22 Sept.; κάπηλοι, οἱ τὸν οἶνον κεραννύντες, Pollux, onomast. 7, 193; οἱ φιλόσοφοι ἀποδίδονται τὰ ya
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
καπηλεύω kapēleuō 1x
pr. to be κάπηλος, a retailer; to peddle with; to corrupt, adulterate, 2 Cor. 2:17*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
* καπηλεύω
(< κάπηλος, a huckster, cf. Is 1:22(LXX), Si 26:29),
to make a trade of (RV, mg., make merchandise of), or perhaps (cf. Is 1:22(LXX)) to corrupt (RV, txt.): II Co 2:17.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
καπηλεύω. This verb is confined in Biblical Greek to 2 Cor 217, where the meaning ‘‘deal in for purposes of gain” rather than “adulterate” may be illustrated from BGU IV. 1024"i-23 (end of iv/A.D.: Archiv iii. p. 302) with reference to a harlot— ὅτι [τὸν μὲν βίον ἀσεμνῶς διῆγεν, τὸ δὲ Té[Aos . .]pws γυπέριον ἐκαπήλευσεν. See also the rebuke addressed by Apollonius of Tyana to Euphrates Vita Afoll. i. 13 ἀπῆγε τοῦ χρηματίζεσθαί τε kal τὴν σοφίαν καπηλεύειν, “tried to wean him of his love of filthy lucre and of huckstering his wisdom ” (Conybeare), and the use of καπηλικός = ‘‘ mercenary”’ in M. Anton. iv. 28. The verbis used = ‘‘ trade,’’ “sell,” in Aftchel 5941* (B.C. 279) τῶν οἰκημάτων ἐν ois Ἔφεσος kan ever, and for the subst. κάπηλος, “ dealer,” “huckster” (cf. Isai 1°, Sir 267), especially with reference to a retailer of wine, see P Tebt II. 612 (i/ii A.D.) καπήλων TeBrivews διὰ τῶν οἰνοπρατῶν ἑκάστ(ου) (Spaxpat) ἢ. For the fem. καπηλίς, see P Fay 12 (c. B.C. 103), and for καπηλεῖον, ‘‘inn,” ‘‘tavern,” see P Tebt I. 4318 (B.c. 118). Cf. MGr καπηλειό, ““ retail shop.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
καπηλεύω (kapēleuō) — to peddle. κᾰπηλ-εύω, to be a retail-dealer, drive a petty trade, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; δι᾽ ἀψύχου βορᾶς σίτοις καπήλευ᾽ drive a trade, chaffer with your vegetable food, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. with accusative, sell by retail, τὸν ἕρπιν [Refs 6th c.BC+]
II.2. metaphorically, κ. τὰ πρήγματα, of Darius, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κ. τὰ μαθήματα sell learning by retail, hawk it about, [NT+5th c.BC+]; so ἔοικεν οὐ καπηλεύσειν μάχην will not peddle in war, i. e. fight half-heartedly, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; κ. τὴν πολιτείαν traffic in grants of citizenship, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; κ. τῆς ὥρας ἄνθος or τὴν ὥραν, of prostitutes, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; εἰρήνην πρὸς Ῥωμαίους Χρυσίου κ. [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; τύχη καπηλεύουσα.. τὸν βίον playing tricks with life, corrupting it, [Refs 6th c.AD+]