Quick Definition
I transfer, desert, change
Strong's Definition
to transfer, i.e. (literally) transport, (by implication) exchange, (reflexively) change sides, or (figuratively) pervert
Derivation: from G3326 (μετά) and G5087 (τίθημι);
KJV Usage: carry over, change, remove, translate, turn
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
μετατίθημι; 1 aorist μετέθηκα; present middle μετατίθεμαι: 1 aorist passive μετετεθην; to transpose (two things, one of which is put in place of the other (see μετά, III. 2)); i. e.,
1. to transfer: τινα followed by εἰς; with the accusative of place, passive, Act_7:16; without mention of the place, it being well known to the readers, Heb_11:5 (Gen_5:24; Sir_44:16, cf. Wis_4:10).
2. to change (Herodotus 5, 68); passive of an office the mode of conferring which is changed, Hebrews 7:12; 71 τί εἰς τί, to turn one thing into another (τινα εἰς πτηνην φύσιν, Anth. 11, 367, 2); figuratively, τήν ... χάριν εἰς ἀσέλγειαν, to pervert the grace of God to license, i. e. to seek from the grace of God an argument in defense of licentiousness, Jud_1:4 (cf. Huther, in the place cited).
3. passive or (more commonly) middle, to transfer oneself or suffer oneself to be transferred, i. e. to go or pass over: ἀπό τίνος εἰς τί, to fall away or desert from one person or thing to another, Gal_1:6 (cf. 2Ma_7:24; Polybius 5, 111, 8; 26, 2, 6; Diodorus 11, 4; (ὁ μεταθεμενος, turncoat, (Diogenes Laërtius 7, 166 cf. 37; Athen. 7, 281 d.)).
STRONGS NT 3346a: μετατρέπω [μετατρέπω: 2 aorist passive imperative 3 person singular μετατραπήτω; to turn about, figuratively, to transmute: Jas_4:9 WH text. From Homer down; but seems not to have been used in Attic (Liddell and Scott).]
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
μετατίθημι metatithēmi 6x
to transport, Act_7:16 ;
to transfer, Heb_7:12 ;
to translate out of the world, Heb_11:5 ;
met. to transfer to other purposes, to pervert, Jud_1:4 ;
mid. to transfer one s self, to change over, Gal_1:6
μετατρέπω metatrepō 1x
to turn around, change, alter, Jas_4:9
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
μετα -τίθημι ,
[in LXX : Gen_5:24 ( H3947 ), Deu_27:17 , al. ( H5472 hi .), Sir_44:16 , 2Ma_7:24 , al ;]
1. to transfer to another place: c . acc , pass ., Heb_11:5 ( LXX ); seq . εἰς , Act_7:16 .
2. to change: c . acc , pass ., Heb_7:12 ; seq . εἰς , fig ., i.e . to make one thing a pretext for another, χάριν εἰς ἀσέλγειαν , Jud_1:4 . Mid ., to change oneself, pass over: seq . ἀπό et εἰς , Gal_1:6 ( cf. 2Mac, l.c .).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
μετατίθημι [page 404]
With the use of this verb in Act_7:16 we may compare P Tebt II. 336 .12 ( c. A.D. 190) ἐξ ὧν μ [ε ]τατίθ (ενται ) εἰς δη (μοσίαν ) γῆν (πυροῦ ) (ἀρτάβαι ) κτλ ., of wheat transferred to domain land. See also with reference to persons P Ryl II. 220 .94 (between A.D. 134 5 and 138), an official list of males, perhaps fot military purposes, a certain number of whom had been transferred to a new heading or a new village in the 19th year of Hadrian καὶ ἐνθάδ (ε ) μετ ]ε (τέ )θ (ησαν ) τῷ ιθ̄ (ἔτει ) οἱ πλειόνων ( those in excess ), and P Lond 322 .5 (A.D. 214 5?) (= II. p. 159 f., Chrest. I, p. 421 ), an application for the payment of the porters hire, agreed upon for the removal of persons named from the village of Bacchias to that of Socnopaei Nesus πρὸς ἀπαίτησιν φορέτρου ἀποτάκτου τῶν μετατιθεμένων ἐνθάδε ἀπὸ κώ (μης ) Βακχ (ιάδος ). In BGU I. 4 .9 (ii/iii A.D.) μετατεθέντος μου εἰς ἄλα ( sic ) Βουκοντίων , military transference from one ala or company to another is indicated; and in P Oxy XII. 1417 .20 (early iv/A.D.) ἀπὸ τῆς βουλῆς μετατεθῆναι the reference is apparently to change of purpose, though unfortunately the immediate context is wanting : cf. Aristeas 188 μετατιθεὶς ἐκ τῆς κακίας [καὶ ] εἰς μετάνοιαν ἄξεις , and Menandrea p. 64 .48 ὥστ᾽ εἰ τοῦτ᾽ ἐδυσχέρανέ τις | ἀτιμίαν τ᾽ ἐνόμισε , μεταθέσθω πάλιν , if any one disliked it, and thought it a wicked shame, let him change his mind. The description of Dionysius of Heracleia, who deserted the Stoics for the Epicureans, as ὁ μεταθέμενος , the Turncoat (Diog. Laert. vii. 166) may help us with Gal_1:6 (cf. 2Ma_7:24 μεταθέμενον ἀπὸ τῶν πατρίων ) : see also Field Notes , p. 188.
Liddell-Scott — Intermediate Greek Lexicon
μετατίθημι fut. -θήσω aor1 μετ-έθηκα aor2 -έθην "to place among", τῷ κ᾽ οὔτι τόσον κέλαδον μετέθηκεν (variant reading: μεθέηκεν) then "he would" not "have caused" so much noise "among" us, Od. "to place differently", in local sense, "to transpose", Plat. "to change, alter", of a treaty, Thuc. , Xen. ; μ. τὰς ἐπωνυμίας ἐπὶ ὑός "to change" their names "and call them" after swine, Hdt. ; μ. τι ἀντί τινος "to put" one thing "in place" of another, "substitute", Dem. Mid. "to change what is one's own or for oneself", τοὺς νόμους, Xen. ; μετατίθεσθαι τὴν γνώμην "to adopt a new" opinion, Hdt. ; so, absol., Plat. μ. [τὸν φόβον] "to get rid of, transfer one's" fear, Dem. c. dupl. acc., τὸ κείνων κακὸν τῷδε κέρδος μ. "to alter" their evil designs into gain for him, Soph. Pass. "to be changed, to alter", Eur.
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon
μετα-τίθημι
[in LXX: Gen.5:24 (לָקַח), Deu.27:17, al. (סוּג hi.), Sir.44:16, 2Ma.7:24, al ;]
__1. to transfer to another place: with accusative, pass., Heb.11:5 (LXX); before εἰς, Act.7:16
__2. to change: with accusative, pass., Heb.7:12; before εἰς, figuratively, i.e. to make one thing a pretext for another, χάριν εἰς ἀσέλγειαν, Ju 4. Mid., to change oneself, pass over: before ἀπό and εἰς, Gal.1:6 (cf. 2Mac, l.with).†
(AS)
📖 In-Depth Word Study
Taken up (changed, removed, took)(3346) metatithemi
Taken up (3346) (Metatithemi from meta = change of place or condition + tithemi = to put or place) literally means to put in another place, as used here in Heb 11:5, the passive since meaning to be taken or transferred. We find another literal use in Acts 7:16 where bodies are transferred to a burial place in Shechem.
In the figurative sense metatithemi means to effect a change in state or condition and so to alter something as when the priesthood is changed (Heb 7:12).
Another figurative use is found in Jude 1:4 who were continually "turning" the grace of God into licentiousness, saying in essence that God's marvelous grace provided a "license" for immoral behavior! In another figurative use Paul accuses Peter of "deserting" (turning away from) the gospel to follow a different gospel (Gal 1:6).
Metatithemi - 6x in 5v - Acts 7:16; Gal 1:6; Heb 7:12; 11:5; Jude 1:4. NAS = hanged(1), deserting*(1), removed(1), taken(1), took(1), turn(1).
Acts 7:16 "From there they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
Galatians 1:6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
Hebrews 7:12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
Jude 1:4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Metatithemi - 9x in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (LXX) - Ge 5:24; Dt 27:17; 1Ki 21:25; Est 4:17; Ps 46:2; Pr 23:10; Isa 29:14, 17; Hos 5:10. Here are some uses...
Deuteronomy 27:17 'Cursed is he who moves his neighbor's boundary mark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
Psalm 46:2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip (removed) into the heart of the sea;
Proverbs 23:10 Do not move the ancient boundary Or go into the fields of the fatherless,
Isaiah 29:17 Is it not yet just a little while Before Lebanon will be turned into a fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?
Hosea 5:10 The princes of Judah have become like those who move a boundary; On them I will pour out My wrath like water.
And thus we see the same verb is used by the Septuagint translators to describe Enoch’s translation in Ge 5:24.
Enoch was the 7th from Adam in the line of Seth. Just as lawlessness had climaxed in Lamech, the 7th from Adam in the line of Cain, so godliness climaxed in Enoch. It is interesting to note that Enoch was a contemporary of Adam for a little over 300 years and that he lived alongside the other patriarchs listed in Genesis 5 all his life. He was "raptured" (Not the same word as NT "rapture" = harpazo) about seventy years before Noah was born.
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