Quick Definition
φιλοτιμέομαι v. I desire very strongly
Strong's Definition
middle voice from a compound of 5384 and 5092; to be fond of honor, i.e. emulous (eager or earnest to do something)
KJV Usage: labour, strive, study
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | φιλέω + τιμάω
25.78 · Attitudes and Emotions · Be Eager, Be Earnest, In a Devoted Manner
to aspire to, to make something one’s ambition to to earnestly aspire to something, implying strong ambition for some goal An equivalent of φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἡσυχάζειν in 1TH 4:11 may be in some languages ‘do everything you can to live the quiet life.’
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
φιλοτιμέομαι, -οὔμαι; (φιλότιμος, and this fr. φίλος and τιμή) ; depon. pass. (with fut. mid.); freq. in Grk. writ. fr. Andoc., Lysias, Xen., Plat. down; a. to be fond of honor; to be actuated by love of honor; froma love of honor to strive to bring something to pass. b. foll. by an inf., to be ambitious to ete., 1 Th. iv.11; Ro. xv. 20; do strive earnestly, make it one’s aim, 2 Co. ν. 9.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
φιλοτιμέομαι philotimeomai 3x
pr. to be ambitious of honor; by impl. to exert one’s self to accomplish a thing, use one’s utmost efforts, endeavor earnestly, Rom. 15:20; 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Thess. 4:11*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
** φιλοτιμέομαι, -οῦμαι
(< φίλος, τιμή), [in LXX: IV Mac 1:35 A ;]
to love or seek after honour, hence, to be ambitious, emulous (Plat., Plut., al.): c. inf., Ro 15:20, II Co 5:9, I Th 4:11.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
φιλοτιμέομαι is found in the NT in Rom 1539, 2 Cor 59, 1 Thess 41, and in all three passages seems to have lost its original idea of emulating (‘Cam ambitious”), and to mean little more than ‘‘am zealous,” ‘‘strive eagerly,” in accordance with its usage in late Greek: cf. P Petr III. 42 H.(8) f* (iii/B.c.) ἐφιλοτιμοῦ με παραγενέσθαι πρὸς σὲ καὶ] ἦλθον, PSI IV. 375} (B.C. 250-49) ὃν τρόπον ἐφιλοτιμήθης περὶ ἡμῶν, P Cairo Zen III. 593054 (B.c. 250), and P Tebt II. 41010 (1.14...) μν[ἤ]σθητιε o[s] ἐν τῷ Τρ[ι]στόμῳ με ἐφιλοτ[ι]μοῦ σὺν ἐμοὶ μεῖναι, ‘‘remember how zealous you were at Tristomos to remain with me” (Edd.). The verb is also common in honorary decrees, where its general meaning is ‘‘act with public spirit,” e.g. C/A II. 4442. (ii/B.c.) ὅπως οὖν καὶ ἡ βουλὴ Kal 6 δῆμος μνημονεύοντες φαίνωνται τῶν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς φιλοτιμουμένων, OG/S 1178 (ii/B.C.) ὃ δῆμος ὁ ᾿Αθηναίων εὐχάριστος ὧν διατελεῖ τοῖς εἰς ἑαυτὸν φιλοτιμουμένοις, and 20. ττ810 (ii/B.c.), 23315 (iii/B.c.). See further Hicks CR i. p. 46, Field Notes p. 165, and Lightfoot /Votes p. 60f. For the subst. φιλοτιμία cf. P Par 6358 (B.c. 164) (=P Petr ILI. p. 24) μήτε φιλοτιμίας μήτε πλεονεξίας γενηθείσης, πο. undue [official] competition or grasping being permitted” (Mahafly), P Oxy VIIL. 11538 (i/A.pD.) ἃ ἐδῳρήσατό σοι Ilavoavias ὁ ἀδελφός σου mpd πολλοῦ ἐκ φιλοτιμίας αὐτοῦ κατηρτισμένα, ‘which (sce. wrist-bands) your brother Pausanias went to the expense of having made some time ago and presented to you” (Ed.), and 2d. XVI. 191314 (c. A.D. 555?) Ady(w) φιλοτιμι(ίας), ‘by way of largesse” (Edd. ). For the adj. φιλότιμος cf. P Petr I. 2013 (iii/B.c.), where
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
φιλοτιμέομαι (philotimeomai) — to aspire. φῐλοτῑμ-έομαι, future ήσομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; later, -ηθήσομαι[Refs 1st c.BC+] codices: aorist ἐφιλοτιμήθην [Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect πεφιλοτίμημαι [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—perfect in passive sense, [Refs 1st c.AD+]: (φιλότιμος):—love or seek after honour, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: hence, to be ambitious, emulous, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φ. ὅτι.. to be jealous because.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φ. πρὸς ἀλλήλους, πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους, vie emulously with, rival, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. the object of ambition, etc., is mostly added with a preposition, φ. ἐπί τινι to place one's fame in a thing, glory or pride oneself upon it, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; περὶ τῶν καλῶν contend in rivalry for, [Refs 1st c.AD+]; περὶ τὴν θήραν, δεῖπνα, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φ. πρὸς τὴν πόλιν show patriotic zeal for.., [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II. with infinitive, strive eagerly to do a thing, endeavour earnestly, aspire, οἳ πάνυ ἂν φιλοτιμηθεῖεν φίλῳ σοι χρῆσθαι [Refs 5th c.BC+], etc.; φιλοτιμούμενοι ἐπιδείκνυσθαιπρὸς ἅπαντας [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with participle, φ. ἐλέγχων [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with accusative et infinitive, to be anxious that.., [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
III. with dative of things, present with a thing, χρήμασί τινας see reading in [Refs 6th c.AD+]: but with accusative of things, lavish upon, τινί τι [Refs 5th c.AD+]