Jude 1:16
in Jude 1These men are discontented grumblers, following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own advantage.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaketh great swelling words), showing respect of persons for the sake of advantage.
KJV
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
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This verse in Jude 1
Commentary
13 notes on this verseThese are murmurers - Grudging and grumbling at all men, and at all things; complainers, μεμψιμοιροι, complainers of their fate or destiny - finding fault with God and all his providential dispensations, making and governing worlds in their own way; persons whom neither God nor man can please. Walking after their own lusts - Taking their wild, disorderly, and impure passions for the rule of their conduct, and not the writings of the prophets and apostles. Great swelling words - Ὑπερογκα. See the explanation of this term in 2Pe 2:
This site's exposition
Enoch, the seventh from Adam
on Jude 1:14-16
Jude quotes Enoch, the seventh from Adam, in words that stand nearly verbatim in 1 Enoch 1:9. The fathers held the citation warrants the prophecy, as Paul's quoting a Cretan poet canonized no poet; Tertullian's fuller claim for Enoch is the minority.
This site's exposition
These men are discontented grumblers
Verse 16 gives the last portrait before Jude turns to the church. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown tie the grumbling to following after their own lusts. Adam Clarke reads it as complaint against God's ordering of the world.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. After this, however, having been freed from the accommodation of these ungodly ones, Jude now also addresses the matter itself, accusing their vices, …
The Medieval Church3 voices
After this, having left off the comparison of the ungodly, he now proceeds to the actual exposure of them, calling them murmurers and fault-finders. A murmurer is one who through clenched teeth and timidly censures what is displeasing to him, while a fault-finder is one …
These are murmurers, grumblers, etc. The more anyone murmurs and grumbles about the present labors of the Church, the less they have extinguished the desires of the flesh within themselves. But on the contrary, holy Daniel and other men of heavenly desires, as diligently as …
These people have no confidence in their own teaching. For how can it not be dangerous to spread it with such wickedness and blasphemy?
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
To execute judgment - Enoch herein looked beyond the flood. Upon all - Sinners, in general. And to convict all the ungodly, in particular, of all the grievous things which ungodly sinners (a sinner is bad; but the ungodly who sin without fear are worse) have spoken against him, ver. 8, 10, though they might not think, all those speeches were against him.
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5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
These are murmurers,....
Exhorts them to perseverance in the faith, fervency in prayer, watchfulness against falling from the love of God, and a lively hope of eternal life,
Such walk after their own lusts; their will, their appetite, their fancy, are their only rule and law. Note, Those who please their sinful appetites are most prone to yield to their ungovernable passions. He proceeds to caution and exhort those to whom he is writing,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The secret of their murmuring and complaining is the restless insatiability of their desires. great swelling words-- (2Pe 2:18). men's persons--their mere outward appearance and rank. because of advantage--for the sake of what they may gain from them. While they talk great swelling words, they are really mean and fawning towards those of wealth and rank.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
These are murmurers - The word here used does not elsewhere occur, though the word “murmur” is frequent, Mat 20:11; Luk 5:30; Joh 6:41, Joh 6:43, Joh 6:61; Joh 7:32; 1Co 10:10. Compare Joh 7:12; Act 6:1; Php 2:14; 1Pe 4:9. The sense is that of repining or complaining under the allotments of Providence, or finding fault with God’s plans, and purposes, and doings. Complainers - Literally, finding fault with one’s own lot (μεμψίμοιροι mempsimoiroi.) The word does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament; the thing often occurs in this world. Nothing is more common than for men to complain of their lot; to think that it is hard; to compare theirs with that of others, and to blame God for not having made their circumstances different. The poor complain that they are not rich like others; the sick that they are not well; the enslaved that they are not free; the bereaved that they are deprived of friends; the ugly that they are not beautiful; those in humble life that their lot was not cast among the great and the frivolous. The virtue that is opposed to this is “contentment” - a virtue of inestimable value. See the notes at Php 4:11. Walking after their own lusts - Giving unlimited indulgence to their appetites and passions. See the notes at 2Pe 3:3. And their mouth speaketh great swelling words - Notes at 2Pe 2:18. Having men’s persons in admiration - Showing great respect to certain persons, particularly the rich and the great. The idea is, that they were not “just” in the esteem which they had for others, or that they did not appreciate them according to their real worth, but paid special attention to one class in order to promote their selfish ends. Because of advantage - Because they hoped to derive some benefit to themselves.
The words behind it
19 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| οὗτοί | houtoi | These | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| εἰσιν | eisin | are | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| γογγυσταὶ | gongustai | grumblers | G1113 → | |
| μεμψίμοιροι, | mempsimoiroi | discontented, | G3202 → | |
| κατὰ | kata | after | G2596 → | 468 times |
| τὰς | tas | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐπιθυμίας | epithumias | lusts | G1939 → | |
| ἑαυτῶν | he'auton | of themselves | G1438 → | 322 times |
| πορευόμενοι, | poreuomenoi | following, | G4198 → | 147 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| στόμα | stoma | mouth | G4750 → | |
| αὐτῶν | auton | of them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| λαλεῖ | lalei | speaks | G2980 → | |
| ὑπέρογκα, | huperogka | great swelling [words], | G5246 → | |
| θαυμάζοντες | thaumazontes | flattering | G2296 → | |
| πρόσωπα | prosopa | faces | G4383 → | |
| ὠφελείας | opheleias | of profit | G5622 → | |
| χάριν.¶ | charin | because. | G5484 → |
οὗτοίThese
houtoiG3778 →1381 times
εἰσινare
eisinG1510 →2333 times
γογγυσταὶgrumblers
gongustaiG1113 →
μεμψίμοιροι,discontented,
mempsimoiroiG3202 →
κατὰafter
kataG2596 →468 times
τὰςthe
tasG3588 →19766 times
ἐπιθυμίαςlusts
epithumiasG1939 →
ἑαυτῶνof themselves
he'autonG1438 →322 times
πορευόμενοι,following,
poreuomenoiG4198 →147 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
στόμαmouth
stomaG4750 →
αὐτῶνof them
autonG846 →5565 times
λαλεῖspeaks
laleiG2980 →
ὑπέρογκα,great swelling [words],
huperogkaG5246 →
θαυμάζοντεςflattering
thaumazontesG2296 →
πρόσωπαfaces
prosopaG4383 →
ὠφελείαςof profit
opheleiasG5622 →
χάριν.¶because.
charinG5484 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Philippians 2:14Do everything without complaining or arguing,
it leads to
- 1 Peter 4:9
Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
- 1 Corinthians 10:10
And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.
- James 5:9
Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
- Ephesians 4:31–32
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.
- Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.
- 1 Peter 4:9
Through
1 Peter 4:2Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God.
it leads to
- Ephesians 4:22–24
to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
- 1 Peter 1:14
As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance.
- Ephesians 4:22–24
Through
1 Timothy 6:5and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.
it leads to
- 2 Peter 2:3
In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
- 2 Peter 2:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies14
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About Jude
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Andreas of Caesarea, CATENA; Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Jude and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Jude.