2002. episóreuó
Lexical Summary
episóreuó: To heap up, to accumulate, to gather together

Original Word: ἐπισωρεύω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: episóreuó
Pronunciation: eh-pee-soo-reh'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-so-ryoo'-o)
KJV: heap
NASB: accumulate
Word Origin: [from G1909 (ἐπί - over) and G4987 (σωρεύω - heap)]

1. to accumulate further
2. (figuratively) seek additionally

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
heap.

From epi and soreuo; to accumulate further, i.e. (figuratively) seek additionally -- heap.

see GREEK epi

see GREEK soreuo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from epi and sóreuó
Definition
to heap together
NASB Translation
accumulate (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2002: ἐπισωρεύω

ἐπισωρεύω: future ἐπισωρεύσω; to heap up, accumulate in piles: διδασκάλους, to choose for themselves and run after a great number of teachers, 2 Timothy 4:3. (Plutarch, Athen., Artemidorus Daldianus, others.)

Topical Lexicon
Lexical Overview

ἐπισωρεύω (Strong’s 2002) expresses the deliberate piling up of something in abundance. In 2 Timothy 4:3 the object heaped up is “teachers,” revealing a volitional and repeated action by hearers who reject apostolic doctrine.

Biblical Usage

2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.”

Paul’s warning to Timothy is the lone New Testament occurrence, yet the verb illumines an enduring pattern: humanity’s tendency to replace divinely inspired truth with an ever-expanding collection of voices that affirm personal preferences.

Immediate Context in 2 Timothy

Timothy is charged to “preach the word… in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). The coming crisis Paul foresees is not a scarcity of religious instruction but a surplus of it—teaching detached from truth. The verb underscores the futility of heaping quantity when quality (sound doctrine) is abandoned.

Old Testament and Intertestamental Parallels

While ἐπισωρεύω appears only in the Greek New Testament, comparable imagery surfaces in:
Jeremiah 5:31—“The prophets prophesy falsely… and My people love it so.”
Amos 8:11—A famine “for hearing the words of the Lord.”

These texts anticipate Paul’s concern: the masses prefer self-affirming messages even amid spiritual famine.

Theological Significance

1. Authority of Scripture: The verb highlights the sufficiency of God’s Word versus the insufficiency of human-generated substitutes.
2. Doctrine and Desire: It exposes the heart’s role in theology; teachers are multiplied not by intellectual inquiry alone but by desires that resist rebuke or correction.
3. Eschatological Alert: The phrase “the time will come” frames the phenomenon within the last-days pattern of apostasy (cf. 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Historical Background

Early church history bears out Paul’s prophecy. Gnostic, Judaizing, and later Arian teachers spread rapidly, appealing to felt needs and cultural trends. Quantitative growth of such voices never produced unity or maturity, validating Paul’s concern that mere accumulation cannot replace revealed truth.

Ministry Implications

• Discernment: Leaders must evaluate teaching by its conformity to Scripture, not popularity.
• Expositional Fidelity: The antidote to heaping error is consistent proclamation of the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
• Pastoral Courage: Like Timothy, modern shepherds face pressure to diversify messages to satisfy consumer appetites; the call remains to preach the Word.

Contemporary Application

Digital platforms allow unprecedented access to “teachers.” Believers may subconsciously reenact 2 Timothy 4:3 by curating echo chambers that soothe rather than sanctify. Practically, Christians should:

1. Test every message against Scripture (1 John 4:1).
2. Prioritize local church preaching shaped by biblical exposition.
3. Cultivate appetites for sound doctrine through prayer and obedience.

Related New Testament Themes

• “Itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3) parallels the desire for “new things” in Acts 17:21.
• “Every wind of doctrine” in Ephesians 4:14 describes instability produced when believers chase multiplied voices.
• The Bereans (Acts 17:11) model the corrective: searching Scriptures daily to verify teaching.

Further Study References

Jeremiah 23; Matthew 24:11; 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 3-4.

Forms and Transliterations
επισωρεύσουσι επισωρευσουσιν ἐπισωρεύσουσιν episoreusousin episoreúsousin episōreusousin episōreúsousin
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Timothy 4:3 V-FIA-3P
GRK: ἐπιθυμίας ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισωρεύσουσιν διδασκάλους κνηθόμενοι
NAS: tickled, they will accumulate for themselves
KJV: lusts shall they heap to themselves
INT: desires to themselves will heap up teachers having an itching

Strong's Greek 2002
1 Occurrence


ἐπισωρεύσουσιν — 1 Occ.

2001
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