Lexical Summary metatithemi: To transfer, change, remove, or translate. Original Word: μετατίθημι Strong's Exhaustive Concordance carry over, change, translateFrom meta and tithemi; to transfer, i.e. (literally) transport, (by implication) exchange, (reflexively) change sides, or (figuratively) pervert -- carry over, change, remove, translate, turn. see GREEK meta see GREEK tithemi Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3346: μετατίθημιμετατίθημι; 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, Acts 7:16; without mention of the place, it being well known to the readers, Hebrews 11:5 (Genesis 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, Jude 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, Galatians 1:6 (cf. 2 Macc. 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: James 4:9 WH text. From Homer down; but seems not to have been used in Attic (Liddell and Scott). Strong’s 3346 describes an action of shifting something from one place, position, or condition to another. In Scripture this movement may be physical (relocating bodies), spiritual (translating a living man to heaven), legal-covenantal (changing priesthood), or doctrinal (turning truth into error). Each use carries the sense that what once stood in one sphere has been set in another, with lasting consequences for God’s people. Change of Covenant Administration (Hebrews 7:12) “When the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed as well.” The Epistle to the Hebrews employs the term for the monumental transition from the Aaronic order to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. The Levitical system, bound to earthly lineage and sacrifice, is permanently moved aside for the once-for-all, heavenly ministry of the Son. This single verse ties the whole structure of Mosaic worship to the unalterable appointment of Christ, assuring believers that every ceremonial shadow has now reached its substance. Translation Without Death (Hebrews 11:5) “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death… he was commended as one who pleased God.” The Spirit highlights Enoch as a testimony that life may be lifted into the Lord’s presence intact. His removal anticipates the hope of resurrection and the promised transformation of living saints at Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The term underscores that God’s saving power is not confined to the grave; He can transfer His own at will. Transfer of the Patriarchs’ Remains (Acts 7:16) “After this, their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb…” Stephen recalls how Joseph’s bones, along with those of his brothers, were carried from Egypt to Canaan. Israel’s history is marked by this symbolic relocation—God’s oath to Abraham to grant the land is honored even in burial. The movement of the bodies foreshadows the ultimate gathering of God’s people into their promised inheritance. Defection from the Gospel (Galatians 1:6) “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” Here the verb pictures believers abandoning their rightful position in grace for legalistic distortions. Paul frames doctrinal drift as an unlawful transfer: to step away from Christ’s sufficiency is to move into bondage. The warning remains urgent for every generation—any alteration of the apostolic message is a betrayal of the Caller Himself. Secret Intruders and Moral License (Jude 1:4) “For certain men have crept in… ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Jude exposes false teachers who shift the meaning of grace from freedom to sin into license to sin. The word conveys deliberate corruption: truth is taken from its rightful place and twisted for self-indulgence. Such alteration is not merely error but rebellion against the lordship of Christ. Thematic Threads 1. Covenant: God alone authorizes any legitimate shift; His redemptive plan moves from shadow to reality, never backwards. Ministry Implications • Preaching must emphasize the once-for-all sufficiency of Christ’s priesthood; no return to ritual can supplement His work. Devotional Application Believers are called to welcome only the divine transitions ordained in Scripture—conversion, sanctification, future glorification—while resisting every counterfeit shift engineered by human pride or cultural pressure. Holding fast to Christ, we await the final, glorious μετατίθημι when our lowly bodies “will be like His glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). Englishman's Concordance Acts 7:16 V-AIP-3PGRK: καὶ μετετέθησαν εἰς Συχὲμ NAS: [From there] they were removed to Shechem KJV: And were carried over into Sychem, INT: and were carried over to Shechem Galatians 1:6 V-PIM/P-2P Hebrews 7:12 V-PPM/P-GFS Hebrews 11:5 V-AIP-3S Hebrews 11:5 V-AIA-3S Jude 1:4 V-PPA-NMP Strong's Greek 3346 |
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