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πωλέω

pōléō

G4453 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

to sell, to exchange or transfer possession of goods or property for payment; primary sense is to engage in exchange or sale, including the act of disposing of property in return for money or equivalent value. In more specific contexts, can denote wholesale or retail selling, or even metaphorically the act of betraying for a price.

Semantic Range

to sell goods, to sell property, to barter, to dispose of by sale, to betray for a price, to be sold (passive sense)

Root / Etymology

Root/present stem πωλ-; the etymology is uncertain, possibly related to πελάω (to approach, frequent), but no widely accepted pre-Greek or Indo-European root has been established.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, πωλέω primarily meant 'to sell' and was the standard commercial term contrasting with ἀγοράζω ('to buy'). In the Hellenistic and Koine periods, πωλέω continued to denote any act of selling, whether by barter or monetary exchange. In the Septuagint and New Testament, πωλέω most often refers to ordinary commercial transactions, such as selling possessions, land, or goods (e.g., Matthew 13:46; Acts 4:34). In some passages (e.g., Matthew 26:15), it is used metaphorically to describe betrayal for money. Unlike trade vocabulary that emphasizes the act of doing business (ἐμπορεύομαι), πωλέω is more restricted to the act of actual sale or disposal. English translations generally capture the commercial sense with 'sell,' but may fail to register the nuance of occasional pejorative or metaphorical use in Greek. The passive or perfect participial forms (πεπραμένος, 'having been sold') often carry a sense of alienation or loss (e.g., 'sold under sin' in Romans 7:14). No theological connotation is inherent in the term itself; such meaning, when present, arises solely from context.

Translation Consistency

primary "sell" 17 occurrences

Primary, natural English equivalent for πωλέω across its usual senses (to sell goods/property, to barter, to dispose by sale, and figuratively to betray for a price). It matches the majority of existing renderings and cleanly supports passive and inflected forms (sold, sells, selling) for consistent use.

Alternatives (5 occurrences):
"sold" (4x) "having sold" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably ultimately from (to be busy, to trade); to barter (as a pedlar), i.e. to sell:--sell, whatever is sold.

Root Family

πωλέω (pōleō) — to sell, to exchange, to dispose for payment

Root πωλ- to sell, to exchange, to dispose for payment

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4453-12 πωλοῦντας polountas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL selling selling (masc. acc. pl.) those selling 5
G4453-09 πώλησόν poleson V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG sell Sell! Sell! 3
G4453-14 πωλούντων polounton V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL selling of those selling of those selling 2
G4453-11 πωλοῦνται polountai V PRS PASS IND 3P PL sold are being sold are being sold 1
G4453-06 πωλήσας polesas V AOR ACT PTCP NOM M SG sold having sold having sold 1
G4453-02 ἐπώλουν epoloun V IMPF ACT IND 3P PL they were selling they were selling they were selling 1
G4453-01 ἐπώλησεν epolesen V AOR ACT IND 3P SG sold sold sold 1
G4453-10 πωλούμενον poloumenon V PRS PASS PTCP ACC N SG is sold being sold being sold 1
G4453-15 πωλοῦσιν polousin V PRS ACT PTCP DAT M PL were selling to those selling selling 1
G4453-03 πωλεῖ polei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG sells is selling sells 1

Occurrences in Scripture

22 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4453-04 Matthew 10:29 πωλεῖται poleitai V PRS PASS IND 3P SG sold is being sold is being sold
G4453-03 Matthew 13:44 πωλεῖ polei V PRS ACT IND 3P SG sells is selling sells
G4453-09 Matthew 19:21 πώλησόν poleson V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG sell Sell! Sell!
G4453-12 Matthew 21:12 πωλοῦντας polountas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL selling selling (masc. acc. pl.) those selling
G4453-14 Matthew 21:12 πωλούντων polounton V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL selling of those selling of those selling
G4453-12 Matthew 25:9 πωλοῦντας polountas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL selling selling (masc. acc. pl.) those selling
G4453-09 Mark 10:21 πώλησον poleson V AOR ACT IMP 2P SG sell Sell! Sell!
G4453-12 Mark 11:15 πωλοῦντας polountas V PRS ACT PTCP ACC M PL selling selling (masc. acc. pl.) those selling
G4453-14 Mark 11:15 πωλούντων polounton V PRS ACT PTCP GEN M PL selling of those selling of those selling
G4453-11 Luke 12:6 πωλοῦνται polountai V PRS PASS IND 3P PL sold are being sold are being sold
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