Destructive Pride Exposed: φιλονεικία (Strong’s G5379: philoneikia) Reveals Heart’s Strife

Strong’s G5379: From φίλος (loving) and νεῖκος (strife), φιλονεικία describes a contentious spirit and love of disputes. Most notably used in Luke 22:24 to describe the disciples’ argument about greatness, highlighting human pride’s destructive nature in contrast to Christ’s humble servant leadership.

U- Unveiling the Word

φιλονεικία embodies a deeply problematic aspect of human nature – the love of strife and contention. This compound word combines φίλος (love) with νεῖκος (strife), painting a vivid picture of someone who actually derives satisfaction from disputes and arguments. In its New Testament context, particularly in Luke 22:24, it describes the disciples’ competitive arguing about who would be greatest, highlighting how even those closest to Jesus struggled with pride and ambition. The early church fathers frequently warned against this spirit, seeing it as antithetical to Christian unity. Today, this word serves as a powerful reminder of how pride and competitiveness can damage Christian community and witness.

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N – Necessary Information

• Greek Word: φιλονεικία, philoneikia, (fil-on-i-kee’-ah)
• Detailed pronunciation: fee-lo-nay-KEE-ah (stress on third syllable)
• Part of Speech: Noun (feminine)

Etymology:

• φίλος (philos) – loving, fond of
• νεῖκος (neikos) – strife, quarrel
• -ία (-ia) – feminine abstract noun ending

D – Defining Meanings

• Love of strife
• Contentiousness
• Eagerness to dispute

For compound words:
φίλος (philos) indicates an affinity or love for
νεῖκος (neikos) provides the object – strife/contention
-ία (-ia) forms an abstract noun describing the quality

Translation Options:

• Contentiousness – Captures the habitual nature of the behavior
• Love of dispute – Most literal translation of the compound
• Quarrelsome spirit – Conveys the internal disposition

E – Exploring Similar Words

• ἔρις (eris, er’-is) – strife, focusing on the action rather than the disposition. See G2054
• φιλόνεικος (philoneikos, fil-on’-i-kos) – quarrelsome, the adjectival form. See G5380
• μάχη (mache, makh’-ay) – fighting, emphasizing physical conflict. See G3163

R – Reviewing the Word’s Morphology

As a feminine noun:

• Case: Found in various cases (Nominative: φιλονεικία, Genitive: φιλονεικίας, Dative: φιλονεικίᾳ, Accusative: φιλονεικίαν)
• Number: Singular/Plural forms available
• Gender: Feminine
• Declension: First declension

The word follows standard patterns for feminine nouns ending in -ία. Unlike English “contentiousness” which doesn’t change form, Greek inflects the word based on its role in the sentence.

• Cross-references: φιλόνεικος (philoneikos) – adjective meaning “contentious”

S – Studying Lexicon Insights

The major lexicons provide deep insight into φιλονεικία. BDAG emphasizes its usage in contexts of ambitious rivalry rather than mere disagreement. Thayer’s highlights the word’s connection to pride and self-assertion. LSJ documents its evolution in classical Greek from meaning simple rivalry to destructive contentiousness. Vine’s notes its usage in describing factious disputes within communities. Moulton and Milligan observe its frequent appearance in legal papyri describing disputatious behavior. Strong’s emphasizes the compound nature of the word, while LEH notes its particular usage in describing institutional conflicts.

T – Tracing the Scriptures

First appearance:
“A [φιλονεικία] dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.” (Luke 22:24)

Additional References:
This is the only occurrence in the New Testament.

A – Analyzing Classical Usage

N – Noteworthy Summary

φιλονεικία serves as a powerful warning against the natural human tendency toward pride and competition in spiritual matters. The fact that it appears in the context of the Last Supper, when the disciples argued about greatness while Jesus prepared to demonstrate the ultimate act of servant leadership, makes it particularly poignant. The good news of King Jesus shows us a better way – one of humble service and self-sacrifice rather than self-promotion and strife. His example calls us to lay aside our love of contention and embrace His pattern of servant leadership.

D – Did You Know?

1. The word was commonly used in Greek athletic contexts to describe unhealthy competitive spirit
2. Early church councils used this term to describe destructive factionalism
3. Ancient Greek medical writers used it to describe psychological conditions of chronic disputatiousness

Strong’s G5379: From φίλος (loving) and νεῖκος (strife), φιλονεικία describes a contentious spirit and love of disputes. Most notably used in Luke 22:24 to describe the disciples’ argument about greatness, highlighting human pride’s destructive nature in contrast to Christ’s humble servant leadership.

Part of speech: Noun (feminine)

Tags: strife, contention, pride, disputes, church-conflict, discipleship, leadership, humility, human-nature, spiritual-growth​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​