Lexicon eritheia: rivalry, hence ambition Original Word: ἐριθεία, ας, ἡPart of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: eritheia Phonetic Spelling: (er-ith-i'-ah) Short Definition: ambition, rivalry Definition: (the seeking of followers and adherents by means of gifts, the seeking of followers, hence) ambition, rivalry, self-seeking; a feud, faction. HELPS word-Studies 2052 eritheía (from eritheuō, "work for hire") – properly, work done merely for hire (as a mercenary), referring therefore to carnal ambition (selfish rivalry). Ancient Greek uses 2052 /eritheía ("mercenary self-seeking") of acting for one's own gain, regardless of the discord (strife) it causes.  2052 /eritheía ("selfish ambition") places self-interest ahead of what the Lord declares right, or what is good for others. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom erithos (day-laborer) Definitionrivalry, hence ambition NASB Translationdisputes (2), selfish ambition (3), selfishly ambitious (1), selfishness (1). 
 Thayer's STRONGS NT 2052: ἐριθείαἐριθεία (not  ἐριθεία, cf.  Winers Grammar, § 6, 1 g.; ( Chandler § 99)) ( ἐριθια WH; see Iota and  Tdf. Proleg., p. 88),  ἐριθείας,  ἡ ( ἐριθεύω to spin wool, work in wool,  Heliodorus 1, 5; middle in the same sense, Tobit 2:11; used of those who electioneer for office, courting popular applause by trickery and low arts,  Aristotle, polit. 5, 3; the verb is derived from  ἔριθος working for hire, a hireling; from the Maced. age down, a spinner or weaver, a worker in wool,  Isaiah 38:12 the  Sept.; a mean, sordid fellow),  electioneering or intriguing for office, Aristotle, pol. 5, 2 and 3 (pp. 1302b, 4 and 1303a, 14); hence, apparently, in the N. T. "a courting distinction, a desire to put oneself forward, a partisan and factious spirit which does not disdain low arts; partisanship, factiousness":  James 3:14, 16;  κατ' ἐριθείαν,  Philippians 2:3;  Ignatius ad Philadelph. § 8 [ET];  οἱ ἐξ ἐριθείας (see   ἐκ, II. 7),  Philippians 1:16 ( ) (yet see  ἐκ, II. 12 b.); equivalent to contending against God, Romans 2:8 (yet cf. Meyer (edited by Weiss) at the passage); in the plural αἱ ἐριθείαι (Winers Grammar, § 27, 3; Buttmann, § 123, 2): 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20. See the very full and learned discussion of the word by Fritzsche in his Commentary on Romans, i., p. 143f; (of which a summary is given by Ellicott on Galatians 5:20. See further on its derivation, Lobeck, Path. Proleg., p. 365; cf. Winer's Grammar, 94 (89)).   
 
 
 
 Strong's contention, strife.  Perhaps as the same as erethizo; properly, intrigue, i.e. (by implication) faction -- contention(-ious), strife.  see GREEK erethizo   |