What does κερματιστής (kermatistḗs) mean in the Bible?
κερματιστής names a moneychanger. In John 2:14 the moneychangers are seated in the temple scene Jesus confronts.
Greek · G2773
κερματιστής
Moneychanger
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κερματιστής G2773
Pronunciation kermatistḗs
What does κερματιστής (kermatistḗs) mean in the Bible?
κερματιστής names a moneychanger. In John 2:14 the moneychangers are seated in the temple scene Jesus confronts.
Reader summary
Full entry for κερματιστής (G2773) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2773?
The BSB source-word alignment has 1 aligned row for this entry. Common renderings include money changers (1).
Where does κερματιστής (kermatistḗs) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at John 2:14. Its strongest book concentrations include John (1).
What This Word Actually Means
κερματιστής names a moneychanger. In John 2:14 the moneychangers are seated in the temple scene Jesus confronts. The word should be handled as a setting term, not as a standalone accusation against every exchange of money. John uses it to identify the commercial apparatus present in the temple courts.
The pastoral value is worship tested by what occupies the holy space. Moneychangers in the scene help the reader see that the issue is not only private attitude but public practice. Jesus' action exposes a temple space crowded by transactions. The word should be interpreted under Jesus' stated concern for His Father's house, not isolated into a broad economic slogan.
How the Bible Uses It
G2773 occurs only in John 2:14, identifying the money changers whom Jesus finds seated in the temple courts alongside sellers of animals.
- John.2.14
In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables.
The noun identifies one group present in the temple courts before Jesus drives out the animals and overturns the changers' tables.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It money changers 1× John 2:14
Show sample aligned rows
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row John 2:14
Aligned rows 1
Books represented 1
John 1
Source forms
κερματιστὰς 1x kermatistas John 2:14
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural 1x John 2:14
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Keep the word anchored in John 2:14 and the immediate Gospel of John scene.
- Use the lexical observation to serve the passage, not to replace the passage.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not use the word as a blanket condemnation of all money exchange.
- Do not ignore Jesus' own stated concern for His Father's house.
Passage contextPastoral applicationlexical
Evidence Summary
Greek word. moneychanger
Strong's G2773
Lexical occurrences 1 verse Greek text appearances 1 time Word forms 1 form 1 reference Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
moneychanger
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
(κερματίζω, to cut small, coin into small money), a money changer: Jhn.2:14.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
1 Greek text appearance shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
John 2:14 Noun Accusative Plural Masculine
κερματιστὰς kermatistav
a money-changer
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 1 Case pattern Accusative (1) Number pattern Plural (1)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Accusative · Plural · Masculine John 2:14 1×
Word Origins
κερματιστής is built from this root:
κέρμα G2772
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
G2773 supplies one concrete role within John 2:14. The money changers are seated in the temple courts alongside those selling animals, and Jesus's following action addresses the whole scene under His concern for His Father's house. The noun helps a teacher resist vague spiritualization because real people, tables, coins, animals, and commercial activity occupy the narrated space.
Yet the one lexical item does not explain every historical practice or pronounce every financial exchange corrupt. Application should proceed from Jesus's words and the Gospel's temple context, not from the modern emotional force of money changer. The teaching task is to identify the role accurately, observe its place in the passage, and let the passage judge practices that displace worship.
Anchor passage
John.2.14
Doctrinal connections
- John.2.14 - The sole occurrence names money changers seated in the temple courts with animal sellers.
- John.2.15 - Jesus pours out the coins, overturns the tables, and drives the animals from the courts.
- John.2.16 - Jesus states the governing concern: His Father's house must not be turned into a house of trade.
- John.2.19-22 - The surrounding sign and temple saying are interpreted through Jesus's body and resurrection.
The only governed form, κερματιστὰς, is an accusative masculine plural noun. It identifies money changers as the people Jesus found seated; the grammar provides a role label, not a complete moral or economic theory.
From Old to New Testament
John's temple scene should be read with Jesus's stated concern for His Father's house and the Gospel's own interpretation of His temple saying. Broader prophetic connections may illuminate the passage, but G2773 itself only names the money changers in John 2:14.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain