To transfigure or disguise; figuratively, to apply (by accommodation)
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G3345 is a verb whose force changes with its object and setting: Paul can use it for applying a pattern to named people, for assuming a misleading outward form, or for changing one bodily form into another. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, Paul says he has applied the preceding discussion to himself and Apollos so the church may learn not to become proud partisans.
Reader summary
Full entry for μετασχηματίζω (G3345) · Open the biblical lexicon
G3345 is a verb whose force changes with its object and setting: Paul can use it for applying a pattern to named people, for assuming a misleading outward form, or for changing one bodily form into another. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, Paul says he has applied the preceding discussion to himself and Apollos so the church may learn not to become proud partisans.
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include I have applied (1), masquerade (1), masquerades (1), masquerading (1), will transform (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 1 Corinthians 4:6. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (3), 1 Corinthians (1), Philippians (1).
G3345 is a verb whose force changes with its object and setting: Paul can use it for applying a pattern to named people, for assuming a misleading outward form, or for changing one bodily form into another. In 1 Corinthians 4:6, Paul says he has applied the preceding discussion to himself and Apollos so the church may learn not to become proud partisans. The verb describes a deliberate figurative transfer within his argument.
In 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, false apostles masquerade as Christ's apostles, Satan masquerades as an angel of light, and his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. There the altered appearance conceals a contrary reality. Philippians 3:21 uses the verb for Christ's future transformation of believers' lowly bodies to conform to His glorious body. The five occurrences therefore do not support a single slogan about personal transformation.
They call readers to distinguish rhetorical application, deceptive presentation, and Christ's promised bodily work from the immediate context.
The five-form witness moves from Paul's figurative application in 1 Corinthians, through a three-verse warning about deceptive appearances in 2 Corinthians, to Christ's future transformation of the believer's body in Philippians.
Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another.
The rhetorical application serves Paul's appeal against boasting in one teacher over another.
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
The participle names a misleading presentation whose appearance does not establish its truth.
Who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
This future bodily transformation is Christ's act and rests on His sovereign power.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Outward reshaping while retaining inner identity; often deceptive appearance masquerading as something else.
Outward reshaping while retaining inner identity; often deceptive appearance masquerading as something else.
to change in fashion or appearance: with accusative of thing(s), τ. σῶμα, Php.3:21; mid., before εἰς, 2Co.11:13-14; before ὡς, 2Co.11:15; of a rhetorical device, to transfer by a fiction (Field, Notes, in l), before εἰς, 1Co.4:6.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I change the outward appearance, transfigure, adapt
Read verseI change the outward appearance, transfigure, adapt
Read verseI change the outward appearance, transfigure, adapt
Read verseI change the outward appearance, transfigure, adapt
Read verseI change the outward appearance, transfigure, adapt
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.
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
μετασχηματίζω is built from these roots:
G3345 rewards a sermon that asks whether form reveals reality, illustrates reality, or hides it. Paul applies a figure to himself and Apollos so the Corinthians can recognize and abandon their pride. He then uses the same verb family to expose workers whose impressive appearance masks deceit, warning that the final measure is not presentation but deeds. Philippians places the positive promise elsewhere: believers do not manufacture the glorious body by managing an image.
Christ will transform the lowly body by His own ruling power. This range supports discernment without suspicion toward everyone, hope without self-help language, and humility without contempt for rhetoric. A teacher should name the governing subject and object every time before moving toward doctrine or application.
Phil.3.21
The governed witness has five G3345 forms and five parsing patterns. The middle or passive forms in 2 Corinthians describe assuming or presenting an outward form, while the active forms in 1 Corinthians and Philippians have different objects and outcomes. The English renderings applied, masquerading, and transform correctly signal that the verb's contextual range cannot be reduced to one English gloss.
First Samuel 16:7 warns that people look at outward appearance while the Lord looks at the heart. That is a canonical comparison, not a lexical predecessor. It helps frame Paul's warning in 2 Corinthians without turning discernment into appearance-based suspicion. Philippians 3 directs hope beyond appearances to Christ's promised bodily act at His return.
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Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain