“These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.”
My Notes
What Does Jude 1:16 Mean?
Jude describes false teachers with a catalog of character defects: these are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
Murmurers (goggustes — grumblers, those who mutter complaints in a low voice) — the word echoes Israel's murmuring in the wilderness (Exodus 16:7, Numbers 14:27). The false teachers replicate the wilderness generation's signature sin: complaining against God's appointed order while appearing spiritual. The murmuring is quiet but corrosive — whispered dissatisfaction that poisons the community.
Complaners (mempsimoiroi — fault-finders with their lot, people dissatisfied with their portion) — the word appears only here in the New Testament. It describes people perpetually unhappy with what they have been given — their station, their circumstances, God's arrangement of their lives. The complaint is against divine providence itself: God has not given me enough.
Walking after their own lusts (epithumia) — the desires drive the walk. Their own lusts — not God's will, not the Spirit's leading, not the community's good. Their own desires set the agenda. The self-centeredness is the engine: everything they do serves what they want.
Their mouth speaketh great swelling words (huperogka — inflated, pompous, bombastic) — the speech is impressive-sounding but empty. Great swelling words are designed to impress, to create an aura of authority, to overwhelm the listener with verbal magnitude. The words are large. The substance is small.
Having men's persons in admiration because of advantage (thaumazo prosopa opheleia charin) — they flatter the powerful. Having persons in admiration means showing favoritism — treating certain people with exaggerated respect. Because of advantage — the flattery is strategic. They admire the faces (personas) of people who can benefit them. The respect is not genuine. It is calculated — designed to extract something from the person being flattered.
The profile is complete: grumbling, complaining, self-serving, pompous, and strategically flattering. The false teacher grumbles about God's arrangements, complains about their portion, follows their own desires, impresses with inflated speech, and flatters whoever can advance their position.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How do murmuring and complaining together describe the corrosive effect of quiet dissatisfaction in a community?
- 2.What does 'walking after their own lusts' reveal as the engine behind the other character defects?
- 3.How does 'great swelling words' describe speech that impresses without substance — and where do you see this?
- 4.What does flattering people 'because of advantage' look like — and how do you distinguish genuine respect from strategic manipulation?
Devotional
These are murmurers, complainers. Grumblers — the low-volume, constant hum of dissatisfaction. Not loud rebellion. Quiet corrosion. The murmur that poisons the well without anyone noticing where the poison came from. And complainers — people perpetually dissatisfied with what God has given them. Their lot is never enough. Their portion is always wrong. Their complaint is ultimately against God's arrangement of reality.
Walking after their own lusts. Their desires drive everything. Not God's will. Not the community's good. Their own lusts — the appetites that dictate where they go, what they pursue, and who they use to get there. The self is the center. Everything else — God, the church, other people — orbits around what they want.
Their mouth speaketh great swelling words. The speech is impressive. Pompous. The kind of language that fills a room and creates an aura of authority. But the words are inflated — large in volume, small in substance. The mouth impresses while the life contradicts. The swelling words are designed to distract from the walking after lusts.
Having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. They flatter strategically. The powerful get admired — not because they deserve it but because they are useful. The false teacher reads the room and identifies who can help them, then directs exaggerated respect toward that person. The admiration is not genuine. It is investment — strategic flattery designed to produce personal advantage.
Jude's catalog is a warning system: when you see grumbling, complaining, self-serving behavior, pompous speech, and strategic flattery operating together in one person — you are looking at the profile Jude describes. The individual traits are common. The combination is diagnostic. And the person displaying them is dangerous to the community they inhabit.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
These are murmurers,.... That is, at others; secretly, inwardly, in a muttering way, grunting out their murmurs like…
These are murmurers - The word here used does not elsewhere occur, though the word “murmur” is frequent, Mat 20:11; Luk…
These are murmurers - Grudging and grumbling at all men, and at all things; complainers, μεμψιμοιροι, complainers of…
Here, I. The apostle enlarges further on the character of these evil men and seducers: they are murmurers, complainers,…
These are murmurers, complainers The first noun is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, but the use of cognate…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture