—REVIEW—
It is most important to keep in mind that the disfellowshipping offenses that Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians chapters 5 and 6 are expressed as substantives and not as verbs. Verbs show what people do while nouns show what people are. This means that Christians should not be disfellowshipped because of their actions but because of their personality.
Being a harpax (“an extortioner, robber”) means that a person is permeated by the desire of extorting or robbing the property of others — this is his personality. A person who is permeated by this desire and effectuates it deserves to be disfellowshipped from the congregation.
Paul discusses disfellowshipping offenses in 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10:
9 What! Do YOU not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men, 10 nor thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit God’s kingdom.
We note that the disfellowshipping offenses are nouns and not verbs. Verbs show what persons do while nouns show what people are. All the disfellowshipping offenses are agent nouns (nomen agentis), and Victionary defines “agent noun” in the following way:
(grammar) A noun that denotes an agent (human or nonhuman) that performs the action denoted by the verb from which the noun is derived, such as “rider” derived from “to ride, or “cutter” derived from “to cut”.
Some agent nouns are: “creator, counselor, dancer, gambler, jailer, preacher, swindler, teacher, editor,” and these show the occupation or the characteristics of the persons. Greek agent nouns are alieus (“fisherman”) that comes from the verb alieuō (“to fish”) and hiereus (“priest”) that comes from the verb hierateuō (“to serve as a priest”).
In order to illustrate the meaning of the agent nouns that are disfellowshipping offenses, I use pornē which is the feminine form of pornos. All the Greek-English lexicons show that this word refers to a prostitute, a woman who has unlawful sexual intercourse as her occupation. This is confirmed in 1. Corinthians 6:15, where NWT13 translates pornē as “prostitute.” In a similar way, a pornos is not a man who has unlawful sexual intercourse one, two, or five times. But a pornos is a person whose life is centered around having unlawful sexual intercourse, a person who is permeated by these actions.
A kleptēs is not a person who has been stealing one, two, or five times. But John 12:6 says that Judas was a thief because “he used to steal money put in it [the contribution box].” A methysos is not a person who has been drunk one, two, or five times, but a methysos is a person who practices drunkenness, a drunkard.
THE MEANING OF THE GREEK ADJECTIVE HARPAX
An adjective determines a substantive and shows its characteristics, such as “a beautiful girl” and “an old house.” When an adjective stands alone, often it is substantivized, which means that it functions as a substantive. For example, the word “elder” is the comparative form of the adjective “old.” So, the adjective “old” in this comparative form functions as a substantive, it is substantivized.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 there are nine substantives that are nomen agentis, which refers to the occupation or characteristics of persons (expressed in NWT84 as fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, men kept for unnatural purposes, men who lie with men, thieves, greedy persons, drunkards, and revilers). In addition to these nine substantives, Paul used the adjective harpax (“extortioner, robber”). It does not determine any substantive, and therefore, it is substantivized, it functions as a substantive, showing the occupation or the characteristics of those to which it refers.
THE USE OF HARPAX AND COGNATE WORDS IS THE SEPTUAGINT
The verb harpazō occurs 36 times in the Septuagint, ant it has the meaning “to seize, as a wild beast, take away by force, snatch away,” (Mounce) And the noun harpagma has the meaning “stolen goods, prey, spoil” (Accordance Lexicon). I quote Deuteronomy 28:31 (above) and Ezekiel 18:18 (below):
31 Your bull slaughtered there before your eyes—but you will not eat any of it. Your ass taken in robbery (harpazō) from before your face—but it will not return to you. Your sheep given to your enemies—but you will have no savior.
18 As for his father, because he committed outright defrauding, wrested something away in robbery (harpazō, harpagma) of a brother, and whatever is not good he has done in the midst of his peoples, look! then he must die for his error.
The passive participle of harpazō in Deuteronomy 28:31 has the meaning “robbery.” Ezekiel 18:18 both has the verb harpazō and the noun harpagma, and the meaning is by defrauding to catch spoil by the use of force.
The adjective harpax is found one time in the Septuagint, in Genesis 49:27, and its meaning is “ravenous, ravening, as a wild beast; met. rapacious, given to extortion and robbery, an extortioner”:
27 “Benjamin will keep on tearing (harpax) like a wolf. In the morning he will eat the animal seized and at evening he will divide spoil.”
In this passage, the adjective harpax modifies the substantive “wolf”: literally “a ravenous wolf, a wolf looking for prey.”
| The word group harpazō, harpagma, and harpax has the meaning “to look for prey; to take something by force; to rob someone or something. |
THE USE OF HARPAX AND HARPAZŌ IN THE CHRISTIAN GREEK SCRIPTURES
The verb harpazō occurs 14 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and I quote Matthew 12:29:
29 Or how can anyone invade the house of a strong man and seize his movable goods, unless first he binds the strong man? And then he will plunder (harpazō) his house.
Apart from 1 Corinthians 5:10 and 6:10, the adjective harpax occurs two times in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and I quote Matthew 7:15 and Luke 18:11:
15 “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to YOU in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous (harpax) wolves.
11 The Pharisee stood and began to pray these things to himself, ‘O God, I thank you I am not as the rest of men, extortioners (harpax), unrighteous, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
In Matthew 7:15, harpax functions as an adjective and modifies “wolves.” This is exactly the same words that we find in Genesis 49:27 in the Septuagint, as I have quoted above. In Luke 11, harpax stands alone, and the adjective is substantivized, as it is in 1 Corinthians 5:10 and 6:10.
In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the verb harpazō has the meaning “to plunder,” and the substantivized adjective harpax has the meaning “extortioner, reviler, plunderer.”
The adjective rapacious in Mounce’s definition has the meaning “living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey.[1] This is the literal meaning of the adjective harpax, and in connection with humans, it can be used in the sense of “being given to extortion and robbery.” The marginal explanation in the NWT13 Reference Bible to 1 Corinthians 6:10 is excellent:
Extortioners: Or “swindlers; robbers.” Extortion is the act or practice of improperly taking or obtaining anything from a person by use of fear, whether by force, threats, or any other undue exercise of power. The basic sense of the Greek word for “extortioner” (har’pax) is “snatcher.” (Kingdom Interlinear), the same Greek word is rendered “ravenous.” Paul said that some of the Christians in Corinth had formerly done such things but were now washed clean.—1 Co 6:11; compare study note on Lu 18:11.
| Being a harpax (an extortioner, reviler, plunderer) means that a person is permeated by using force against others in order to take their property from them and give it to himself. |
[1]. https://mnemonicdictionary.com/word/rapacious.
THE APPLICATION OF THE ADJECTIVE HARPAX TO DISFELLOWSHIPPING OFFENSES
The book for elders “Shepherd The Flock Of God” 12, point 31, says regarding greed, gambling, and extortion:
- Greed, Gambling, Extortion: (1 Cor. 5:10, 11; 6:10; , 21; 1 Tim. 3:8; it-1 pp. 789, 1005-1006) Elders do not generally involve themselves in what an individual does with regard to petty gambling solely for entertainment. However, if such petty gambling affects his spirituality or becomes a cause of stumbling for others, counsel should be given. If he does not respond favorably to the counsel and his conduct continues to have a negative effect on him or others, he could not be viewed as exemplary in the congregation. (Isa 65:11; w11 3/1 pp. 12-14; w02 11/1 p. 31; g 3/15 pp. 14-15) If an individual’s gambling reveals a course of greediness, perhaps causing harm to himself or others, and he ignores repeated counsel, judicial action would be appropriate.
- A Christian who greedily and unrepentantly extorts a high bride prize may be dealt with judicially–1 Cor. 5:11, 13; 6:9, 10; Heb. 13:5; w98 9/15 pp 24-25.
Putting the three words “greed, gambling, and extortion” together is rather strange. Particularly, “extortion” has nothing to do with “gambling.” The reason for putting the words together may be that at one time gambling was defined by the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses as “extortion,” but today gambling are be connected with greed according to the members of the Governing Body. As I previously have shown, a word for “greed” (“an insatiable desire for more”) neither is found in the Hebrew Scriptures nor in the Christian Greek Scriptures, and as mentioned, “extortion” has no relationship to gambling at all. I will give a review of the situation.
THE APPLICATION OF HARPAX TO GAMBLING HAS CHANGED
The first time, of which I am aware, that gambling was classified as extortion was in the book Questions in Connection with the Service of the Kingdom (1961), page 60. It was written for judicial committees and traveling representatives.
Selling lottery tickets or having a gambling enterprise for betting in connection with money is a form of extortion.
The Watchtower of October 15, 1970, page 614, says directly that gambling is extortion:
Once again, that liberating force is the Word of God at work in the individual. The truth is that gambling is extortion, has its roots in greed and laziness, and is demoralizing, often leading to other wrongs. Knowing that all these are things condemned by God, the person wanting His approval has no difficulty in deciding to rid himself of such an undesirable habit.—1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Prov. 21:25.
Several brothers, including myself, had problems with the definition of gambling as extortion, and in 1972 there was a change in viewpoint. Now, gambling was viewed as greediness, as we see in The Watchtower of October 1, 1972, page 592:
9 Gambling is not mentioned specifically in the Bible. What, then, should be the Christian’s attitude toward it?
10 Some might link it to extortion, mentioned at 1 Corinthians 6:10. However, the objection may be raised that “to extort” (a word having the same source as the word “torture”) carries the basic idea of using force, threats or other pressure (as by the abuse of official authority) to obtain something from an unwilling person. While individuals who lose money in gambling are not pleased to lose it, they generally gamble willingly and with full recognition that they run the risk of losing money. So, then, if gambling is not extortion, on what basis would the Christian refuse to approve it?
11 There is more than one Scriptural reason for doing so. Gambling certainly merits being classified as a form of “greediness,” and greediness and covetousness are classed along with idolatry in God’s Word.(1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Col. 3:5)
The view of gambling has changed several times over the years:
Gambling certainly merits being classified as a form of “greediness”[1]
“Gambling in any form appeals to one of the worst qualities in humans—greed.”[2]
“Elders do not generally involve themselves in what an individual does with regard to petty gambling solely for entertainment.”[3]
If an individual’s gambling reveals a course of greediness, perhaps causing harm to himself or others, and he ignores repeated counsel, judicial action would be appropriate.[4]
We see that in 1972, The Watchtower said that gambling is a form of greediness, and in 1980 The Watchtower said that any form of gambling leads to greed. But the Shepherd book of 2019 says that petty gambling for entertainment is not wrong, but in some instances, gambling can reveal greediness. In that case judicial action must be taken.
My web article “The 11 disfellowshipping offenses 1: Not ‘greed’ but ‘explotation’ (pleonexia)” in the category “The eleven disfellowshipping offenses” shows that greed (pleonexia) is not a disfellowshipping offense. But pleonektēs in 1 Corinthians 6:10, that NWT13 translates as “greedy person,” is a disfellowshipping offense. The definition of pleonektēs is “a person who is permeated by the seeking or pursuit of dishonest gain by exploiting and cheating others, an incorrigible pursuer of dishonest gain.” This shows that the translation of pleonektēs should be “exploiter” rather than “greedy person.” Such persons deserve to be disfellowshipped.
THE APPLICATION OF HARPAX TO A HIGH PRIDE PRICE
The only article I have found in Watchtower literature qualifying an action as extortion is taking too high a bride price. The Watchtower of October 15, 1970, page 614, says:
So there is nothing improper in giving a bride price to the father for the loss of his daughter whom he reared and educated. What is wrong about a bride price or lobola is the abuse that is made of it. It is wrong, unchristian, untheocratic, to treat it, not as a compensation, but as a means of making money off one’s own child or children, and then charge excessively or extort more than what is right or require what works a hardship.
12 God hates all extortioners, including bride-price extortioners, who commercialize their own daughters. Any such greedy person that claims to be a Christian puts himself in the way of excommunication or disfellowshiping from the Christian congregation any and every time that he commits extortion in the case of lobola or bride price. Paul said: “Now I am writing you to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. . . . ‘Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.’” (1 Cor. 5:11, 13, NW) The extortioner’s price is unreasonably high, inconsiderate of the circumstances and calls for more than a fair compensation for the loss of a daughter. The man’s greed for money will especially be shown up when his high price makes it impossible for a Christian to procure his daughter and he will hold out for his excessive price and marry her off to a pagan who can afford it. It displays a lack of love of the brothers, but an injurious love of money.—1 Tim. 6:10.
The whole issue is discussed in detail in my web article “A High Bride Price” in the category “Different actions.” The conclusion of this article is that a high bride price can hardly be classified as extortion. To drive home the point, I will apply to the situation of a high bride price, and the reasoning behind the change from viewing gambling as extortion to viewing it as greed, as quoted above.
10 Some might link it [gambling] to extortion, mentioned at 1 Corinthians 6:10. However, the objection may be raised that “to extort” (a word having the same source as the word “torture”) carries the basic idea of using force, threats or other pressure (as by the abuse of official authority) to obtain something from an unwilling person. While individuals who lose money in gambling are not pleased to lose it, they generally gamble willingly and with full recognition that they run the risk of losing money. So, then, if gambling is not extortion, on what basis would the Christian refuse to approve it?
The reason why the Governing Body stopped classifying gambling as extortion was that it realized that gambling did not include “using force, threats, or other pressure…to obtain something from an unwilling person”—the very definition of “extortion”. But cannot the same reasoning be applied to a high bride price? Absolutely! There is no use of force, or threats, or other pressure in connection with a high bride price, and there is no “unwilling person,” and so neither can a high bride price be classified as extortion.
If the price really is “too high,” something which is difficult to say with certainty, it can, at most, be considered an expression of covetousness. Because greed is defined as “an insatiable desire for more,” it cannot be applied to a high bride price. This means that the Governing Body admits to wrongly classifying gambling as “extortion” at one time, but has yet to recognize that it is making the same mistake all over again in connection with classifying too high a bride price as “extortion”.
The discussion above shows that there are no particular actions typical of a Witnesses that can rightly be classified as “extortion.” But such actions can, of course, occur. If, for example, if a Witness is practicing robbery, this is harpax and can lead to disfellowshipping.
The action of extortion can be difficult to detect. For example, accusations of extortion can occur between business associates and other contacts. But because the elders are not educated in the handling of judicial cases, I would say that only when it is crystal clear that extortion has been practiced, should the elders take judicial action.
And as in the case with the other disfellowshipping offenses mentioned in 1 Corinthians chapters 5 and 6, one or even a few occurrences of extortion would not in itself warrant disfellowshipping.
| Only when a person is permeated by extortion, i.e., he has not just committed acts of extortion, but has become an incorrigible “extortioner,” can he or she rightly be thrown out of the congregation. |
CONCLUSION
The Greek word translated as “extortioner,” (harpax) has the basic meaning of “living by preying on other animals, especially by catching living prey.” Applied to humans, the word means “extortioner, reviler, plunderer.”
Gambling was earlier classified by the Governing Body as “extortion”. But this definition was changed to “greed”. Therefore, the only action that is now classified as extortion in the Shepherd book is demanding too high a bride price. But exacting too high a bride price is clearly not extortion, but it could, in certain situations, be an expression of covetousness. However, “covetousness” is not a disfellowshipping offense.
Because extortion is difficult to prove, and because the elders have not been adequately educated in handling judicial cases, extreme caution should be taken in connection with claims of extortion, reviling, or plundering by a member of the congregation.
For a thorough discussion of the difference between the actions of a person and the characteristics of the person, between what a person does and what he is, see the article “The nature of the disfellowshipping offenses in 1 Corinthians chapters 5 and 6.”
[1]. The Watchtower of October 1, 1972, page 592.
[2]. The Watchtower of December 15, 1980, page 29.
[3]. “Shepherd The Flock Of God” chapter 12, point 31.
[4]. Ibid.
