Strong’s Greek 5246 conveys the idea of speech that is swollen beyond its proper limits—grandiose, pompous, showy. The emphasis lies not merely on extravagance but on emptiness: the words appear weighty yet are devoid of true spiritual substance. In both of its New Testament uses the term is tied to deception; it is speech designed to impress and seduce rather than to edify and sanctify.

Occurrences in Scripture

• 2 Peter 2:18 — “For they speak arrogant words of vanity and entice by fleshly desires …”.

• Jude 1:16 — “These men are discontented grumblers, following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own advantage.”.

In each verse the vocabulary of pride is joined to warnings about false teachers. Their inflated rhetoric masks moral corruption and preys upon vulnerable souls.

Historical and Cultural Background

The Greco-Roman world prized eloquence. Orators and sophists gained fame by crafting elaborate phrases that dazzled audiences irrespective of truthfulness. Early believers, steeped in Scripture’s call for integrity of word and deed, would recognize in ὑπέρογκα a danger already common in the public square: rhetoric detached from righteousness. Inspired writers expose the same tactic within the church, where verbal ostentation threatens the flock.

Theological Significance

1. Pride versus Humility

Scripture repeatedly opposes boastful speech to the meekness commended by Christ (Philippians 2:5-8; James 4:6). 5246 underscores that contrast. Swollen words promote self, whereas the gospel exalts the Lord.

2. Truth versus Error

Both Peter and Jude portray false teachers wrapping error in attractive packaging. Their words are “arrogant … vanity” (2 Peter 2:18), void of the living power resident in God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12). The term thus cautions readers to measure preaching by its fidelity to apostolic doctrine, not by its polish.

3. Freedom versus Bondage

The inflated promises of the ungodly claim liberty yet lead to slavery (2 Peter 2:19). ὑπέρογκα alerts believers to the irony that those who trumpet freedom apart from Christ remain “slaves of corruption.”

Pastoral and Practical Application

• Discernment in Teaching

Congregations must test messages (1 John 4:1) and refuse to be swayed by charisma alone. Substance, not style, is the biblical criterion.

• Cultivating Humble Speech

Leaders are urged to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) and avoid the temptation to inflate results, credentials, or insights. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

• Guarding New or Struggling Believers

Peter notes that the targets of swollen words are those “barely escaping from those who live in error.” Discipleship ministries should therefore anchor new converts in Scripture, equipping them to recognize empty boasts.

Relationship to Other Biblical Concepts

• Physioō (Strong’s 5448) — “to puff up,” emphasizing attitude rather than speech; often used of pride in Corinthian factions (1 Corinthians 4:6).
• Kenos / Kenodoxia (2756 / 2754) — “empty, empty glory,” paralleling the hollowness of 5246.
• Alazonia (212) — “boastful pride,” a heart condition that erupts in ὑπέρογκα words (James 4:16).

Illustrations from Church History

Montanus and his prophetesses in the second century promised extraordinary revelations with flamboyant utterances, yet the movement fractured communities and was eventually rejected by the broader church. Medieval indulgence preachers, Renaissance rationalists, and modern prosperity gurus each demonstrate the recurring lure of inflated words divorced from biblical fidelity.

Summary

Strong’s 5246 functions as a warning sign. Wherever speech becomes overblown—magnifying the speaker, minimizing sin, dispensing promises untethered to Scripture—believers are called to recognize the pattern, reject the vanity, and cling to “the pure milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2).