“selfishly ambitious.” The Greek is eritheia (#2052 ἐριθεία). Spicq (Theological Lexicon) says, “…eritheia is used seven times in NT, including twice in the sin lists (2 Cor. 12:20; Gal. 5:20), along with eris [strife], which indicates that the former does not have the same meaning as the latter and is not derived from it. …it was formed from eritheuomai, “work for hire.”^a The erithos is a day laborer; the term is used especially for weavers and spinners. As a result, the term eritheia (paid work) originally had a positive sense, but it came to mean that which is done solely for interested motives (“What’s in it for me?”). Hence the meaning: contrive to gain a position…not in order to serve the state, but to gain honor and wealth. From that developed two other meanings: 1) dispute or intrigue to gain advantages; or 2) personal ambition, the exclusive pursuit of one’s own interest. These connotations of intrigue, disputations, and chicanery appear in all the NT texts.”^b Aristotle used the word of those who seek political office by unfair means, and Philo wrote, “The only stable government is one in which there is no strife and no intrigue [eritheia].” “The idea is “base self-seeking,” the “baseness” that cannot shift its gaze to higher things.”^c It is a complex word that takes on different meanings in different contexts, so attention to the context is important. Meanings include selfishness, selfish ambition, rivalry, base self-seeking, and the use of dishonest means to get personal gain (particularly in political circles).