### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Greek word **euprépeia**, represented by `{{G2143}}`, is defined as good suitableness or gracefulness, and is translated as **grace**. It appears only **1 time** in **1 unique verse** in the Bible, making its specific context highly significant. The term conveys a sense of pleasing outward appearance or charm.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The single biblical use of `{{G2143}}` is found in an analogy about the temporary nature of worldly things. In [[James 1:11]], the beauty of a flower is described as fleeting: the **sun** `{{G2246}}` rises with a **burning heat** `{{G2742}}` and withers the grass, causing the **flower** `{{G438}}` to fall and the **grace** `{{G2143}}` of its **fashion** `{{G4383}}` to perish. This perishable beauty is then directly compared to a rich man who will also "fade away."
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words from its context illuminate the meaning of `{{G2143}}`:
* `{{G438}}` **ánthos** (flower): Defined as a blossom, this is the object that possesses the fleeting gracefulness. It is similarly used to represent the transient nature of human glory, which "falleth away" [[1 Peter 1:24]].
* `{{G4383}}` **prósōpon** (fashion): This word means countenance, aspect, or appearance. The **grace** `{{G2143}}` is specifically of the flower's outward "fashion," emphasizing that the beauty being described is external.
* `{{G622}}` **apóllymi** (perisheth): Meaning to destroy fully or to perish, this is the ultimate fate of the flower's grace. It highlights the complete and certain end of this external charm [[James 1:11]].
* `{{G3133}}` **maraínō** (fade away): This term, meaning to pass away, is used in the same verse to describe the fate of the rich man, creating a direct parallel with the perishing grace of the flower [[James 1:11]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{G2143}}` is concentrated in its single, powerful illustration.
* **The Fleeting Nature of Outward Beauty:** The word is used exclusively to describe a physical, external attractiveness that is fragile and temporary. The **grace** `{{G2143}}` of the flower is beautiful but cannot withstand the heat of the sun [[James 1:11]].
* **A Metaphor for Worldly Wealth:** The perishable grace of the flower is explicitly compared to the **rich man** `{{G4145}}`, who is also said to "pass away" like the **flower** `{{G438}}` of the grass [[James 1:10]]. This teaches that reliance on worldly status is as insecure as relying on the life of a blossom.
* **A Warning Against Materialism:** By linking the "grace of the fashion" to that which will inevitably **perish** `{{G622}}`, the term serves as a stark warning against placing hope and identity in transient things like appearance and wealth.
### Summary
In summary, `{{G2143}}` **euprépeia** provides a concise and potent image of external gracefulness. Though used only once, its context in [[James 1:11]] is pivotal, defining this **grace** as something that withers and perishes. The word serves as a key element in a metaphor about the transient nature of earthly beauty and riches, urging a focus on things of lasting, rather than merely outward, value.
TRV