### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Greek word **noséō**, represented by `{{G3552}}`, describes a figurative sickness or a diseased appetite. It appears only **1 time** in **1 unique verse** in the Bible. The term's core meaning is to be sick, but it is used metaphorically to mean hankering after something or harping upon a topic, translated as **dote**.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its sole biblical appearance, `{{G3552}}` is used to characterize someone who is proud and ignorant. This individual is described as **doting** about "questions and strifes of words," indicating an unhealthy and obsessive preoccupation with pointless arguments [[1 Timothy 6:4]]. This diseased focus is presented as the source from which envy, strife, railings, and evil surmisings arise, painting a picture of intellectual and spiritual sickness.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words in [[1 Timothy 6:4]] illuminate the context of `{{G3552}}`:
* `{{G5187}}` **typhóō** (be lifted up with pride, be proud): This word describes the arrogant state of the person who is doting. It means to be inflated with self-conceit, literally "to envelop with smoke."
* `{{G2214}}` **zḗtēsis** (question): This term, meaning a dispute or its theme, specifies the unhealthy focus of the one who dotes.
* `{{G3055}}` **logomachía** (strife of words): This describes the pointless verbal battles, or "disputation about trifles," that the individual obsesses over.
* `{{G2054}}` **éris** (strife, contention): This is one of the direct results of such doting, defined as a quarrel or wrangling.
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{G3552}}` is found in its portrayal of intellectual and spiritual corruption.
* **Sickness as a Metaphor for False Teaching:** The use of a word meaning "to be sick" frames the obsession with pointless debates not as a simple error, but as a spiritual disease. This condition is linked directly to pride [[1 Timothy 6:4]].
* **Pride and Ignorance:** The text establishes a direct connection between being proud `{{G5187}}` and "knowing nothing," which manifests as **doting** on useless questions. This suggests that arrogance blinds a person, leading them to fixate on trivial matters instead of truth.
* **The Source of Division:** The act of **doting** `{{G3552}}` is identified as the source from which destructive behaviors flow. It generates envy `{{G5355}}`, strife `{{G2054}}`, railings `{{G988}}`, and evil surmisings `{{G5283}}`, highlighting how a corrupted mind produces a corrupted community.
### Summary
In summary, `{{G3552}}` **noséō** is a rare but powerful term used to diagnose a spiritual sickness. It describes an unhealthy obsession, or **doting**, on trivial arguments, rooted in pride and ignorance. Its single use in scripture at [[1 Timothy 6:4]] demonstrates that this condition is not harmless but is the direct cause of destructive outcomes like envy and strife, serving as a warning against the dangers of arrogant and empty debate.
TRV