The key Greek word in 1 Cor. 15:33 is the fourth one: όμιλίαι. In the Septuagint and the New Testament, this word is used only in 1 Cor. 15:33. Its definition in Liddell and Scott (1996) is first, “intercourse, company,” and second, “sexual intercourse.” However, Sophocles (1957), which provides a lexicon covering 146 BCE to 1100 CE, gives its meaning as first, “conversation, talk, speech” and second, “homily, sermon.” The typical meaning of όμιλίαι seems to have shifted toward verbal practices from the fifth century BCE to the first century CE. Since 1 Cor. 15:33 is a quotation from Menander, a popular, highly regarded author of the time, its specific literary context is important for understanding its meaning. That literary context emphasizes highly cultured, verbal seduction.

In English, the meaning of commerce in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries largely overlaps with the broader meaning of communication and όμιλίαι in the ancient Greek-speaking world. Over the past 2500 years, the typical meaning of the word communication has generally shifted towards verbal practices.