The Greek adjective emphytos means innate, naturally implanted, or engrafted. It appears in James 1:21 in the memorable phrase 'the implanted word,' describing the received Word of God.
James 1:21 commands: 'Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.' The image is agricultural: a seed or graft that has been planted within โ not merely heard as external information but received and embedded in the soil of the heart. The implanted word is distinguished from the word merely heard (v. 22 โ 'be doers of the word, and not hearers only'). This resonates with Jeremiah 31:33 โ 'I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts' โ the new covenant promise of internalized instruction. The emphytos word is transformative precisely because it takes root in the inner person and grows into saving faith and righteous action.