Word Summary
teleios: having reached its end, complete, perfect
Original Word: τέλειοςTransliteration: teleios
Phonetic Spelling: (tel'-i-os)
Part of Speech: Adjective
Short Definition: having reached its end, complete, perfect
Meaning: having reached its end, complete, perfect
Strong's Concordance
complete, perfect, mature
From telos; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with ho) completeness -- of full age, man, perfect.
see GREEK telos
see GREEK ho
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5046: τέλειοςτέλειος,
τελεία,
τέλειον (
τέλος), in classic Greek sometimes also
τέλειος,
τέλειον (cf.
Winers Grammar, § 11,1), from
Homer down, the
Sept. several times for
שָׁלֵם,
תָּמִים, etc.; properly,
brought to its end, finished; lacking nothing necessary to completeness; perfect:
ἔργον,
James 1:4;
ἡ ἀγάπη,
1 John 4:18;
ὁ νόμος,
James 1:25; (
δώρημα,
James 1:17);
τελειοτερα σκηνή, a more perfect (excellent) tabernacle,
Hebrews 9:11;
τό τέλειον, substantively,
that which is perfect: consummate human integrity and virtue,
Romans 12:2 (others take it here as an adjective belonging to
θέλημα); the perfect state of all things, to be ushered in by the return of Christ from heaven,
1 Corinthians 13:10; of men,
full-grown, adult; of full age, mature (
Aeschylus Ag. 1504;
Plato, legg. 11, p. 929{c}):
Hebrews 5:14;
τέλειος ἀνήρ (
Xenophon, Cyril 1, 2, 4f; 8, 7, 6;
Philo de cherub. § 32; opposed to
παιδίον νήπιον,
Polybius 5, 29, 2; for other examples from other authors see Bleek, Brief a. d. Hebrew ii., 2, p. 133f),
μέχρι ...
εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, until we rise to the same level of knowledge which we ascribe to a full-grown man, until we can be likened to a full-grown man,
Ephesians 4:13 (opposed to
νήπιοι, 14);
τέλειοι ταῖς φρεσί (opposed to
παιδία and
νηπιαζοντες ταῖς φρεσί),
1 Corinthians 14:20 (here
A. V. men); absolutely,
οἱ τέλειοι,
the perfect, i. e. the more intelligent, ready to apprehend divine things,
1 Corinthians 2:6 (
R. V. marginal reading
full-grown) (opposed to
νήπιοι ἐν Χριστῷ,
; in simple opposed to νήπιος, Philo de legg. alleg. i. § 30; for מֵבִין, opposed to μαντανων, 1 Chronicles 25:8; (cf. Lightfoot on Colossians 1:28; Philippians 3:15)); of mind and character, one who has reached the proper height of virtue and integrity: Matthew 5:48; Matthew 19:21; Philippians 3:15 (cf. Lightfoot as above); James 1:4; in an absolute sense, of God: Matthew 5:48; τέλειος ἀνήρ, James 3:2 (τέλειος δίκαιος, Sir. 44:17); as respects understanding and goodness, Colossians 4:12; τέλειος ἄνθρωπος ἐν Χριστῷ, Colossians 1:28 (cf. Lightfoot as the synonym above: see ὁλόκληρος, and Trench, § xxii.).