3647. holokléria
Lexical Summary
holokléria: Completeness, wholeness, soundness

Original Word: ὁλοκληρία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: holokléria
Pronunciation: ho-lo-klay-REE-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (hol-ok-lay-ree'-ah)
KJV: perfect soundness
NASB: perfect health
Word Origin: [from G3648 (ὁλόκληρος - complete)]

1. integrity, i.e. physical wholeness

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
perfect soundness.

From holokleros; integrity, i.e. Physical wholeness -- perfect soundness.

see GREEK holokleros

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 3647 holoklēría – properly, the condition of wholeness, where all the parts work together for "unimpaired health" (Souter). It is only used in Ac 3:16. See 3648 (holoklēros).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from holokléros
Definition
completeness, soundness
NASB Translation
perfect health (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3647: ὁλοκληρία

ὁλοκληρία, ὁλοκηριας, (ὁλόκληρος, which see), Latinintegritas; used of an unimpaired condition of body, in which all its members are healthy and fit for use; Vulg.integra sanitas (A. V. perfect soundness): Acts 3:16 (joined with ὑγίεια, Plutarch, mor., p. 1063 f.; with τοῦ σώματος added, ibid., p. 1047 e.; cf. (Diogenes Laërtius 7, 107;corporis integritas, equivalent to health, in Cicero, de fin. 5, 14, 40; the Sept. for מְתֹם, Isaiah 1:6).

Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and Conceptual Background

The term denotes a state of intactness in every part—an undivided, fully-functioning wholeness. In Scripture it points beyond mere physical recovery to the restoration of a person to the integrity God intends, body and soul.

Single New Testament Occurrence: Acts 3:16

Peter explains the healing of the man who had been lame from birth: “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given him this complete healing in your presence” (Acts 3:16). The word translated “complete healing” highlights the total, observable perfection of the cure—legs strengthened, joints aligned, faculties restored. Luke’s medical precision underscores that nothing partial or temporary took place.

Old Testament Resonances

1. Wholeness and peace (shalom) in passages such as Isaiah 53:5 (“with His wounds we are healed”) anticipate the comprehensive restoration embodied in Acts 3.
2. The requirement that sacrificial animals be “without defect” (Leviticus 22:21) prefigures the perfect soundness imparted by Christ, the flawless Lamb.
3. The notion of blamelessness (tamim) applied to Noah (Genesis 6:9) and Abram (Genesis 17:1) illustrates integrity of life, paralleling the physical integrity granted to the lame man.

Theological Significance

• Christ-centered: The miracle validates Jesus’ exaltation and shows that His name carries divine authority to restore creation (Acts 4:10–12).
• Eschatological sign: Such wholeness previews the final renewal when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).
• Soteriological scope: Salvation is not only forensic pardon but also transformative healing (James 5:14–16), anticipating resurrected bodies (Romans 8:23).

Historical Context

Performed at the Beautiful Gate of the Jerusalem temple shortly after Pentecost, the healing functions as a public demonstration to devout Jews gathering for prayer (Acts 3:1). Temple authorities could not deny the miracle’s completeness (Acts 4:14), forcing them to confront the risen Messiah’s power.

Implications for Ministry

1. Evangelistic Authentication: Holistic acts of mercy corroborate gospel proclamation (Mark 16:20).
2. Faith Focus: Peter directs attention away from human agency—“Not by our own power or godliness” (Acts 3:12)—and toward faith in Jesus’ name.
3. Integrated Care: Christian service addresses physical need while calling for repentance (Acts 3:19), modeling an inseparable union of deed and word.

Pastoral Applications

• Encourage prayer for full restoration, recognizing God’s sovereignty over outcomes.
• Teach believers to anticipate ultimate wholeness while enduring present suffering (2 Corinthians 4:16–18).
• Foster communities that support bodily and spiritual health, reflecting the kingdom reality of complete soundness.

Homiletical Outline Suggestion

1. The Lame Man’s Condition: Human inability.
2. The Apostles’ Command: Faith in the name of Jesus.
3. The Resulting Wholeness: Demonstrated 3647—visible, complete, undeniable.
4. The Call to Repentance: Wholeness offered to all who turn to Christ.

Key Cross-References

Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 11:4-5; Luke 7:22; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 22:2.

Forms and Transliterations
ολοκληρία ολοκληριαν ολοκληρίαν ὁλοκληρίαν holoklerian holoklerían holoklērian holoklērían oloklerian oloklērian
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Acts 3:16 N-AFS
GRK: αὐτῷ τὴν ὁλοκληρίαν ταύτην ἀπέναντι
NAS: him this perfect health in the presence
KJV: this perfect soundness in the presence
INT: to him the complete soundness this before

Strong's Greek 3647
1 Occurrence


ὁλοκληρίαν — 1 Occ.

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