Lexical Summary holokléros: Whole, complete, entire Original Word: ὁλόκληρος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance entire, whole. From holos and kleros; complete in every part, i.e. Perfectly sound (in body) -- entire, whole. see GREEK holos see GREEK kleros HELPS Word-studies 3648 holóklēros (from 3650 /hólos, "whole" and 2819 /klḗros, "a lot, cast to better discern God's preferred-will") – properly, "all that is included (apportioned) through divine lot." 3648 /holóklēros ("divinely-allotted wholeness") occurs twice in the NT. 1 Thes 5:23: "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely (3651 /holotelḗs); and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete (3648 /holóklēros), without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (NASU). Js 1:4: "And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete (3648 /holóklēros), lacking in nothing" (NASU). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom holos and kléros Definition complete, entire NASB Translation complete (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3648: ὁλόκληροςὁλόκληρος, ὁλόκληρον (ὅλος and κλῆρος, properly, all that has fallen by lot), complete in all its parts, in no part lacking or unsound, complete, entire, whole: λίθοι, untouched by a tool, Deuteronomy 27:6; Joshua 20:4 (viii. 31) 1 Macc. 4:47; of a body without blemish or defect, whether of a priest or of a victim, Philo de vici. § 12; Josephus, Antiquities 3, 12, 2 ((cf. Havercamp's Josephus, ii., p. 321)). Ethically, free from sin, faultless (R. V. entire): 1 Thessalonians 5:23; plural, connected with τέλειοι and with the addition of ἐν μηδενί λειπόμενοι, James 1:4; complete in all respects, consummate, δικαιοσύνη, Wis. 15:3; εὐσέβεια, 4 Macc. 15:17. (Plato, Polybius, Lcian, Epictetus, others; the Sept. for שָׁלֵם, Deuteronomy 27:6; תָּמִים, Leviticus 23:15; Ezekiel 15:5.) Topical Lexicon Concept of Wholeness and Integrity The word ὁλόκληρος draws attention to undivided soundness. It pictures a life or object preserved intact, free from internal fracture or external blemish. In Scripture this idea moves beyond mere physical completeness to encompass moral, relational, and spiritual integrity—the state in which nothing God wills for a person is missing or fractured. Old Testament Background and Septuagint Parallels Hebrew sacrificial law required animals to be “without defect” (Leviticus 22:21), prefiguring an offering wholly acceptable to God. The Septuagint frequently employs terms related to ὁλόκληρος when translating תָּמִים (tāmîm, blameless, whole). The concept therefore stands in continuity with the covenant call for blameless devotion exemplified in Genesis 17:1, “Walk before Me and be blameless.” Whole-hearted allegiance and whole-bodied purity belong together in the divine economy. Occurrences in the New Testament 1. James 1:4 – “And let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” The term sets the goal of endurance: a life lacking no part of God’s intended character. Theological Implications 1. Sanctification’s Scope: God aims at the total person. Holiness is not compartmental; it encompasses intellect, emotion, will, and physical behavior. Spiritual Formation and Discipleship • Perseverance under trial (James 1:2-4) is the divinely appointed means to produce completeness; trials expose deficiencies so grace can supply what is lacking. Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Counseling: Address the whole person—spirit, soul, and body—to foster holistic healing. Historical Witness in the Church Early writers such as Irenaeus linked wholeness to the “recapitulation” of humanity in Christ, while Puritan divines stressed a “whole heart” religion that shunned partial obedience. The holiness revivals of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, though varied in expression, drew repeatedly on the promise of 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that God can sanctify believers through and through. Associated Terms and Doctrinal Linkages • τελειόω – to perfect, bringing a complementary nuance of final maturity. Together these terms form a vocabulary of holiness that spans covenant history. Summary of Key Themes Ὁλόκληρος encapsulates God’s desire for comprehensive sanctity: nothing defective, nothing missing, nothing divided. Rooted in the sacrificial ideals of the Old Testament and fulfilled in Christ, the word calls every believer to persevering growth until the day when the Lord “will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness” (Romans 9:28). Forms and Transliterations ολοκληροι ολόκληροι ὁλόκληροι ολοκλήροις ολοκληρον ολόκληρον ὁλόκληρον ολοκλήρου ολοκλήρους ολόκληρων ολολυγμός holokleroi holoklēroi holókleroi holóklēroi holokleron holoklēron holókleron holóklēron olokleroi oloklēroi olokleron oloklēronLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Adj-NNSGRK: ὁλοτελεῖς καὶ ὁλόκληρον ὑμῶν τὸ NAS: be preserved complete, without blame KJV: and [I pray God] your whole spirit and INT: wholly and whole your James 1:4 Adj-NMP Strong's Greek 3648 |
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