Greek · G2307 · unreviewed

θέλημα

Will/desire

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θέλημα G2307

Pronunciation thélēma

What does θέλημα (thélēma) mean in the Bible?

θέλημα (thélēma) is a Greek word meaning "will/desire". θέλημα, -τος, τό (θέλω), [in LXX chiefly for חָפֵץ, also for רָצוֹן, etc. Defines obedience as covenant family marker. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant.

Full entry for θέλημα (G2307) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

will/desire

Extended definition

God's will as the objective content of what He ordains, not merely subjective desire or preference

(θέλω), [in LXX chiefly for חָפֵץ, also for רָצוֹן, etc. ;] will,

aobjectively = that which is willed: Mat.18:14, Luk.12:47, Jhn.5:30, 1Co.7:37, 1Th.5:18, 2Ti.2:26, Heb.10:10, Rev.4:11; θ. τ. θεοῦ, Act.22:14, Rom.2:18 12:2, Eph.1:9, Col.1:9 4:12, 1Pe.4:2; τ. κυρίου, Eph.5:17; pl., of precepts, Mrk.3:35, WH, mg., Act.13:22 (LXX); ἐστιν τὸ θ., with genitive of person(s), before ἵνα, Jhn.6:39-40, 1Co.16:12; with inf., 1Pe.2:15; with accusative and inf., 1Th.4:3

bsubjectively = τὸ θέλειν (cf. θέλησις): Luk.23:25, Jhn.1:13, 1Pe.3:17, 2Pe.1:21; ποιεῖν, Mat.7:21 12:50 21:31, Mrk.3:35 (pl., WH, mg., see supr.), Jhn.4:34 6:38 7:17 9:31, Eph.6:6, Heb.10:7, 9 10:36 13:21, 1Jn.2:17; γίνεσθαι, Mat.6:10 26:42, Luk.22:42, Act.21:14; ἡ εὐδοκία ( βουλὴ) τοῦ θ., Eph.1:5, 11; ἐν τῷ θ. τοῦ θεοῦ, Rom.1:10; διὰ θ. θεοῦ, Rom.15:32, 1Co.1:1, 2Co.1:1 8:5, Eph.1:1, Col.1:1, 2Ti.1:1; κατὰ τὸ θ. τ. θεοῦ, Gal.1:4, 1Pe.4:19, 1Jn.5:14; pl., Eph.2:3 (Cremer, 728).

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith

Why This Word Matters

Defines obedience as covenant family marker. 1 John 5:13-17

Defines covenant alignment with God. Acts 21:7-14

Expresses divine mission governing Jesus' ministry. Mark 3:31–35

Affirms submission to God’s sovereign purpose. Matthew 12:46–50

Effective prayer aligns with God’s revealed purposes rather than personal preference.

Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Neuter Matt 6:10 · Matt 18:14 · Matt 26:42 · Luke 22:42 · John 6:39 · John 6:40 · Acts 21:14 · Rom 12:2 · 1 Cor 16:12 · Eph 5:17 · 1 Thess 4:3 · 1 Thess 5:18 · 1 Pet 2:15 · 1 Pet 3:17 14×

Genitive · Singular · Neuter John 1:13 · Rom 15:32 · 1 Cor 1:1 · 1 Cor 7:37 · 2 Cor 1:1 · 2 Cor 8:5 · Eph 1:1 · Eph 1:5 · Eph 1:9 · Eph 1:11 · Col 1:1 · Col 1:9 · 2 Tim 1:1 14×

Dative · Singular · Neuter Luke 23:25 · Rom 1:10 · Col 4:12 · Heb 10:10 · 1 Pet 4:2 · 2 Pet 1:21 6×

Accusative · Singular · Neuter Matt 7:21 · Matt 12:50 · Matt 21:31 · Mark 3:35 · Luke 12:47 · John 4:34 · John 5:30 · John 6:38 · John 7:17 · John 9:31 · Acts 22:14 · Rom 2:18 · Gal 1:4 · Eph 6:6 · 2 Tim 2:26 · Heb 10:7 26×

Accusative · Plural · Neuter Acts 13:22 · Eph 2:3 2×

Canonical Themes

Covenant

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

New Testament Witnesses

1 John 5:13-17 will thélēma

God’s determined purpose.

Acts 21:7-14 Will thélēma Nominative · Singular · Neuter

Purpose or desire.

Mark 3:31–35 θέλημα thélēma Accusative · Singular · Neuter

will or purpose

Matthew 12:46–50 θέλημα thélēma Accusative · Singular · Neuter

will or purpose

Additional Occurrences

John 4:27-42 θέλημα thélēma

will

Luke 22:39–46 θέλημά thélēma

Will, desire

Mark 3:31–35 θέλημα thélēma

will, desire, purpose

Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

Acts 21 — Paul Goes to Jerusalem and Is Seized in the Temple Acts 22 — Paul’s Defense: Christ Appears, Sends, and Preserves His Witness Colossians 4 — Prayer, Wise Witness, Faithful Service, and Gospel Fellowship John 4 — Living Water, True Worship, and the Savior of the World John 6 — The Bread of Life, the Words of Eternal Life, and the Crisis of True Discipleship John 7 — The Feast, the Divided Crowd, and the Living Water of Jesus John 9 — The Man Born Blind, the Light of the World, and the Blindness of Religious Unbelief Luke 22 — The Passover Betrayal, the New Covenant Meal, and the Suffering Servant King Mark 3 — The Servant-King Confronted: Sabbath Mercy, Demonic Accusation, and the Family of God Matthew 12 — The Lord of the Sabbath, the Servant of the Lord, and the Crisis of Unbelief Matthew 18 — Kingdom Humility, Care for the Little Ones, Discipline, and Forgiveness in Christ’s Community Matthew 21 — The King Enters Jerusalem, Judges Fruitless Religion, and Exposes Rejected-Son Leadership Matthew 6 — Hidden Righteousness, the Father’s Reward, and Seeking First the Kingdom Matthew 7 — Kingdom Discernment, the Narrow Way, and the Wise Builder Romans 12 — Living Sacrifices, Renewed Minds, Humble Service, and Love Without Hypocrisy Romans 15 — Bearing with the Weak, Welcoming One Another, and Paul’s Priestly Mission to the Gentiles

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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