Will/desire
θέλημαStrong’s G2307thelēma
Appears in 59 verses of the New Testament
In short
Thelēma is the Greek word usually translated “will” and “things willed”. It appears in 59 verses of the New Testament.
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Meaning
Usually translated “will” and “things willed”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- will 60
- things willed 1
- to will 1
- by will 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- John 8
- Ephesians 7
- Matthew 6
- Hebrews 5
- Luke 4
- Romans 4
18 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Matthew 6:10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
- Matthew 7:21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
- Matthew 12:50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
- Matthew 18:14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
- Matthew 21:31Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
- Matthew 26:42He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
All 59 verses, by book
Greek dictionary
θέλημα thelēma · will/desire
θέλημα, -τος, τό (θέλω), [in LXX chiefly for חָפֵץ, also for רָצוֹן, etc. ;] will, (a) objectively = 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 …
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “will” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
WILL, noun
[See the Verb.]
- That faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue.
- Choice; determination.
- Choice; discretion; pleasure.
- Command; direction.
All definitions and other forms of “will”
- Disposition; inclination; desire.
- Power; arbitrary disposal.“Deliver me not over to the will of my enemies” Psalms 27:12
- Divine determination; moral purpose or counsel.
- Testament; the disposition of a mans estate, to take effect after his death.
- Favor; kindness.
- Right intention. Philippians 1:6
WILL, verb transitive
[G., Latin, Gr. The sense is to set, or to set forward, to stretch forward. The sense is well expressed by the Latin ]
- To determine; to decide int he mind that something shall be done or forborne; implying power to carry the purpose into effect.
- To command; to direct.
- To be inclined or resolved to have.
- To wish; to desire.
- To dispose of estate and effects by testament.
- It is sometimes equivalent to may be.
- will is used as an auxiliary verb, and a sign of the future tense.
- I will go, is a present promise to go; and with an emphasis on will it expresses determination.
- Thou wilt go, you will go, express foretelling; simply stating an event that is to come.
- He will go, is also a foretelling.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.