G2005 — ἐπιτελέω (epiteléō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2005
Original: ἐπιτελέω
Transliteration: epiteléō
Pronunciation: ep-ee-tel-eh'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: ἐπί (epi, G1909 "upon") + τελέω (teleō, G5055 "to complete")
Occurrences: 10 unique verses (13 tokens) across 7 NT books
First Occurrence: Luk 13:32 — "Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἐπί (G1909) and τελέω (G5055); to fulfill further (or completely), i.e. execute; by implication, to terminate, undergo.

Semantic Domains¶

Louw-Nida: - Domain 68.003: Complete, Finish, Succeed - Other words in subdomain: ἀναπληρόω (G378), ἀπαρτισμός (G535), ἀποτελέω (G658), διανύω (G1274), ἐκτελέω (G1615), εὐοδόω (G2137), πληροφορέω (G4135), πληρόω (G4137), συντελέω (G4931), τέλειος (G5046) - Also mapped to Domain 13.004: Happen — and Domain 45: Building, Constructing

UBS Semantic Domains: - [068] Aspect - [013] Be, Become, Exist, Happen - [045] Building, Constructing

Greek Morphological Distribution¶

Form	Parsing	Occurrences	Reference(s)
ἐπιτελέσας	Aorist Active Participle Nom Sg M	1	Rom 15:28
ἐπιτελοῦντες	Present Active Participle Nom Pl M	2	2Co 7:1, Heb 9:6
ἐπιτελέσῃ	Aorist Active Subjunctive 3S	1	2Co 8:6
ἐπιτελέσατε	Aorist Active Imperative 2P	1	2Co 8:11a
ἐπιτελέσαι	Aorist Active Infinitive	1	2Co 8:11b
ἐπιτελεῖσθε	Present Middle/Passive Indicative 2P	1	Gal 3:3
ἐπιτελέσει	Future Active Indicative 3S	1	Phi 1:6
ἐπιτελεῖν	Present Active Infinitive	1	Heb 8:5
ἐπιτελεῖσθαι	Present Passive Infinitive	1	1Pe 5:9

Active voice dominates (8 of 10 forms). Middle/passive appears in two theologically significant uses: Gal 3:3 (rhetorical — "are you being completed by flesh?") and 1Pe 5:9 (suffering "being accomplished" in the brotherhood).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
perform / performance / will perform	3	30%
accomplish / accomplishing	2	20%
finish	1	10%
I do	1	10%
made perfect / perfecting	2	20%
to make	1	10%

No single dominant translation — the KJV renders ἐπιτελέω six different ways across 10 verses, reflecting the word's broad application to the act of carrying something through to completion.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Corinthians	3	1.2
1 Peter	1	1.0
Galatians	1	0.7
Hebrews	2	0.7
Romans	1	0.2
Luke	1	0.1
Philippians	1	0.4

Concentrated in Paul's letters (6 of 10 verses). 2 Corinthians has the highest density — all three uses relate to the collection for Jerusalem (2Co 7:1, 8:6, 8:11). Absent from the rest of the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Completing a Good Work / Divine Completion¶

Phi 1:6 — "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"
2Co 8:6 — "as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also"
2Co 8:11 — "Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have"

The "begin → complete" pairing with ἐνάρχομαι (G1728) is distinctive: what is started must be carried through. In Phi 1:6, God is the one who both begins and completes; in 2Co 8, believers are urged to complete what they willingly began.

2. Executing Active Work / Ministry¶

Luk 13:32 — "Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow"
Rom 15:28 — "When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain"
Heb 9:6 — "the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God"

Here the emphasis is on carrying out assigned tasks — Jesus performing healings, Paul delivering the collection, priests executing their liturgical duties.

3. Spiritual Completion / Perfection¶

2Co 7:1 — "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God"
Gal 3:3 — "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"

Carries the nuance of bringing a spiritual process to its intended end. In Gal 3:3, the middle/passive voice underscores the absurdity of trying to complete by fleshly effort what the Spirit initiated.

4. Constructing / Building¶

Heb 8:5 — "as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle"

The tabernacle construction sense — executing a divinely given blueprint. Louw-Nida maps this use to Domain 45 (Building, Constructing).

5. Suffering Being Fulfilled¶

1Pe 5:9 — "knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world"

Passive voice: sufferings are "being completed" — a process working itself out across the believing community.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
οὕτω (hoútō)	G3779	4x (40%)	"so also complete" — begin/complete rhetoric
ἐνάρχομαι (enárchomai)	G1728	2x (20%)	"having begun… complete" — paired antonyms
πνεῦμα (pneûma)	G4151	2x (20%)	Spirit vs. flesh in sanctification (Gal 3:3, 2Co 7:1)
σάρξ (sárx)	G4561	2x (20%)	Flesh as failed means of completion (Gal 3:3, 2Co 7:1)
σκηνή (skēnḗ)	G4633	2x (20%)	Tabernacle construction/service (Heb 8:5, 9:6)
ποιέω (poiéō)	G4160	2x (20%)	General "doing/making" in same context

The most distinctive collocation is with ἐνάρχομαι ("to begin"): epiteleo is the verb that answers enarchomai, forming the "begin → complete" pair that defines its core usage.

Word Family / Cognates (τελ- root)¶

G5055 τελέω (teleō) — to end, complete, execute, conclude (base verb; 26v)
G5056 τέλος (telos) — end, goal, conclusion (noun; 42v)
G5048 τελειόω (teleioō) — to make perfect, complete (24v)
G1615 ἐκτελέω (ekteléō) — to complete fully, finish (2v)
G4931 συντελέω (synteléō) — to complete entirely, consummate (7v)
G658 ἀποτελέω (apoteléō) — to finish, produce (1v — Jas 1:15)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms identified from search_relationships.py beyond the τελ- family and close completion verbs already listed above.

Antonyms¶

No direct antonyms identified from search_relationships.py for ἐπιτελέω.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
τελέω (teleō)	G5055	finish, accomplish	teleō = bring to an end/conclude; epiteléō = carry through to completion (process emphasis)
πληρόω (plēróō)	G4137	perform, fulfill	plēróō = fill up, fulfill prophecy/scripture; epiteléō = execute/complete a task or process
τελειόω (teleioō)	G5048	made perfect, perfect	teleioō = bring to moral/qualitative perfection; epiteléō = bring to practical completion
συντελέω (synteléō)	G4931	finish	synteléō = bring together to a complete end (often eschatological); epiteléō = carry a process forward to its goal

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 68.003)¶

Word	Strong's	Total Verses	Primary KJV	Key Difference
ἀναπληρόω	G378	3	fill up, fulfil	Fills what is lacking; epiteléō carries forward what was started
ἐκτελέω	G1615	2	finish	Nearly synonymous but rarer; used of building projects (Luk 14:29)
εὐοδόω	G2137	3	prosper	Success/prosperity outcome; epiteléō = the act of completing
πληρόω	G4137	22	fulfilled	Prophetic fulfillment; epiteléō = task execution
συντελέω	G4931	4	ended, make	Consummation/ending; epiteléō = process through to goal
τέλειος	G5046	11	perfect	Qualitative perfection (adjective); epiteléō = verbal action of completing

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh)	H6213	4	2.35	General "do/make" — broad overlap, not a tight mapping
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrâʼêl)	H3478	3	1.95	Contextual co-occurrence, not a semantic equivalent

No strong single Hebrew equivalent. The LXX translators used ἐπιτελέω for עָשָׂה (asah, "to do/make") in contexts emphasizing completion, but asah is far too broad to constitute a meaningful bridge. No cross-testament trace warranted.