WG: Fulfillment / Fullness¶

Overview¶

The Greek NT vocabulary of filling and fulfillment clusters around the root πλήρ- (plēr-) together with two completion verbs (τελειόω, συντελέω) that overlap in the "fulfill" semantic space. The group expresses: physical fullness, divine impartation, completion of prophetic prediction, and eschatological completion.

Word Group Members¶

Strong's	Word	Transliteration	POS	Occurrences	Role in Concept	Library Entry
G4137	πληρόω	plēróō	verb	90	The action: fill, fulfill, complete	G4137-pleroo.md
G4138	πλήρωμα	plērōma	noun	17	The state: fullness, the sum that fills	TODO(need G4138 study)
G4134	πλήρης	plērēs	adj	17	The quality: full, replete	TODO(need G4134 study)
G5048	τελειόω	teleióō	verb	24	Moral/purpose completion: perfect, finish	G5048-teleioo.md
G5055	τελέω	teleō	verb	26	Actional completion: finish, accomplish, fulfill	G5055-teleo.md
G4931	συντελέω	synteleō	verb	7	Total ending: bring fully to close	G4931-synteleo.md

Relationships¶

Shared Root (πλήρ- family)¶

G4137 πληρόω, G4138 πλήρωμα, G4134 πλήρης all share root πλήρης (full/replete)
G4135 πληροφορέω (to fully persuade) — compound, not included but cognate
G0378 ἀναπληρόω (to fill up what is lacking) — compound, closer to G4134 in meaning

Co-occurrence (same verse)¶

Word A	Word B	Shared Verses	Typical Context
G4137 (plēróō)	G4138 (plērōma)	2 (Eph 1:23)	"filleth all in all...fulness"
G4137 (plēróō)	G5048 (teleióō)	0	Distinct usage contexts
G4137 (plēróō)	G4931 (synteleō)	0	Distinct completion types

Shared Hebrew Source (LXX overlap)¶

Both G4137 and G5048 translate H4390 מָלֵא (mâlêʼ) in LXX contexts: - H4390 → G4137: 62 co-occurrences (primary) - H4390 → G5048: 8 co-occurrences (secondary) This means the two verbs occasionally cover the same Hebrew semantic ground.

Roles in the Concept¶

Word	Role	Key Contexts
πληρόω (G4137)	The verb of filling/fulfilling	Prophetic formula; being filled with Spirit/qualities; time expiring
πλήρωμα (G4138)	The resulting fullness	"fulness of God" (Eph 3:19); "fulness of him that filleth all" (Eph 1:23); "fulfilling of the law" (Rom 13:10)
πλήρης (G4134)	Descriptive fullness	"full of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 7:55); "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14); "full of leprosy" (Luk 5:12)
τελέω (G5055)	Actional / event completion	Specific acts finished: Matthew's discourse formula, "It is finished" (Jhn 19:30), Revelation's thousand-year periods
τελειόω (G5048)	Moral / purposive completion	"make perfect" — high priestly perfecting (Heb); Jesus "perfected" through suffering; sanctification of believers
συντελέω (G4931)	Terminal completion	"end of the world" (Heb 9:26); new covenant "I will make" (Heb 8:8); age or period "ended" (Mat 7:28)

Key Distinctions¶

teleō vs. teleióō: teleō (G5055) marks the completion of a specific action or event (a discourse ends, a course is finished, the thousand years expire). teleióō (G5048) brings something to its designed end-state or moral perfection — it emphasizes the quality of completion. The high priest's prayers "complete/perfect" believers; the risen Christ was "perfected" through obedience (Heb 5:9).

teleō vs. plēróō: both are translated "fulfill" but from different angles. teleō emphasizes reaching the end-point or terminus; plēróō emphasizes filling to capacity or executing a textual prediction. John 19:28–30 shows the contrast: plēróō ("that the scripture might be fulfilled") immediately followed by teleō ("It is finished").

plēróō vs. synteleō: synteleō adds the prefix σύν- (together/completely) to τελέω (complete) — it emphasizes total, exhaustive ending of an age or covenant. plēróō emphasizes the content being filled or prediction being enacted. synteleō occurs in "end of the age" contexts; plēróō occurs in "that the scripture might be..." contexts.

plēróō vs. plēróma: plēróō is the act; plērōma is the result — the sum total that fills, the state of fullness. Pauline use of plērōma is distinctly theological: the full complement of divinity dwelling in Christ (Col 1:19; 2:9); the corporate fullness of the church as Christ's body (Eph 1:23).

Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶

Eph 1:23 — "the fulness (πλήρωμα) of him that filleth (πληρόω) all in all" — verb + noun together
John 15:11 / 17:13 / 2 Jhn 1:12 — joy "fulfilled" (πληρόω) + "full" (πλήρης) — verb and adjective in joy contexts
Heb 9:26 — "at the end (συντελέω) of the world" — age-ending complementary to plēróō's prophetic fulfillment