WG: Perfection / Completion (τελ- Family)
Overview
The Greek NT vocabulary of perfection and completion clusters around the root τελ- (tel-), derived from τέλος (telos, "end/goal"). The group expresses: moral-spiritual maturation, task accomplishment, priestly consecration, and the designed end-state of persons or processes. Distinguished from the πλήρ- (plēr-) "fulfillment/filling" family by its orientation toward a purposive goal rather than quantitative fullness.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| G5048 |
τελειόω |
teleióō |
verb |
24 |
The action: bring to completion, make perfect |
G5048-teleioo.md |
| G5046 |
τέλειος |
téleios |
adj |
17 |
The state: complete, perfect, mature |
G5046-teleios.md |
| G5047 |
τελειότης |
teleiótēs |
noun |
2 |
The quality: perfectness, completeness |
TODO(need G5047 study) |
| G5050 |
τελείωσις |
teleíōsis |
noun |
2 |
The act: perfecting, fulfillment |
TODO(need G5050 study) |
| G5055 |
τελέω |
teléō |
verb |
26 |
Actional completion: finish, accomplish, fulfill |
G5055-teleo.md |
| G2675 |
καταρτίζω |
katartízō |
verb |
13 |
Restoration/mending: make complete by fitting together |
TODO(need G2675 study) |
| G2005 |
ἐπιτελέω |
epiteléō |
verb |
10 |
Carrying through: bring to full completion |
TODO(need G2005 study) |
Relationships
Shared Root (τελ- family)
- G5048 τελειόω, G5046 τέλειος, G5047 τελειότης, G5050 τελείωσις, G5051 τελειωτής — all from τέλειος (complete)
- G5055 τελέω, G5056 τέλος — share the τελ- root but emphasize ending/concluding
- G2005 ἐπιτελέω — compound (ἐπί + τελέω), emphasizes carrying through to the finish
- G2675 καταρτίζω — from κατά + ἀρτίζω (to fit); related by translation overlap, not etymology
Co-occurrence (same verse)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| G5048 (teleióō) |
G5046 (teleios) |
1 (1 John 4:18) |
"perfect love casteth out fear... not made perfect in love" |
| G5048 (teleióō) |
G5055 (teleō) |
1 (John 19:28) |
"all things accomplished... scripture might be fulfilled" |
| G5048 (teleióō) |
G2005 (epiteleō) |
1 (Luke 13:32) |
"I do cures... the third day I shall be perfected" |
LXX Bridge
| Greek Words |
Shared Hebrew Source |
Notes |
| G5048 teleióō + G4137 plēróō |
Both render H4390 מָלֵא (male') |
"fill" in priestly consecration ("fill the hand") → teleióō; "fill" in quantitative/prophetic sense → plēróō |
Roles in the Concept
- Process verb: τελειόω (G5048) — bringing persons or love to designed completeness; passive-dominant (57% passive forms)
- State adjective: τέλειος (G5046) — the resulting condition: mature, complete, lacking nothing
- Quality noun: τελειότης (G5047) — abstract state of perfection
- Act noun: τελείωσις (G5050) — the event of being perfected / fulfilled
- Completion verb: τελέω (G5055) — finishing a task, paying what is owed, accomplishing
- Restoration verb: καταρτίζω (G2675) — mending what is broken, fitting together what is disjointed
- Accomplishment verb: ἐπιτελέω (G2005) — carrying a begun work through to its end
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- 1 John 4:18 — τελειόω + τέλειος: "perfect (teleios) love casteth out fear... he that feareth is not made perfect (teleióō) in love"
- John 19:28 — τελειόω + τελέω: "all things were now accomplished (teleō)... that the scripture might be fulfilled (teleióō)"
- Luke 13:32 — τελειόω + ἐπιτελέω: "I do (epiteleō) cures today... the third day I shall be perfected (teleióō)"
- Hebrews 7:11, 19, 28 — τελείωσις + τελειόω + τελειόω: perfection not by Levitical priesthood (7:11), law made nothing perfect (7:19), the Son consecrated forevermore (7:28)
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, gather_word_data.py
Last updated: 2026-04-26