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GreekG2309Verb

θέλω

thelō

202Occurrences
G2309Strong's #
VerbPart of Speech

Definition

Quick Definition(Strong's Concordance)

to determine (as an active option from subjective impulse; whereas G1014 (βούλομαι) properly denotes rather a passive acquiescence in objective considerations), i.e. choose or prefer (literally or figuratively); by implication, to wish, i.e. be inclined to (sometimes adverbially, gladly); impersonally for the future tense, to be about to; by Hebraism, to delight in

apparently strengthened from the alternate form of G138 (αἱρέομαι);

Full Lexicon Entry(Abbott-Smith)
to will, be willing, wish, desire (more frequently than βούλομαι, which see, in vernac. and late Gk., also in MGr.; for various views as to its relation to β., see Thayer, 286; but see also BL, §24, ): absol.; θεοῦ θέλοντος; with inf. ,; οὐ θέλω, inf.,; opposite to ποιέω, πράσσω, ἐνεργέω; (ICG, in l.; Deiss., LAE); *θέλων ἐν ταπεινοφροσυνῄ *(of his own mere will, by humility, R, mg); in OT quotations, for Heb. חפץ, with accusative of person(s); with inf.; for אמר, with inf., (see Cremer, 726ff.). *θέλω *(the strengthened form *ἐθέλω *is found in Hom., and is the more frequently in Attic; see Rutherford, NPhr., 415f.), [in LXX for חפץ,אבה; with neg., *מאן *pi., etc. ;] to will, be willing, wish, desire (more frequently than βούλομαι, which see, in vernac. and late Gk., also in MGr.; for various views as to its relation to β., see Thayer, 286; but see also BL, §24, ): absol.; θεοῦ θέλοντος; with inf. ,; οὐ θέλω, inf.,; opposite to ποιέω, πράσσω, ἐνεργέω; (ICG, in l.; Deiss., LAE); *θέλων ἐν ταπεινοφροσυνῄ *(of his own mere will, by humility, R, mg); in OT quotations, for Heb. חפץ, with accusative of person(s); with inf.; for אמר, with inf., (see Cremer, 726ff.).
LXX: for חפץ,אבה; with neg., מאן pi., etc.

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Grammar & Morphology

Part of Speech

Verb

Morphology Code

G:V

Full Description

Greek Verb

Occurrences

θέλω appears 202 times in the New Testament.

Distribution by Book

Matthew
41
Luke
27
Mark
25
John
21
1 Corinthians
17
Acts
15
Romans
13
Galatians
9

Key Passages

1 Corinthians 10:1BSB

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea.

Acts 17:20BSB

For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”

John 5:35BSB

John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light.

Matthew 12:38BSB

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

Mark 10:35BSB

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

Lexicon data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge) under CC BY 4.0 license.