τελειόω (teleioō)
teleioō
to perfect
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 23 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb teleioō means to bring something to its intended end or goal, rendering it complete. In the New Testament, it describes both finishing a task and bringing a person or thing into full maturity. Jesus uses it to describe accomplishing His Father’s work (John 4:34) and fulfilling Scripture (John 19:28), showing that completion involves reaching a specific purpose rather than merely stopping an activity.
The word carries a strong ethical weight in passages like Hebrews, where God makes believers perfect through Christ’s sacrifice (Hebrews 10:14). It also appears in John’s letters to describe love reaching its full expression (1 John 4:18). This usage highlights that perfection here is not flawlessness but functional wholeness—being fully equipped for the role God designed.
Its root relates to τέλειος, meaning "complete" or "mature." Unlike words for moral sinlessness, teleioō focuses on readiness and fulfillment. Translators often use "perfect," "finish," or "make complete," depending on whether the context is an action, a person, or a prophecy. The term underscores that God’s work in believers moves toward a definite, finished state.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Greek word teleioō invites us to see completion not as a static finish line, but as a journey toward purpose. It describes bringing something to its intended end, whether that is Jesus finishing His Father’s work or believers growing into full maturity. This perspective shifts our focus from mere effort to faithful alignment with God’s design.
In your daily walk, this means trusting that God is actively shaping you. Hebrews reminds us that Christ’s sacrifice makes us complete for every good work, while John shows that love reaches its full expression when we care for others. You are being equipped for the role God created you to fill, moving steadily toward wholeness rather than striving for an impossible standard of flawlessness.
This promise offers deep encouragement. You do not need to carry the weight of perfection alone. Instead, you can rest in the truth that your spiritual growth is a divine process, guided by grace and aimed at a specific, beautiful goal.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 23 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- perfected4×
- has been perfected2×
- when having completed1×
- was perfected?1×
- to perfect;1×
- to make perfect.1×
- to make perfect1×
- to finish1×
- they may be made perfect.1×
- perfected.1×
- may finish1×
- may be fulfilled1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- τετελείωται2×
- τελειῶσαι2×
- τελειώσω2×
- ἐτελείωσεν1×
- ἐτελειώθη;1×
- τετελείωται.1×
- τετελείωμαι,1×
- τετελείωκεν1×
- τετελειωμένων1×
- τετελειωμένον.¶1×
- τετελειωμένοι1×
- τετελειωμένη1×
Key Verses
-
Hebrews 10:14
For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
This verse highlights the definitive nature of Christ's sacrifice, showing that His single offering permanently completes those who are being sanctified.
-
John 17:23
I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one, that the world may know that you sent me and loved them, even as you loved me.
Here Jesus prays for believers to be perfected into unity, linking our spiritual wholeness directly to the world's recognition of God's love.
-
James 2:22
You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected.
This passage illustrates that faith is not static but reaches its intended end when it produces tangible actions in a believer's life.