ἔργον

ἔργον — érgon

ἔργον, ἔργου, τό, anciently Φεργον (German Werk, (English work; cf. Vanicek, p. 922)); the Sept. for פֹּעַל, עֲבֹדָה and countless times for מְלָאכָה and מַעֲשֶׂה; work, i. e.

1. business, employment, that with which anyone is occupied: Mar 13:34 (διδόναι τίνι τό ἔργον αὐτοῦ); Act 14:26 (πληροῦν); 1Ti 3:1; thus of the work of salvation committed by God to Christ: διδόναι and τελειουν, Joh 17:4; of the work to be done by the apostles and other Christian teachers, as well as by the presiding officers of the religious assemblies, Act 13:2; Act 15:38; 1Th 5:13; Php 1:22; τό ἔργον τίνος, genitive of the subjunctive, the work which one does, service which one either performs or ought to perform, 1Th 5:13; ἔργον ποιεῖν τίνος to do the work of one (i. e. incumbent upon him), εὐαγγελιστοῦ, 2Ti 4:5; τό ἔργον τίνος i. e. assigned by one and to be done for his sake: τό ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ τελειουν, used of Christ, Joh 4:34; (τοῦ) Χριστοῦ (WH text Tr marginal reading κυρίου), Php 2:30; τοῦ κυρίου, 1Co 15:58; 1Co 16:10; with genitive of thing, εἰς ἔργον διακονίας, Eph 4:12, which means either to the work in which the ministry consists, the work performed in undertaking the ministry, or to the execution of the ministry. of that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking: Act 5:38 (Deu 15:10; Wis 2:12).

2. any product whatever, anything accomplished by hand, art, industry, mind (equivalent to ποίημα, κτίσμα): 1Co 3:13-15; with the addition of τῶν χειρῶν, things formed by the hand of man, Act 7:41; of the works of God visible in the created world, Heb 1:10, and often in the Sept.; τά ἐν τῇ γῆ ἔργα, the works of nature and of art (Bengel), 2Pe 3:10; of the arrangements of God for men's salvation: Act 15:18 Rec.; τό ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ, what God works in man, i. e. a life dedicated to God and Christ, Rom 14:20; to the same effect, substantially, ἔργον ἀγαθόν, Php 1:6 (see ἀγαθός, 2); τά ἔργα τοῦ διαβόλου, sins and all the misery that springs from them, 1Jn 3:8.

3. an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasized in opposed to that which is less than work, Jas 1:25; Tit 1:16; τό ἔργον is distinguished from ὁ λόγος: Luk 24:19; Rom 15:18; 2Co 10:11; Col 3:17; 2Th 2:17; 1Jn 3:18 (Sir 3:8); plural ἐν λόγοις καί ἐν ἔργοις, Act 7:22 (4Ma 5:38 (37); for the same or similar contrasts, common in Greek writings, see Fritzsche on Romans, iii., p. 268f; Bergler on Alciphron, p. 54; Bornemann and Kühner, on Xenophon, mem. 2, 3, 6; Passow, under the word, p. 1159; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, I. 4; Lob. Paralip., pp. 64f, 525f)). ἔργα is used of the acts of God — both as creator, Heb 4:10; and as governor, Joh 9:3; Act 13:41; Rev 15:3; of sundry signal acts of Christ, to rouse men to believe in him and to accomplish their salvation: Mat 11:2 (cf. ἔργα τῆς σοφίας Mat 11:19 T WH Tr text), and especially in the Gospel of John, as Joh 5:20; Joh 5:36; Joh 7:3; Joh 10:38; Joh 14:11; Joh 15:24, (cf. Grimm, Instit. theol. dogmat., p. 63, edition 2); they are called τά ἔργα τοῦ πατρός, i. e. done at the bidding and by the aid of the Father, Joh 10:37; Joh 9:3 f, cf. Joh 10:25; Joh 10:32; Joh 14:10; καλά, as beneficent, Joh 10:32 f; and connected with the verbs δεικνύναι, ποιεῖν, ἐργάζεσθαι, τελειουν. ἔργα is applied to the conduct of men, measured by the standard of religion and righteousness — whether bad, Mat 23:3; Luk 11:48; Joh 3:20; Rev 2:6; Rev 16:11, etc.; or good, Joh 3:21; James 2:14, 17f, 20-22, 24-26; Jas 3:13; Rev 2:5; Rev 2:9 (Rec.),;; νόμος ἔργων, the law which demands good works, Rom 3:27; with a suggestion of toil, or struggle with hindrances, in the phrase καταπαύειν ἀπό τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, Heb 4:10; to recompense one κατά τά ἔργα αὐτοῦ, Rom 2:6; 2Ti 4:14; Rev 2:23 (Psalm 61:13 ), cf. 2Co 11:15; Rev 18:6; Rev 20:12 f; the singular τό ἔργον is used collectively of an aggregate of actions (German dasHandeln), Jas 1:4; τίνος, the genitive of person and subjunctive, his whole way of feeling and acting, his aims and endeavors: Gal 6:4; 1Pe 1:17; Rev 22:12; τό ἔργον τοῦ νόμου, the course of action demanded by the law, Rom 2:15. With epithets: ἀγαθόν ἔργον, i. e. either a benefaction, 2Co 9:8; plural Act 9:36; or every good work springing from piety, Rom 2:7; Col 1:10; 2Th 2:17; Tit 1:16; 2Ti 2:21; 2Ti 3:17; Heb 13:21 (T WH omit ἔργον); plural Eph 2:10; or what harmonizes with the order of society, Rom 13:3; Tit 3:1; ἔργον καλόν, a good deed, noble action (see καλός, b. and c.): Mat 26:10; Mar 14:6; plural (often in Attic writings), Mat 5:16; 1Ti 5:10; 1Ti 5:25; 1Ti 6:18; Tit 2:7; Tit 3:8; Tit 3:14; Heb 10:24; 1Pe 2:12; τά ἔργα τά ἐν δικαιοσύνη equivalent to τά δίκαια, Tit 3:5; τά ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ, the works required and approved by God, Joh 6:28 (Jer 31:10; 1Es 7:9; 1Es 7:15), in the same sense ἔργα μου i. e. of Christ, Rev 2:26; ἔργον πίστεως, wrought by faith, the course of conduct which springs from faith, 1Th 1:3; 2Th 1:11; ἔργα ἄξια τῆς μετανοίας, Act 26:20; ἔργα πεπληρωμένα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, Rev 3:2; ἔργα πονηρά, Col 1:21; 2Jn 1:11, cf. Joh 3:19; Joh 7:7; 1Jn 3:12; ἔργα νεκρά, works devoid of that life which has its source in God, works so to speak unwrought, which at the last judgment will fail of the approval of God and of all reward: Heb 6:1; Heb 9:14; ἄκαρπα, Eph 5:11 (ἄχρηστα, Wis 3:11; the wicked man μετά τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ συναπολειται, the Epistle of Barnabas 21, 1 [ET]); ἄνομα, 2Pe 2:8; ἔργα ἀσεβείας, Jud 1:15; τοῦ σκότους, done in darkness, Rom 13:12; Eph 5:11; (opposed to ἔργα τοῦ φωτός, Rom 13:12 L marginal reading); in Paul's writings ἔργα νόμου, works demanded by and agreeing with the law (cf. Wieseler, commentary iib.

d. Br. an d. Gal., p. 194ff): Rom 3:20; Rom 3:28; Rom 9:32 Rec.; Gal 2:16; Gal 3:2; Gal 3:5; Gal 3:10; and simply ἔργα: Rom 4:2; Rom 4:6; Rom 9:12 (11); Rom 9:32 G L T Tr WH; Rom 11:6; Eph 2:9; 2Ti 1:9 (see δικαιόω, 3 b.). τά ἔργα τίνος ποιεῖν, to do works the same as or like to those of another, to follow in action another's example: Abraham's, Joh 8:39; that of the devil, Joh 8:41.