θέλω

θέλω — thélō

ἐθέλω, see θέλω.

STRONGS NT 2309: θέλωθέλω (only in this form in the N. T.; in Greek authors also ἐθέλω (Veitch, under the word; Lob. ad Phryn., p. 7; Buttmann, 57 (49))); imperfect ἤθελον; (future 3 person singular θελήσει, Rev 11:5 WH marginal reading); 1 aorist ἠθέλησα; (derived apparently from ἑλεῖν with a fuller aspiration, so that it means properly, to seize with the mind; but Curtius, p. 726, edition 5, regards its root as uncertain (he inclines, however, to the view of Pott, Fick, Vanicek, and others, which connects it with a root meaning to hold to)); the Sept. for אָבָה and חָפֵץ; to will (have in mind) intend; i. e.:

1. to be resolved or determined, to purpose: absolutely, ὁ θέλων, Rom 9:16; τοῦ Θεοῦ θέλοντος if God will, Act 18:21; ἐάν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ. (in Attic ἐάν θεός θέλῃ, ἦν οἱ Θεοί θέλωσιν (cf. Lob. as above)), 1Co 4:19; Jas 4:15; καθώς ἠθέλησε, 1Co 12:18; 1Co 15:38; τί, Romans 7:15f, 19; 1Co 7:36; Gal 5:17; with the aorist infinitive, Mat 20:14; Mat 26:15; Joh 6:21 (where the meaning is, they were willing to receive him into the ship, but that was unnecessary, because unexpectedly the ship was nearing the land; cf. Lücke, B-Crusius, Ewald (Godet), others at the passage; Winers Grammar, § 54, 4; (Buttmann, 375 (321))); Joh 12:44; Act 25:9; Col 1:27; 1Th 2:18; Rev 11:5, etc.; with the present infinitive, Luk 10:29 R G; Joh 6:67; Joh 12:17; Joh 8:44; Act 24:6 (Rec.); Rom 7:21; Gal 4:9 (here T Tr text WH text 1 aorist infinitive); with an infinitive suggested by the context, Joh 5:21 (οὕς θέλει, namely, ζοωποιησαι); Mat 8:2; Mar 3:13; Mar 6:22; Rom 9:18; Rev 11:6, etc. οὐ θέλω to be unwilling: with the aorist infinitive, Mat 2:18; Mat 15:32; Mat 22:3; Mar 6:26; Luk 15:28; Joh 5:40; Act 7:39; 1Co 16:7; Rev 2:21 (not Rec.), etc.; with the present infinitive, Joh 7:1; Act 14:13; Act 17:18; 2Th 3:10, etc.; with the infinitive omitted and to be gathered from the context, Mat 18:30; Mat 21:29; Luk 18:4, etc.; θέλω and οὐ θέλω followed by the accusative with an infinitive, Luk 1:62; 1Co 10:20; on the Pauline phrase οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, see ἀγνοέω, a.; corresponding to θέλω ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι, 1Co 11:3; Col 2:1. θέλειν, used of a purpose or resolution, is contrasted with the carrying out of the purpose into act: opposed to ποιεῖν, πράσσειν, Rom 7:15; Rom 7:19; 2Co 8:10 f (on which latter passage cf. DeWette and Meyer; Winer's Grammar, § 61, 7b.); to ἐνεργεῖν, Php 2:13, cf. Mar 6:19; Joh 7:44. One is said also θέλειν that which he is on the point of doing: Mar 6:48; Joh 1:43 (44); and it is used thus also of things that tend or point to some conclusion (cf. Winers Grammar, § 42, 1 b.; Buttmann, 254 (219)): Act 2:12; Act 17:20. λανθάνει αὐτούς τοῦτο θέλοντας this (viz., what follows, ὅτι etc.) escapes them of their own will, i. e. they are purposely, wilfully, ignorant, 2Pe 3:5, where others interpret as follows: this (viz. what has been said previously) desiring (i. e. holding as their opinion (for examples of this sense see Sophocles Lexicon, under the word, 4)), they are ignorant etc.; but cf. DeWette at the passage and Winers Grammar, § 54, 4 note; (Buttmann, § 150, 8 Rem.). τάς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρός ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιεῖν it is your purpose to fulfil the lusts of your father, i. e. ye are actuated by him of your own free knowledge and choice, Joh 8:44 (Winers Grammar, as above; Buttmann, 375 (321)).

2. equivalent to to desire, to wish: τί, Mat 20:21; Mar 14:36; Luk 5:39 (but WH in brackets); Joh 15:7; 1Co 4:21; 2Co 11:12; followed by the aorist infinitive, Mat 5:40; Mat 12:38; Mat 16:25; Mat 19:17; Mar 10:43; Luk 8:20; Luk 13:8; Joh 5:6; Joh 5:35 (ye were desirous of rejoicing);; Gal 3:2; Jas 2:20; 1Pe 3:10; followed by the present infinitive, Joh 9:27; Gal 4:20 (ἤθελον I could wish, on which imperfect see εὔχομαι, 2); the infinitive is lacking and to be supplied from the neighboring verb, Mat 17:12; Mat 27:15; Mar 9:13; Joh 21:18; followed by the accusative and infinitive, Mar 7:24; Luk 1:62; Joh 21:22; Rom 16:19; 1Co 7:7; 1Co 7:32; 1Co 14:5; Gal 6:13; οὐ θέλω to be unwilling (desire not): followed by the aorist infinitive, Mat 23:4; Luk 19:14; Luk 19:27; 1Co 10:20; followed by ἵνα, Mat 7:12; Mar 6:25; Mar 9:30; Mar 10:35; Luk 6:31; Joh 17:24; cf. Winers Grammar, § 44, 8 b.; (Buttmann, § 139, 46); followed by the deliberative subjunctive (aorist): θέλεις συλλέξωμεν αὐτά (cf. the German willstdu,sollenwirzusammenlesen? (Goodwin § 88)), Mat 13:28; add, Mat 20:32 (where L brackets adds ἵνα);; Mar 10:51; Mar 14:12; Mar 15:9; Mar 15:12 (Tr brackets θέλεις); Luk 9:54; Luk 18:41; Luk 22:9 (cf. Winers Grammar, § 41 a. 4 b.; Buttmann, § 139, 2); followed by εἰ, Luk 12:49 (see εἰ, I. 4); followed by ἤ, to prefer, 1Co 14:19 (see ἤ, 3 d.).

3. equivalent to to love; followed by an infinitive, to like to do a thing, be fond of doing: Mar 12:38; Luk 20:46; cf. Winers Grammar, § 54, 4; (Buttmann, § 150, 8).

4. in imitation of the Hebrew חָפֵץ, to take delight, have pleasure (opposite by Buttmann, § 150, 8 Rem.; cf. Winer's Grammar, § 33, a.; but see examples below): ἐν τίνι, in a thing, Col 2:18 (ἐν καλῷ, to delight in goodness, Test xii. Patr., p. 688 (test. Ash. 1; (cf. εἰς ζωήν, p. 635, test. Zeb. 3); Psa 111:1; Psa 146:10 ); ἐν τίνι, the dative of the person, 1Sa 18:22; 2Sa 15:26; (1Ki 10:9); 2Ch 9:8; for בְּ רָצָה, 1Ch 28:4). τινα, to love one: Mat 27:43 (Psa 21:9; (Psalm 17:20; Psa 40:12; Eze 18:32, cf. Eze 18:23; Tob 13:6; epp. to μισεῖν, Ignatius ad Rom 8:1-39; Rom 3:1-31 [ET]; θεληθῆναι is used of those who find favor, ibid. 8, 1). τί, Mat 9:13 and Mat 12:7 (from Hos 6:6); Heb 10:5; Heb 10:8 (fr. Psa 39:7 ). As respects the distinction between βούλομαι and θέλω, the former seems to designate the will which follows deliberation, the latter the will which proceeds from inclination. This appears not only from Mat 1:19, but also from the fact that the Sept. express the idea of pleasure, delight, by the verb θέλειν (see just above). The reverse of this distinction is laid down by Alexander Buttmann (1873) Lexil. i., p. 26 (English translation, p. 194); Delitzsch on Heb 6:17. According to Tittmann (Syn., i., p. 124) θέλειν denotes mere volition, βούλεσθαι inclination; (cf. Whiston on Demosthenes 9, 5; 124, 13). (Philip Buttmanns statement of the distinction between the two words is quoted with approval by Schmidt (Syn., iii., chapter 146), who adduces in confirmation (besides many examples) the assumed relationship between βούλομαι and Φελπις, ἐλπίς; the use of θέλω in the sense of 'resolve' in such passages as Thucydides 5, 9; of θέλων equivalent to ἡδέως in the poets; of βούλομαι as parallel to ἐπιθυμέω in Demosthenes 29, 45, etc.; and passages in which the two words occur together and βούλομαι is apparently equivalent to 'wish' while θέλω stands for 'will' as Xenophon, an. 4, 4, 5; Euripides, Alc. 281, etc., etc. At the same time it must be confessed that scholars are far from harmonious on the subject. Many agree with Prof. Grimm that θέλω gives prominence to the emotive element, βούλομαι emphasizes the rational and volitive; that θέλω signifies the choice, while βούλομαι marks the choice as deliberate and intelligent; yet they acknowledge that the words are sometimes used indiscriminately, and especially that θέλω as the less sharply-defined term is put where βούλομαι would be proper; see Ellendt, Lex. Sophocles; Pape, Handwörterb.; Seiler, Wörterb. d. Homer, under the word βούλομαι; Suhle und Schneidewin, Handwörterb.; Crosby, Lex. to Xenophon, an., under the word ἐθέλω; (Arnold's) Pillon, Greek Syn. § 129; Webster, Synt. and Syn. of the Greek Testament, p. 197; Wilke, Clavis N. T., edition 2, 2:603; Schleusner, N. T. Lex. see under the word, βούλομαι; Munthe, Observations, phil. in N. T. ex Diodorus Siculus, etc., p. 3; Valckenaer, Scholia etc. ii. 23; Westermann on Demosthenes 20, 111; the commentators generally on Matt. as above; Lightfoot on Phm 1:13-14; Riddle in Schaff's Lange on Eph., p. 42; this seems to be roughly intended by Ammonius also: βούλεσθαι μέν ἐπί μόνου λεκτεον τοῦ λογικου. τό δέ θέλειν καί ἐπί ἀλογου ζοωυ; (and Eustathius on Iliad 1, 112, p. 61, 2, says ὀυχ' ἁπλῶς θέλω, ἀλλά βούλομαι, ὅπερ ἐπίτασις τοῦ θέλειν ἐστιν). On the other hand, Liddell and Scott (under the word ἐθέλω); Passow, edition 5; Rost, Wörterb. edition 4; Schenkl, Schulwörterb.; Donaldson, Crat. § 463f; Wahl; Clay. Apocrypha, under the word βούλομαι; Cremer, under the words, βούλομαι and θέλω; especially Stallb. on Platos de repub. 4, 13, p. 437 b. (cf. too Cope on Aristotle, rhet. 2, 19, 19); Franke on Demosthenes 1, 1, substantially reverse the distinction, as does Ellicott on 1Ti 5:14; Wordsworth on 1Th 2:18. Although the latter opinion may seem to be favored by that view of the derivation of the words which allies βούλομαι with voluptas (Curtius, § 659, compare p. 726), and makes θέλω signify 'to hold to something,' 'form a fixed resolve' (see above, at the beginning), yet the predominant usage of the N. T. will be evident to one who looks up the passages referred to above (Fritzsche's explanation of Mat 1:19 is hardly natural); to which may be added such as Mat 2:18; Mat 9:13; Mat 12:38; Mat 15:28; Mat 17:4; (cf. Luk 22:42); Mar 6:19; Mar 7:24; Mar 9:30; Mar 10:35; Mar 12:38; Mar 15:9 (cf. Joh 18:39), Mar 15:15 (where R. V. wishing is questionable; cf. Luk 23:20); Luk 10:24; Luk 15:28; Luk 16:26; Joh 5:6; Joh 6:11; Joh 12:21; Act 10:10; Act 18:15; Rom 7:19 (cf. Rom 7:15, its opposed to μισῶ, and indeed the use of θέλω throughout this chapter); 1Co 7:36; 1Co 7:39; 1Co 14:35; Eph 1:11; 2Th 3:10, etc. Such passages as 1Ti 2:4; 2Pe 3:9 will be ranged now on one side, now on the other; cf. 1Co 12:11; 1Co 12:18. θέλω occurs in the N. T. about five times as often as βούλομαι (on the relative use of the words in classic writers see Tycho Mommsen in Rutherford, New Phryn., p. 415f). The usage of the Sept. (beyond the particular specified by Prof. Grimm) seems to afford little light; see e. g. Gen 24:5; Gen 24:8; Deu 25:7; Psa 39:7; Psa 39:9, etc. In modern Greek θέλω seems to have nearly driven βούλομαι out of use; on θέλω as an auxiliary cf. Jebb in Vincent and Dickson's Handbook, Appendix §§ 60, 64. For examples of the associated use of the words in classic Greek, see Stephanus' Thesaurus under the word βούλομαι, p. 366 d.; Lightfoot, Cremer, and especially Schmidt, as above.)