Lexical meaning of G5046-perfect/mature

  • Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.

    You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

TonyChanYT

Well-Known Member
Sep 13, 2023
1,725
705
113
63
Toronto
Faith
Christian
Country
Canada
Matthew 5:

48 Be perfect [G5046], therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Heb 5:

12b You need milk, not solid food, 13for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14But solid food is for the mature [G5046], for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Heb 9:

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect [G5046] tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
more perfect
τελειοτέρας (teleioteras)
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular - Comparative

Strong's Greek: 5046. τέλειος (teleios) — 19 Occurrences

G5046 can be applied from divine perfection to human maturity. It even has a comparative form. It has a wide range of meanings. BDAG τέλειος:

Hom. e.g. Il. 24, 34 of unblemished sacrificial animals
It was used to describe a perfect sacrificial animal.

gener. ‘attaining an end or purpose, complete’.
① pert. to meeting the highest standard
ⓐ of things, perfect α. as acme of goodness, as adj.
β. as acme of badness … τὸ τέλειον τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν the full measure of the sins
ⓑ of persons who are fully up to standard in a certain respect and not satisfied with half-way measures perfect, complete, expert
② pert. to being mature, full-grown, mature, adult
③ pert. to being a cult initiate, initiated. As a t.t. of the mystery religions, τέλειος refers to one initiated into mystic rites
④ pert. to being fully developed in a moral sense
ⓐ of humans perfect, fully developed
ⓑ of God perfect
The English word "perfect" is similar. Oxford:

  1. having everything that is necessary; complete and without faults or weaknesses. He smiled, revealing a perfect set of teeth.
  2. completely correct; exact and accurate
  3. the best of its kind. the perfect crime (= one in which the criminal is never discovered)
  4. excellent; very good. The weather was perfect.
  5. exactly right for somebody/something. You and Jeff are perfect for each other.