5050. teleiósis
Lexical Summary
teleiósis: Completion, Perfection, Fulfillment

Original Word: τελείωσις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: teleiósis
Pronunciation: te-lay-O-sis
Phonetic Spelling: (tel-i'-o-sis)
KJV: perfection, performance
NASB: fulfillment, perfection
Word Origin: [from G5448 (φυσιόω - arrogant)]

1. (the act) completion
2. (of prophecy) verification
3. (of expiation) absolution

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
perfection

From phusioo; (the act) completion, i.e. (of prophecy) verification, or (of expiation) absolution -- perfection, performance.

see GREEK phusioo

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 5050 teleíōsis (a feminine noun) – a brand of consummation (completion) which focuses on the final stage (fulfillment, end-phase) of the consummation process – see the correlating verb form (5048 /teleióō). See 5056 (telos).

[See also 5047 (teleiotēs, another feminine noun from the same root) which stresses the combination of truth which sustains further consummation and 5054 (teleutḗ) – a third feminine noun derived from this root meaning "death (consummation) in relation to the Lord's sovereign control of life."]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from teleioó
Definition
completion, perfection
NASB Translation
fulfillment (1), perfection (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5050: τελείωσις

τελείωσις, τελειώσεως, (τελειόω), a completing, perfecting;

a. fulfilment, accomplishment; the event which verifies a promise (see τελειόω, 4): Luke 1:45 (Judith 10:9; Philo de vit. Moys. iii. § 39).

b. consummation, perfection (see τελειόω, 3): Hebrews 7:11. (In various senses in Aristotle, Theophrastus, Diodorus) (Cf. references under the word τελειόω, 3.)

Topical Lexicon
Core Idea of τελείωσις

The word denotes the arrival at a designed goal—an end-state that fully matches God’s intention. It captures the moment when a purpose, promise, or process reaches its God-ordained completion. Throughout Scripture this idea is never abstract progress for its own sake; it is always completion in the sphere of God’s covenantal plan.

Occurrences in the New Testament

1. Luke 1:45 – Elizabeth blesses Mary because the word spoken from the Lord “will be fulfilled”. Here τελείωσις describes the certain completion of the promise of Messiah’s conception and birth. The context links it to prophetic fulfillment: what God declares, God completes.

2. Hebrews 7:11 – The writer argues that “perfection” was not attainable through the Levitical priesthood. τελείωσις exposes the insufficiency of the old order and prepares the reader for the superior priesthood of Jesus in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:19; Hebrews 10:14).

Salvation-Historical Significance

The two uses bracket salvation history—from the promise of incarnation to the once-for-all priestly work of Christ. In Luke, the future completion of promise is celebrated before it happens; in Hebrews, the past lack of completion in the Law sets the stage for Christ’s accomplished work. Thus τελείωσις frames both anticipation and realization, showing continuity in God’s plan.

Connection to the Priesthood of Christ

Hebrews employs τελείωσις to highlight a critical transition:

• The Levitical system could bring worshipers near ceremonially but never bring them into final, unbroken fellowship with God.
• Jesus, by a superior oath (Hebrews 7:20-22) and an indestructible life (Hebrews 7:16), provides the τελείωσις the Law could not.
• The thought culminates in Hebrews 10:14: “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified”. τελείωσις therefore undergirds assurance, intercession, and eternal security.

Fulfillment of Prophetic Promise

Luke 1:45 anchors τελείωσις in covenant fidelity. Elizabeth’s affirmation recalls Old Testament assurances such as Joshua 21:45 and Isaiah 55:11, where no divine word falls to the ground. In Mary’s case, τελείωσις will arrive through miraculous conception, underscoring that completion rests on divine power, not human capability (Luke 1:37).

Historical and Cultural Background

Jewish thought commonly used “perfection” (Hebrew tamim) for priestly fitness and sacrificial wholeness (Leviticus 22:21). Greek philosophical circles prized τέλειος for moral virtue or technical skill. Hebrews builds on the cultic sense: only a flawless priesthood could give flawless access. By applying τελείωσις to Christ, the author merges Jewish sacrificial categories with the ultimate, eschatological goal.

Implications for Ministry and Discipleship

1. Certainty of God’s Promises: Believers can echo Mary’s faith, trusting that every word God speaks will reach τελείωσις. This fuels prayer, endurance, and evangelism.

2. Confidence in Christ’s Mediation: Since τελείωσις is secured in Jesus, the believer’s standing is not a shifting status but a completed reality, fostering assurance and joy in worship.

3. Call to Maturity: While τελείωσις describes an achieved state, Hebrews also urges growth toward that state (Hebrews 6:1). Past completion energizes present progress.

Related Biblical Concepts

• Teleioō (to perfect) – the ongoing action leading to τελείωσις.
• Teleios (mature, complete) – the character produced when τελείωσις is applied.
• Tetelestai (“It is finished,” John 19:30) – the climactic declaration of completion at the cross, linguistically kin to τελείωσις.

Key Points for Teaching and Preaching

• Emphasize God’s faithfulness from promise to performance (Luke 1).
• Contrast human systems that can begin a work with the divine Priest who completes it (Hebrews 7).
• Encourage believers to view their sanctification as grounded in an already-secured τελείωσις while actively pursuing holy maturity.
• Present Christ’s work as comprehensive: it perfects conscience, worship, and future hope.

Summary

τελείωσις captures the Bible’s account line: God makes promises, God accomplishes promises, and in Christ those promises reach consummation. From Mary’s womb to the heavenly sanctuary, the term signals that everything God designs will, without fail, be brought to its destined completion.

Forms and Transliterations
τελειώσεσι τελειώσεως τελειώσεώς τελειωσις τελείωσις teleiosis teleiōsis teleíosis teleíōsis
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Luke 1:45 N-NFS
GRK: ὅτι ἔσται τελείωσις τοῖς λελαλημένοις
NAS: [is] she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken
KJV: there shall be a performance of those things which were told
INT: for there will be a fulfillment to the things spoken

Hebrews 7:11 N-NFS
GRK: μὲν οὖν τελείωσις διὰ τῆς
NAS: if perfection was through
KJV: If therefore perfection were by
INT: indeed then perfection by the

Strong's Greek 5050
2 Occurrences


τελείωσις — 2 Occ.

5049
Top of Page
Top of Page