Will, Would

Cross-references:

• Also found in Nave's Topical Bible
• Also found in Easton's Bible Dictionary

Will, Would

1. thelema
2. thelesis
3. boulema
4. eudokia
5. eunoia

1. hekon
2. akon

1. thelo
2. boulomai
3. mello

thelema signifies
(a) objectively, "that which is willed, of the will of God," e.g., Matt_18:14; Mark_3:35, the fulfilling being a sign of spiritual relationship to the Lord; John_4:34; John_5:30; John_6:39,40; Acts_13:22, plural, "my desires;" Rom_2:18; Rom_12:2, lit., "the will of God, the good and perfect and acceptable;" here the repeated article is probably resumptive, the adjectives describing the will, as in the Eng. versions; Gal_1:4; Eph_1:9; Eph_5:17, "of the Lord;" Col_1:9; Col_4:12; 1_Thess_4:3; 1_Thess_5:18, where it means "the gracious design," rather than "the determined resolve;" 2_Tim_2:26, which should read "which have been taken captive by him" [(autou), i.e., by the Devil; the RV, "by the Lord's servant" is an interpretation; it does not correspond to the Greek] unto His (ekeinou) will" (i.e., "God's will;" the different pronoun refers back to the subject of the sentence, viz., God); Heb_10:10; Rev_4:11, RV, "because of Thy will;" of human will, e.g., 1_Cor_7:37;
(b) subjectively, the "will" being spoken of as the emotion of being desirous, rather than as the thing "willed;" of the "will" of God, e.g., Rom_1:10; 1_Cor_1:1; 2_Cor_1:1; 2_Cor_8:5; Eph_1:1,5,11; Col_1:1; 2_Tim_1:1; Heb_10:7,9,36; 1_John_2:17; 1_John_5:14; of human "will," e.g., John_1:13; Eph_2:3, "the desires of the flesh;" 1_Pet_4:3 (in some texts); 2_Pet_1:21. See thelema_under_DESIRE, PLEASURE.

See also : thelema in other topics

thelesis denotes "a willing, a wishing" [similar to A1(b)], Heb_2:4.

boulema "a deliberate design, that which is purposed," Rom_9:19; 1_Pet_4:3 (in the best texts). See boulema_under_PURPOSE.

See also : boulema in other topics

eudokia (eu, "well," dokeo, "to think") is rendered "good will" in Luke_2:14, AV (see WELL_PLEASED); Php_1:15: see DESIRE, PLEASURE, SEEM, WELL-PLEASING.

See also : eudokia in other topics

eunoia "good will" (eu, "well," nous, "the mind"), occurs in Eph_6:7 (in some texts, 1_Cor_7:3).

Notes:
(1) In Acts_13:36, AV, boule, "counsel" (RV), is translated "will."
(2) In Rev_17:17, AV, gnome, "an opinion," RV, "mind," is translated "will."
(3) For "will-worship," Col_2:23, see ethelothreskeia[-ia]_under_WORSHIP.

See also : eunoia in other topics

hekon "of free will, willingly," occurs in Rom_8:20, RV, "of its own will" (AV, "willingly"); 1_Cor_9:17, RV, "of my own will" (AV, "willingly"). In the Sept., Ex_21:13; Job_36:19.

akon a, negative, and hekon, "unwillingly," occurs in 1_Cor_9:17, RV, "not of mine own will" (AV, "against my will"). In the Sept., Job_14:17.

When "will" is not part of the translation of the future tense of verbs, it represents one of the following:

See also : akon in other topics

thelo for the force of which see thelo_under_DESIRE, usually expresses "desire" or "design;" it is most frequently translated by "will" or "would;" see especially Rom_7:15,16,18-21. In 1_Tim_2:4, RV, "willeth" signifies the gracious "desire" of God for all men to be saved; not all are "willing" to accept His condition, depriving themselves either by the self-established criterion of their perverted reason, or because of their self-indulgent preference for sin. In John_6:21, the AV renders the verb "willingly" (RV, "they were willing"); in 2_Pet_3:5, AV, the present participle is translated "willingly" (RV, "willfully").

The following are RV renderings for the AV, "will:" Matt_16:24,25, "would;" "wouldest," Matt_19:21; Matt_20:21; "would," Matt_20:26,27; Mark_8:34,35; Mark_10:43,44; "would fain," Luke_13:31; "would," John_6:67; "willeth," John_7:17; in John_8:44, "it is your will (to do);" "wouldest," Rom_13:3; "would," 1_Cor_14:35; 1_Pet_3:10.

See also : thelo in other topics

boulomai for the force of which see boulomai_under_DESIRE, usually expresses the deliberate exercise of volition more strongly than thelo, and is rendered as follows in the RV, where the AV has "will:" Matt_11:27; Luke_10:22, "willeth;" James_4:4, "would;" in James_3:4, RV, "willeth" (AV, "listeth"). In James_1:18 the perfect participle is translated "of His own will," lit. "having willed."

See also : boulomai in other topics

mello "to be about to," is translated "will" in Matt_2:13; John_7:35 (twice); "wilt," John_14:22; "will," Acts_17:31; "wouldest," Acts_23:20; "will," Acts_27:10; Rev_3:16. See mello_under_ABOUT.

See also : mello in other topics