ὁλοκληρία
holoklēría
G3647 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
State of being whole, complete, or unimpaired; primarily, physical soundness or unbroken condition of the body, implying intact health or absence of defect. By extension, may refer to unimpaired condition in other spheres (e.g., character or integrity), but in Koine usage is chiefly concerned with physical or material wholeness.
Semantic Range
physical wholeness, unimpaired condition, health, intact or unbroken state, completeness (of body or part), (rarely) integrity
Root / Etymology
From ὁλόκληρος ('whole, entire, complete'), itself a compound of ὅλος ('whole') and κλῆρος ('lot, portion'). The suffix -ία forms an abstract noun indicating a state or condition.
Historical & Contextual Notes
ὁλοκληρία appears infrequently in extant Greek literature and is attested in the New Testament only in Acts 3:16, where it describes the physical soundness restored to a formerly disabled man. In broader Koine and Hellenistic usage, it denotes complete health or entirety, particularly the absence of physical defect. The semantic focus is somatic: a wholeness of body, not merely moral or spiritual 'integrity' as later English might imply. In contrast to related terms such as ὑγίεια (health, well-being), ὁλοκληρία stresses intactness or undamaged condition, often after restoration. English translations such as 'perfect soundness' or 'complete health' generally capture the immediate context of NT usage, but 'integrity' in modern English may misleadingly suggest character rather than physical wholeness, which is not the principal NT sense. There is no substantial evidence for this noun in classical prose, indicating a possible preference for it in later Hellenistic or medical registers. The cognate adjective ὁλόκληρος has broader occurrences.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from ὁλόκληρος; integrity, i.e. physical wholeness:--perfect soundness.
Root Family
ὁλοκληρ- (holoklēría) — to be whole, to be complete, to be intact
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3647-01 |
ὁλοκληρίαν | oloklerian | N ACC F SG |
perfect soundness | physical wholeness | physical wholeness | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3647-01 |
Acts 3:16 | ὁλοκληρίαν | oloklerian | N ACC F SG |
perfect soundness | physical wholeness | physical wholeness |