ἀρετὴ
arétē
excellence
Excellence of character or quality; in classical Greek primarily denoting moral, intellectual, or physical excellence and valued qualities (such as bravery, merit, nobility), in Hellenistic and New Testament usage denoting general moral excellence or virtue. The term connotes the realization of potential or the fulfillment of a thing's purpose in its highest form, whether in a person or an object.
Philippians 4:8 · Word #19
Lexicon G703
| Lemma | ἀρέτη |
| Transliteration | arétē |
| Strong's | G703 |
| Definition | Excellence of character or quality; in classical Greek primarily denoting moral, intellectual, or physical excellence and valued qualities (such as bravery, merit, nobility), in Hellenistic and New Testament usage denoting general moral excellence or virtue. The term connotes the realization of potential or the fulfillment of a thing's purpose in its highest form, whether in a person or an object. |
Morphology N NOM F SG
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Case | NOM — Nominative — The subject of the sentence |
| Gender | F — Feminine — Grammatical feminine |
| Number | SG — Singular — One |
Common Translation
| Phrase | excellence |
| Literal | virtue-excellence |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | ἀρετή |
| Strong's | G703 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G703-02
excellence
| Morphological Notes | Noun; feminine; singular; nominative (ἀρετὴ) or dative singular (ἀρετῇ). Abstract quality term denoting a characteristic or state. |
| Rendering Rationale | "Excellence" best captures the core idea of realized virtue or fulfilled potential inherent in ἀρετή, without narrowing it to only moral or martial qualities. As a feminine singular noun in the nominative (or dative in alternate form), the rendering preserves its abstract, qualitative sense. |
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