Bible Dictionaries
Fulfill, Fulfilling, Fulfillment

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

signifies (1) "to fill" (see FILL); (2) "to fulfill, complete," (a) of time, e.g., Mark 1:15; Luke 21:24; John 7:8 (AV, "full come"); Acts 7:23 , RV, "he was well-nigh forty years old" (AV, "was full" etc.), lit., "the time of forty years was fulfilled to him;" Acts 7:30 , AV, "were expired;" Acts 9:23; 24:27 (AV, "after two years;" RV, "when two years were fulfilled"); (b) of number, Revelation 6:11; (c) of good pleasure, 2 Thessalonians 1:11; (d) of joy, Philippians 2:2; in the Passive Voice, "to be fulfilled," John 3:29; 17:13; in the following the verb is rendered "fulfilled" in the RV, for the AV, "full," John 15:11; 16:24; 1 John 1:4; 2 John 1:12; (e) of obedience, 2 Corinthians 10:6; (f) of works, Revelation 3:2; (g) of the future Passover, Luke 22:16; (h) of sayings, prophecies, etc., e.g., Matthew 1:22 (twelve times in Matt., two in Mark, four in Luke, eight in John, two in Acts); James 2:23; in Colossians 1:25 the word signifies to preach "fully," to complete the ministry of the Gospel appointed. See FILL.

"to fill up, fill completely" (ana, "up, up to," and No. 1), is used (a) of Isaiah's prophecy of Israel's rejection of God, fulfilled in the rejection of His Son, Matthew 13:14; (b) of the status of a person in a church, RV, "filleth the place," for AV, "occupieth the room," 1 Corinthians 14:16; (c) of an adequate supply of service, 1 Corinthians 16:17 , "supplied;" Philippians 2:30 , "to supply;" (d) of sins, 1 Thessalonians 2:16; (e) of the law of Christ; Galatians 6:2 . See FILL , OCCUPY , SUPPLY.

"to end" (akin to telos, "an end"), signifies, among its various meanings, "to give effect to," and is translated "fulfill," of the Law, intentionally, James 2:8 , or unconsciously, Romans 2:27; of the prophetic Scriptures concerning the death of Christ, Acts 13:29; prohibitively, of the lust of the flesh, Galatians 5:16 . See ACCOMPLISH , FINISH.

Notes: (1) In regard to this word in Revelation 15:1,8 , the RV, "finished," corrects the AV, "filled up," and "fulfilled," as the judgments there indicated finish the whole series of those consisting of the wrath of God; so in Revelation 20:3 , of the thousand years of the Millennium (cp. Revelation 20:5,7 ). (2) In Revelation 17:17 , the RV has "should be accomplished," for AV, "shall be fulfilled." (3) In Luke 22:37 the AV has "be accomplished" (RV, "be fulfilled").

"to complete," is translated "fulfilled" in the AV of Mark 13:4 (RV, "accomplished"). See COMPLETE.

"to bring to an end, fulfill," is rendered "to fulfill," of days. Luke 2:43; of the Scripture, John 19:28 . See FINISH.

"to bring in full measure," from pleroo (see No. 1), and phoreo, "to bring;" hence, "to fulfill," of circumstances relating to Christ, Luke 1:1 , RV, "have been fulfilled" (AV "are most surely believed"); of evangelical ministry, 2 Timothy 4:5 , "fulfill" (AV, "make full proof"); so in 2 Timothy 4:17 , RV, "fully proclaimed" (AV, "fully known"). See ASSURE , PERSUADE.

a strengthened form of No. 1, occurs in Acts 13:33 .

Notes: (1) Poieo, "to do," is so rendered in the RV, for AV "fulfill," in Acts 13:22; Ephesians 2:3; Revelation 17:17 [for the end of this verse see Note (2) under teleo, above]. (2) Ginomai, "to become, to take place," is rendered "fulfilled" in the AV of Matthew 5:18; 24:34; Luke 21:32 , RV, "accomplished," in each place.

stands for the result of the action expressed in pleroo, "to fill." It is used to signify (a) "that which has been completed, the complement, fullness," e.g., John 1:16; Ephesians 1:23; some suggest that the "fullness" here points to the body as the filled receptacle of the power of Christ (words terminating in ma are frequently concrete in character; cp. dikaioma in Romans 5:18 , act of righteousness); in Mark 8:20 the rendering "basketfuls" (RV) represents the plural of this word, lit., "the fulnesses of (how many baskets);" (b) "that which fills up," Matthew 9:16; Mark 2:21 (see FILL); (c) "a filling up, fulfillment," Romans 13:10 , of the fulfilling of the Law. See FULLNESS (below).

a fulfillment, is so rendered in Luke 1:45 , RV (AV, "performance"). See PERFECTION.