1012. boulé

Lexicon

boulé: Counsel, purpose, will, plan

Original Word: βουλή
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: boulé
Pronunciation: boo-LAY
Phonetic Spelling: (boo-lay')
Definition: Counsel, purpose, will, plan
Meaning: counsel, deliberate wisdom, decree.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

advise, counsel.

From boulomai; volition, i.e. (objectively) advice, or (by implication) purpose -- + advise, counsel, will.

see GREEK boulomai

HELPS Word-studies

1012 boulḗ – properly, a resolved plan, used particularly of the immutable aspect of God's plan – purposefully arranging all physical circumstances, which guarantees every scene of life works to His eternal purpose.

This level of God's plan (1012 /boulḗ) demonstrates He is the Lord of history, i.e. always in charge!

[1012 (boulḗ) is more than God's immutable plan of physical circumstances. It always also includes the Lord's purpose in them – and hence arranging all the physical scenes of history before creation (Ps 139:16; Jn 1:3).]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from boulomai
Definition
counsel
NASB Translation
counsel (1), decision (1), motives (1), plan (4), purpose (5).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1012: βουλή

βουλή, βουλῆς, ἡ (βούλομαι), from Homer down; often in the Sept. for עֵצָה; counsel, purpose: Luke 23:51 (where distinguished from ἡ πρᾶξις); Acts 5:38; Acts 27:12 (see τίθημι, 1 a.), 42; plural 1 Corinthians 4:5; ἡ βουλή τοῦ Θεοῦ, Acts 13:36; especially of the purpose of God respecting the salvation of men through Christ: Luke 7:30; Acts 2:23; Acts 4:28; (Hebrews 6:17); πᾶσαν τήν βουλήν τοῦ Θεοῦ all the contents of the divine plan, Acts 20:27; ἡ βουλή τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ the counsel of his will, Ephesians 1:11.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb βούλομαι (boulomai), meaning "to will" or "to wish."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • Strong's Hebrew 6098: עֵצָה (etsah) • Often translated as "counsel" or "advice," this term is used in the Old Testament to describe both human and divine counsel.
• Strong's Hebrew 5475: סוֹד (sod) • Meaning "council" or "secret," this term can refer to the intimate counsel or secret plans of God or a group.
• Strong's Hebrew 3289: יָעַץ (ya'ats) • A verb meaning "to advise" or "to counsel," often used in the context of giving or receiving advice or counsel.

Usage: In the New Testament, βουλή is used to describe both human and divine intentions or plans. It appears in contexts where decisions, purposes, or counsels are discussed, highlighting the deliberative aspect of decision-making.

Context: The Greek term βουλή is a significant word in the New Testament, reflecting the concept of intentionality and purpose. It is used to describe both the divine counsel of God and the plans of humans. In the divine context, βουλή often refers to God's sovereign will and purpose, which is ultimately fulfilled despite human actions. For example, in Acts 2:23, Peter speaks of Jesus being delivered up "by God's set plan and foreknowledge," indicating the divine counsel that orchestrated the events leading to the crucifixion.

In human contexts, βουλή can refer to the deliberations or decisions made by individuals or groups. In Acts 5:38-39, Gamaliel advises the Sanhedrin to leave the apostles alone, suggesting that if their purpose (βουλή) is of human origin, it will fail, but if it is from God, it cannot be stopped. This highlights the contrast between human plans, which are fallible, and divine purposes, which are immutable.

The term also appears in the context of the Jewish council or Sanhedrin, as seen in Luke 23:50-51, where Joseph of Arimathea is described as a member of the council (βουλή) who did not consent to their decision regarding Jesus.

Overall, βουλή underscores the theme of intentionality and the unfolding of plans, whether divine or human, within the biblical narrative. It serves as a reminder of the sovereignty of God's will and the limitations of human counsel.

Forms and Transliterations

βουλαί βουλαίς βουλας βουλάς βουλὰς βουλη βουλή βουλὴ βουλῇ βουλην βουλήν βουλὴν βουλης βουλής βουλῆς boulas boulàs boule boulē boulḕ boulêi boulē̂i boulen boulēn boulḕn boules boulês boulēs boulē̂s

Englishman's Concordance

Luke 7:30 N-AFS
GRK: νομικοὶ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ
NAS: God's purpose for themselves,
KJV: rejected the counsel of God
INT: lawyers the counsel of God

Luke 23:51 N-DFS
GRK: συνκατατεθειμένος τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῇ
NAS: (he had not consented to their plan and action),
KJV: not consented to the counsel and deed
INT: having consented to the counsel and the

Acts 2:23 N-DFS
GRK: τῇ ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ προγνώσει
NAS: over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge
KJV: by the determinate counsel and
INT: by the determinate plan and foreknowledge

Acts 4:28 N-NFS
GRK: καὶ ἡ βουλὴ σου προώρισεν
NAS: Your hand and Your purpose predestined
KJV: thy counsel determined before
INT: and the purpose of you predetermined

Acts 5:38 N-NFS
GRK: ἀνθρώπων ἡ βουλὴ αὕτη ἢ
NAS: for if this plan or action
KJV: if this counsel or this
INT: men the plan these or

Acts 13:36 N-DFS
GRK: τοῦ θεοῦ βουλῇ ἐκοιμήθη καὶ
NAS: after he had served the purpose of God
KJV: generation by the will of God,
INT: of God counsel fell asleep and

Acts 20:27 N-AFS
GRK: πᾶσαν τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ
NAS: to you the whole purpose of God.
KJV: unto you all the counsel of God.
INT: all the counsel of God

Acts 27:12 N-AFS
GRK: πλείονες ἔθεντο βουλὴν ἀναχθῆναι ἐκεῖθεν
NAS: reached a decision to put out to sea
KJV: the more part advised to depart
INT: majority reached a decision to set sail from there also

Acts 27:42 N-NFS
GRK: δὲ στρατιωτῶν βουλὴ ἐγένετο ἵνα
NAS: The soldiers' plan was to kill
KJV: And the soldiers' counsel was to
INT: moreover soldiers [the] plan was that

1 Corinthians 4:5 N-AFP
GRK: φανερώσει τὰς βουλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν
NAS: and disclose the motives of [men's] hearts;
KJV: will make manifest the counsels of the hearts:
INT: will make manifest the motives of the hearts

Ephesians 1:11 N-AFS
GRK: κατὰ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θελήματος
NAS: after the counsel of His will,
KJV: after the counsel of his own
INT: according to the counsel of the will

Hebrews 6:17 N-GFS
GRK: ἀμετάθετον τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ ἐμεσίτευσεν
NAS: the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed
KJV: of his counsel, confirmed
INT: unchangeableness of the counsel of him he guaranteed

Strong's Greek 1012
12 Occurrences

βουλὰς — 1 Occ.
βουλῇ — 6 Occ.
βουλὴν — 4 Occ.
βουλῆς — 1 Occ.