Lexical Summary epaggelia: Promise Original Word: ἐπαγγελία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance message, promise. From epaggello; an announcement (for information, assent or pledge; especially a divine assurance of good) -- message, promise. see GREEK epaggello HELPS Word-studies 1860 epaggelía (a feminine noun comprised of 1909 /epí, "appropriately on" and aggellō, "announce") – a promise which literally "announces what is fitting" (apt, appropriate). 1860/epaggelia ("an appropriate promise") is nearly always used of God's promises in the NT – and hence guaranteed by His own eternal Law (Being). [In the NT (and throughout antiquity), 1860 (epaggelía) is a legal term that refers to an officially sanctioned promise. "Almost every NT use of the word promise (epaggelia) points back to the OT" (Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Back Toward the Future, Hints for Interpreting Bible Prophecy, 102).] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom epaggellomai Definition a summons, a promise NASB Translation promise (37), promised (1), promises (12), what was promised (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1860: ἐπαγγελίαἐπαγγελία, ἐπαγγελίας, ἡ (ἐπαγγέλλω); 1. announcement: 1 John 1:5 (Rec., where ἀγγελία was long since restored); κατ' ἐπαγγελίαν ζωῆς τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, to proclaim life in fellowship with Christ, 2 Timothy 1:1 (Winers Grammar, 402 (376); cf. κατά, II. at the end. But others give ἐπαγγελία here as elsewhere the sense of promise, cf. 2 below). 2. promise; a. the act of promising, a promise given or to be given: προσδέχεσθαι τήν ἀπό τίνος ἐπαγγελίαν (assent; the reference is to a promise to surrender Paul to the power and sentence of the Jews), Acts 23:21; (add, ἐπαγγελίας ὁ λόγος οὗτος, Romans 9:9). It is used also of the divine promises of blessing, especially of the benefits of salvation by Christ (cf. Lightfoot on Galatians, 3:14): Acts 7:17; Romans 4:14, 16; (plural Romans 9:4); Galatians 3:17f, 21; Galatians 4:23; Hebrews 11:17; 2 Peter 3:9 (on which see βραδύνω, 2); Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 11:9; followed by the infinitive Hebrews 4:1; γίνεται τίνι, Romans 4:13; πρός τινα, Acts 13:32; Acts 26:6; ἐρρήθη τίνι, Galatians 3:16; ἐστι τίνι, belongs to one, Acts 2:39; ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι τήν ἐπαγγελίαν 1 John 2:25; ἔχειν ἐπαγγελίας, to have received, Hebrews 7:6; 2 Corinthians 7:1 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 177 (166)); to have linked to it, 1 Timothy 4:8; εἶναι ἐν ἐπαγγελία, joined with a promise (others besides; cf. Winer's Grammar, 391 (366)), Ephesians 6:2; ἡ γῆ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, the promised land, Hebrews 11:9; τά κατά τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, born in accordance with the promise, Romans 9:8; Galatians 4:28; τό πνεῦμα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τό ἅγιον, the promised Spirit, Ephesians 1:13; αἱ διαθῆκαι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, covenants to which was united the promise (of salvation through the Messiah), Ephesians 2:12; ἡ ἐπαγγελία τοῦ Θεοῦ, given by God, Romans 4:20; in the plural 2 Corinthians 1:20; αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι τῶν πατέρων, the promises made to the fathers, Romans 15:8; with the genitive of the object, τῆς ζωῆς, 1 Timothy 4:8; τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ, 2 Peter 3:4; κατ' ἐπαγγελίαν according to promise, Acts 13:23; Galatians 3:29; δἰ ἐπαγγελίας, Galatians 3:18. b. by metonymy, a promised good or blessing (cf. ἐλπίς, under the end): Galatians 3:22; Ephesians 3:6 (yet here cf. Meyer or Ellicott); ἀποστέλλειν τήν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πατρός μου, the blessing promised by my Father, Luke 24:49; περιμένειν, Acts 1:4; κομίζεσθαι τήν ἐπαγγελίαν, Hebrews 10:36; Hebrews 11:39 (Hebrews 11:13 T Tr WH, προσδέχεσθαι L); λαμβάνειν τάς ἐπαγγελίας, Hebrews 11:13 (R G); ἐπιτυγχάνειν ἐπαγγελιῶν, Hebrews 11:33; κληρονομεῖν τάς ἐπαγγελίας, Hebrews 6:12; ἐπιτυγχάνειν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, Hebrews 6:15; κληρονόμοι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, Hebrews 6:17 — (to reconcile Hebrews 6:12, 15, 17 with Hebrews 11:13, 39, which at first sight seem to be in conflict, we must hold, in accordance with Hebrews 12:22-24, that the O. T. saints, after the expiatory sacrifice offered at length to God by Christ, were made partakers of the heavenly blessings before Christ's return from heaven; (others explain the apparent contradiction by the difference between the initial and the consummate reception of the promise; see the commentaries at the passage)); with the epexegetical genitive λαβεῖν τήν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, the promised blessing, which is the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:33; Galatians 3:14 (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 34, 3 a. at the end); τήν ἐπαγγελίαν τῆς αἰωνίου κληρονομίας, Hebrews 9:15. ((Demosthenes 519, 8; Aristotle, eth. Nic. 10, 1, p. 1164a, 29); Polybius 1, 43, 6, and often; Diodorus 1, 5; Josephus, Antiquities 3, 5, 1; 5, 8, 11; 1 Macc. 10:15.) The noun ἐπαγγελία occurs fifty-two times in the Greek New Testament and consistently denotes a divine commitment that is certain, gracious, and future-oriented. Every use anchors the reader in God’s unbreakable word, whether the referent is the patriarchal inheritance, the outpoured Spirit, salvation in Christ, or the consummation of all things. Theological Foundation of Promise God’s promises arise from His character: He “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2) and therefore His word is irrevocable. Paul writes, “For all the promises of God are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through Him, our ‘Amen’ is spoken to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20). The integrity of God’s oath (Hebrews 6:17) gives believers “strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.” Old Testament Roots and Continuity In Acts 13:23, 32 Paul frames the gospel as “the promise made to the fathers,” fulfilled in Jesus. Romans 9:4 lists “the promises” among Israel’s privileges, and Hebrews 11 repeatedly recalls the patriarchs who lived “as strangers in the promised land” (Hebrews 11:9) yet “died in faith, not having received the promises” (Hebrews 11:13). The New Testament therefore never treats promise and fulfillment as disjointed; Christ is the continuation and climax of the covenant trajectory begun with Abraham (Galatians 3:16). Christ, the Fulfilment of Every Promise Romans 4:13 announces that “the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Galatians 3:22 adds that Scripture “imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” The Incarnation, atoning death, and resurrection of Jesus secure the entire promise program—past, present, and future. The Promise of the Holy Spirit Jesus commands the disciples to “wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4), echoing Luke 24:49. At Pentecost Peter declares, “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself” (Acts 2:39). The outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2:33) is thus a definitive installment of eschatological blessing. Faith and the Inheritance Promise language stands in deliberate contrast to law and works. Romans 4:16 insists that the inheritance “depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed.” Galatians 3:18 underscores that “if the inheritance depends on the law, it no longer depends on a promise; but God granted it to Abraham through a promise.” Reception, therefore, is by believing reliance, not meritorious effort. Corporate and Universal Scope Ephesians stresses the extension of promise beyond ethnic Israel. Former Gentiles were once “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise” (Ephesians 2:12) but are now “fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). The shared promise creates a new humanity in which hostility is dismantled. Ethical and Pastoral Dimensions Divine promises motivate holy living. “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement” (2 Corinthians 7:1). They provide endurance amid hardship: “You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:36). Even physical discipline gains perspective: “Godliness holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). Eschatological Assurance Scoffers may ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:4), yet Peter affirms, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you” (2 Peter 3:9). Hebrews 4:1 warns that the promise of entering God’s rest still stands; therefore none should fall short through unbelief. Ultimate fulfillment awaits the new heavens and new earth, yet believers already possess “great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) as a present pledge. Usage Pattern in the New Testament • Acts: Emphasis on historical fulfillment (Acts 2:33; 7:17; 13:32; 26:6). Implications for Contemporary Ministry 1. Preaching centers on God’s completed and future promises in Christ, encouraging faith and repentance. Through ἐπαγγελία the New Testament unites redemptive history, doctrinal clarity, and practical exhortation, directing every generation to trust the God who always keeps His word. Englishman's Concordance Luke 24:49 N-AFSGRK: ἀποστέλλω τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πατρός NAS: I am sending forth the promise of My Father KJV: I send the promise of my Father INT: send the promise of the Father Acts 1:4 N-AFS Acts 2:33 N-AFS Acts 2:39 N-NFS Acts 7:17 N-GFS Acts 13:23 N-AFS Acts 13:32 N-AFS Acts 23:21 N-AFS Acts 26:6 N-GFS Romans 4:13 N-NFS Romans 4:14 N-NFS Romans 4:16 N-AFS Romans 4:20 N-AFS Romans 9:4 N-NFP Romans 9:8 N-GFS Romans 9:9 N-GFS Romans 15:8 N-AFP 2 Corinthians 1:20 N-NFP 2 Corinthians 7:1 N-AFP Galatians 3:14 N-AFS Galatians 3:16 N-NFP Galatians 3:17 N-AFS Galatians 3:18 N-GFS Galatians 3:18 N-GFS Galatians 3:21 N-GFP Strong's Greek 1860 |
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