3324. mestos

Lexical Summary

mestos: Full, filled, complete

Original Word: μεστός
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: mestos
Pronunciation: mes-TOS
Phonetic Spelling: (mes-tos')
KJV: full
NASB: full
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. replete
{literally or figuratively}

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

replete literally or figuratively, full.

Of uncertain derivation -- replete (literally or figuratively) -- full.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
full
NASB Translation
full (9).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3324: μεστός

μεστός, μεστή, μεστόν, from Homer (i. e. Epigr.) down, the Sept. for מָלֵא, full; with the genitive of the thing: properly, John 19:29; John 21:11; James 3:8; tropically, in reference to persons, whose minds are as it were filled with thoughts and emotions, either good or bad, Matthew 23:28; Romans 1:29; Romans 15:14; 2 Peter 2:14; James 3:17 (Proverbs 6:34).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Greek 3324 pictures a state of being so replete that nothing more can be added. Its nine New Testament occurrences fall naturally into two broad spheres: literal fullness (containers, nets) and moral–spiritual fullness (character, thought, conduct). Each text contrasts what fills a person or object, thereby underscoring that fullness is never neutral; it is either God-honoring or God-opposing.

Old Testament Background of Fullness

The Hebrew Scriptures frequently describe both blessing and judgment by noting what a vessel, land, or heart is “filled” with. From “the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11) to Bezalel being “filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom” (Exodus 31:3), the covenant community already understood that what fills determines destiny. The Septuagint often renders those passages with the verb πλήθω or the adjective πλήρης, preparing readers for the concentrated New Testament use of μέστος.

Literal Uses in the Gospels

John records two physical illustrations:
• “A jar of sour wine was sitting there” (John 19:29), deliberately emphasizing the vessel “full of sour wine” offered to the crucified Messiah. The hour was “full” of redemptive suffering, echoing Psalm 69:21.
• “It was full of large fish, one hundred fifty-three” (John 21:11). The risen Lord fills an empty net, displaying His sufficiency for apostolic mission. The contrast between a prior fruitless night and a burstingly full net dramatizes dependence on Christ.

Negative Moral Fullness

1. Matthew 23:28—Religious leaders are “full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Ritual appearance cannot mask a heart crowded with sin.
2. Romans 1:29—The Gentile world is “full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice,” a catalogue revealing total depravity when God is rejected.
3. James 3:8—The untamed tongue is “full of deadly poison,” reminding believers that speech betrays interior content.
4. 2 Peter 2:14—False teachers have “eyes full of adultery,” enslaved to corruption and preying on the unstable.

Positive Moral Fullness

1. Romans 15:14—“You are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish one another.” Spirit-wrought goodness equips the church for mutual ministry.
2. James 3:17—Wisdom from above is “full of mercy and good fruits,” evidence that heavenly wisdom transforms relationships.

James: Two Kinds of Fullness in One Epistle

James juxtaposes the tongue “full of deadly poison” (3:8) with wisdom “full of mercy” (3:17). The parallel warns that the believer must choose what fills the inner life; the same mouth cannot consistently pour forth poison and mercy (3:10-12).

Pauline Emphasis on Corporate Edification

Paul sees fullness as a community reality. Romans 15:14 affirms a church mature enough to counsel itself, a pattern echoed in Ephesians 3:19, where believers aspire to be “filled with all the fullness of God.” Fullness, then, is the outcome of sound doctrine embraced in love.

Petrine Warning Against Corrupt Leadership

2 Peter’s “eyes full of adultery” starkly contrasts with elders who must be “examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3). Congregations are cautioned to test leaders by what fills their gaze and goals.

Theological Implications

1. Human life abhors spiritual vacuum; something will fill the heart (Matthew 12:43-45).
2. Fullness determines overflow (Luke 6:45); actions are the inevitable expression of interior contents.
3. The Spirit alone can replace destructive fullness with sanctifying fullness (Ephesians 5:18).

Historical Reflection

Early church writers used these texts to distinguish orthodoxy from heresy. Chrysostom linked Matthew 23:28 with pastoral accountability, urging ministers to cultivate inner righteousness. The Reformers appealed to Romans 15:14 to champion the priesthood of all believers, affirming the congregation’s competence when “full of goodness.”

Practical Ministry Applications

• Personal Examination: Ask regularly, “What is filling my thoughts, affections, and conversations?”
• Preaching: Contrast negative and positive fullness to call hearers from empty religion to Spirit-filled life.
• Counseling: Use Romans 15:14 as a template for peer admonition—goodness and knowledge hold authority.
• Leadership Selection: Weigh candidates by observable overflow; avoid appointing any whose eyes are “full of” unrestrained desire.

Conclusion

Strong’s 3324 confronts every disciple with a critical question: What occupies the interior space of my life? Scripture testifies that, by grace, hearts once “full of envy” can become “full of mercy and good fruits.”

Forms and Transliterations

μεστη μεστή μεστὴ μεστοι μεστοί μεστοὶ μεστον μεστόν μεστὸν μεστός μεστους μεστούς μεστοὺς meste mestē mestḕ mestoi mestoí mestoì meston mestón mestòn mestous mestoùs

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 23:28 Adj-NMP
GRK: δέ ἐστε μεστοὶ ὑποκρίσεως καὶ
NAS: but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy
KJV: within ye are full of hypocrisy and
INT: however you are full of hypocrisy and

John 19:29 Adj-NNS
GRK: ἔκειτο ὄξους μεστόν σπόγγον οὖν
NAS: A jar full of sour wine
KJV: a vessel full of vinegar:
INT: was set of vinegar full a sponge therefore

John 19:29 Adj-NNS
GRK: σπόγγον οὖν μεστὸν τοῦ ὄξους
NAS: a sponge full of the sour wine
INT: a sponge therefore having filled with vinegar

John 21:11 Adj-ANS
GRK: τὴν γῆν μεστὸν ἰχθύων μεγάλων
NAS: the net to land, full of large fish,
KJV: to land full of great fishes,
INT: the land full of fish large

Romans 1:29 Adj-AMP
GRK: πλεονεξίᾳ κακίᾳ μεστοὺς φθόνου φόνου
NAS: greed, evil; full of envy, murder,
KJV: maliciousness; full of envy,
INT: covetousness malice full of envy murder

Romans 15:14 Adj-NMP
GRK: καὶ αὐτοὶ μεστοί ἐστε ἀγαθωσύνης
NAS: that you yourselves are full of goodness,
KJV: also are full of goodness, filled
INT: also yourselves full are of goodness

James 3:8 Adj-NFS
GRK: ἀκατάστατον κακόν μεστὴ ἰοῦ θανατηφόρου
NAS: evil [and] full of deadly
KJV: evil, full of deadly
INT: [it is] an unrestrainable evil full of poison deadly

James 3:17 Adj-NFS
GRK: ἐπιεικής εὐπειθής μεστὴ ἐλέους καὶ
NAS: reasonable, full of mercy
KJV: [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy
INT: gentle yielding full of mercy and

2 Peter 2:14 Adj-AMP
GRK: ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχοντες μεστοὺς μοιχαλίδος καὶ
NAS: eyes full of adultery
KJV: Having eyes full of adultery, and
INT: eyes having full of an adulteress and

Strong's Greek 3324
9 Occurrences

μεστὴ — 2 Occ.
μεστοὶ — 2 Occ.
μεστόν — 3 Occ.
μεστοὺς — 2 Occ.