Greek word · G1728

ἐνάρχομαι

enarchomai

to begin

'To begin, make a start on.' In the New Testament it occurs only here and in Gal 3:3. A related form, προενάρχομαι ('to begin beforehand'), appears in 2 Cor 8:6, 10. In classical Greek the word was sometimes used for starting a sacrifice, for example in Euripides.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐν-άρχομαι

[in LXX chiefly for חָלַל hi. ;]

to begin, make a beginning: Galatians 3:3, Philippians 1:6.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Philippians 1:6

Range of meaning

'To begin, make a start on.' In the New Testament it occurs only here and in Gal 3:3. A related form, προενάρχομαι ('to begin beforehand'), appears in 2 Cor 8:6, 10. In classical Greek the word was sometimes used for starting a sacrifice, for example in Euripides.

Against the English

English 'began' is accurate. What English cannot easily show is that 'began' and 'will complete' are a fixed pair that Paul uses elsewhere.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gal 3:3: 'Having begun (ἐναρξάμενοι) by the Spirit, are you now being completed (ἐπιτελεῖσθε) by the flesh?' 2 Cor 8:6, 10–11: Titus 'began beforehand' the collection for Jerusalem and should 'complete' it. Compare LXX 1 Sam 3:12, where God says 'I will begin and I will complete' his word against Eli's house. Lightfoot (1868) argued for a sacrificial overtone here.

From the study of Galatians 3:3

Range of meaning

Enarchomai: to begin, make a start. In classical Greek it could mean beginning a sacrifice. Epiteleō: to bring to an end, accomplish, complete. It is also common in Greek for performing or carrying out religious rites and sacrifices. Its root telos means end, goal or completion.

Against the English

KJV 'made perfect' and the 'perfected' of some modern versions sound to modern ears like moral flawlessness. The Greek is about bringing something to its finish or goal. BSB 'finishing', WEB 'completed' and YLT 'end' keep the start-and-finish picture.

How it drifted

In 1611 'perfect' still carried its Latin sense of 'made complete, finished' (perficere). Over time English 'perfect' narrowed to 'without flaw', and in Christian talk it became tied to arguments about sinless perfection. The KJV wording now suggests a moral idea the Greek does not have.

Used elsewhere in the period

Paul uses the same pair in Philippians 1:6: 'he who began (enarxamenos) a good work in you will bring it to completion (epitelesei)'. He uses it again in 2 Corinthians 8:6, 11 of the Corinthians finishing the collection they had begun. The ritual use of epiteleō is common in Herodotus and in inscriptions ('to perform sacrifices'). Lightfoot suggested this colouring here.

Where it appears

Galatians · 1

  1. Galatians 3:3 ἐναρξάμενοι Having begun

    Are you so foolish? After starting in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh?

    Here: An aorist participle, so a completed starting point in the past: their conversion, when the Spirit came upon them. In Greek usage the verb could mean beginning a religious rite, and it is paired here with its natural partner verb 'complete'.

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 1:6 ἐναρξάμενος having begun

    being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

    Here: 'Having begun'. The aorist form looks back to a definite start, the 'first day' of v. 5, when the gospel came to Philippi (Acts 16). It forms a pair with 'will complete' later in the verse.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.