Greek word · G703

ἀρετή

aretē

virtue

Excellence of any kind, such as the excellence of a horse or a craftsman. In philosophy it means moral virtue. Applied to gods, it means displays of divine power and the wonderful deeds that win praise. Hellenistic inscriptions praising gods such as Isis list their aretai, their mighty acts.

Appears 5 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 22, 2026

What it means

ἀρετή, -ῆς, ἡ

[in LXX, in sing.: Habakkuk 3:3, Zechariah 6:13 (הוֹד), in pl.: Isaiah 42:8, 12 43:21 63:7 (תְּהִלָּה), Wisdom of Solomon 4:1 5:13 8:7 2:1-24; 4Mac.2.2 * ;]

prop., whatever procures pre-eminent estimation for a person or thing, in Hom. any kind of conspicuous advantage. Later confined by philos. writers to intrinsic eminence-moral goodness, virtue;

(a) of God: 2 Peter 1:3;

(b) of men: Philippians 4:8, 2 Peter 1:5; pl. (Isa, Es, ll. with), excellencies: 1 Peter 2:9 (the usage appears to be a survival of an early comprehensive sense in which the original idea is blended with the impression which it makes on others, i.e. praise, renown; see Hort, 1 Pe., 129. Deiss., BS, 95 f., thinks it means manifestations of divine power, as in current Gk. speech; cf. also MM, see word)†

(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 1 Peter 2:9

Range of meaning: Excellence of any kind, such as the excellence of a horse or a craftsman. In philosophy it means moral virtue. Applied to gods, it means displays of divine power and the wonderful deeds that win praise. Hellenistic inscriptions praising gods such as Isis list their aretai, their mighty acts.
Against the English: KJV "praises"; BSB "virtues"; ESV/NASB "excellencies"; WEB "excellence"; NIV "praises"; NLT "goodness."
How it drifted: "Virtues" now suggests moral character traits like patience or honesty. That is the philosophical sense, not the sense used for God's acts here.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Isaiah 43:21: "…to tell out my aretai", translating Hebrew tehillah, "praise, praiseworthy deeds". See also Isa 42:8, 12. In Habakkuk 3:3 LXX it renders hod, "splendour." 2 Peter 1:3 speaks of God calling us "by his own glory and excellence." BDAG takes the word here as God's praiseworthy, wonder-working acts.

From the study of 2 Peter 1:3

Range of meaning: Basic sense: 'excellence', the quality that makes a thing or person outstanding at what it is. A horse could have the aretē of speed and a soldier the aretē of courage. In philosophy it became 'virtue', moral excellence (the four cardinal virtues). Used of a god, it meant the deity's excellence as shown in acts of power and goodness. BDAG lists a sense 'manifestation of divine power, miracle', and inscriptions praise the aretai (mighty deeds) of gods such as Isis or Asclepius.
Against the English: KJV and WEB 'virtue', YLT 'worthiness', BSB/ESV/NASB 'excellence', NIV 'goodness'. 'Virtue' points modern readers to personal moral uprightness, even chastity. 'Excellence' is closer, and 'goodness' captures part of it.
How it drifted: English 'virtue' came from Latin virtus, which once also meant power and strength (the Vulgate uses virtus both for δύναμις, 'power', and for ἀρετή here). Over time English narrowed 'virtue' to moral rectitude, and later to sexual purity. The older 'power' sense dropped away.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Isaiah 42:8, 12 and 43:21 use ἀρεταί for God's praiseworthy deeds. 1 Peter 2:9 echoes this: believers 'proclaim the excellencies (aretas) of him who called you out of darkness'. That is a striking parallel, with the same 'calling' language. Philo and Josephus use the word both for moral virtue and for divine excellence. Hellenistic honorary inscriptions praise a benefactor's aretē.

From the study of Philippians 4:8

Range of meaning: Excellence of any kind: the 'aretē' of a horse is speed, of a knife sharpness. In moral philosophy it means human excellence, moral virtue, the goal of the good life. It also came to mean renown for excellence or a glorious deed.
Against the English: KJV/WEB 'virtue', BSB/NIV 'excellent', ESV/NASB 'excellence'. 'Excellence' keeps the breadth. 'Virtue' is accurate in the classical sense, but modern ears may hear prim respectability or sexual chastity.
How it drifted: English 'virtue' has narrowed in common speech, sometimes to chastity ('a woman's virtue'), and lost the robust Greek sense of excellence.
Used elsewhere in the period: Central to Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics. Common in honorific inscriptions praising citizens 'on account of their aretē'. Frequent in Wisdom of Solomon (4:1; 5:13) and 4 Maccabees. In the Septuagint of Isaiah (42:8, 12; 43:21) the plural is used for God's praiseworthy deeds, a sense picked up in 1 Pet 2:9. Elsewhere in the New Testament only 2 Pet 1:3, 5. This is its only use in Paul.

Where it appears

Philippians · 1

Philippians 4:8 ἀρετὴ excellence

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.

Here: The master word of Greek ethics: excellence, being good at what a human being is meant to be. Paul uses it only here, and so draws on his city's own moral vocabulary.

1 Peter · 1

1 Peter 2:9 ἀρετὰς excellencies

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Here: Plural: God's excellencies shown in what he has done, his praiseworthy, powerful acts. It echoes Isaiah 43:21, where the Greek uses this word for Israel's "praise."

2 Peter · 3

2 Peter 1:3 ἀρετῇ, excellence,

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

Here: Used of God, this is not 'moral virtue' in the modern sense. It means his excellence, especially his goodness and power shown in mighty acts. The same word reappears in v. 5 as the 'excellence' believers are to add to their faith.
2 Peter 1:5 ἀρετήν, ἀρετῇ virtue,, virtue

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;

Here: Moral excellence: a quality of character that shows in action and that others recognise and admire. It deliberately echoes v. 3, where God called them by his own 'glory and excellence (aretē).'

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