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ἔργον G2041

N-ANP | 174× in 2 senses

Work, deed, or action; what one does or produces, whether moral conduct, labor, or an enterprise undertaken.

A broad term for what a person does or accomplishes. In the New Testament it carries heavy theological weight — Paul's 'works of the law' (Rom 2:7), James's insistence that faith shows itself through 'works' (Jas 1:25), and John's portrayal of Jesus pointing to his 'works' as evidence of divine authority (John 5:36). Spanish consistently renders it obras and German Werke, both preserving the same breadth from moral deeds to practical labor. A small cluster of occurrences shifts from moral evaluation to the idea of a task or undertaking — productive effort rather than ethical conduct.

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Senses

1. deed or action — A deed, act, or piece of conduct viewed especially in its moral or spiritual dimension. This is the dominant New Testament usage, covering 'works of the law,' 'good works,' and 'evil deeds.' Translations across languages converge on a single broad term (eng works, spa obras, fra œuvre, deu Werke), reflecting how central this concept is to Pauline and Johannine theology. John 3:19-21 presents the sharpest contrast: those whose works are evil avoid the light, while those who practice truth come to it. Jesus appeals to his works as testimony in John 5:36. 170×

PROPERTIES_RELATIONS › Nature, Class, Example › Geography and Space

AR["-أَعْمَالَ", "أَعمال", "أَعْمَالَ", "أَعْمَالَهُ", "أَعْمَالُ", "أَعْمَالِ"]·ben["কাজ", "কাজগুলি", "কাজগুলিকে", "কার্য", "কার্যের"]·DE["Werke"]·EN["works"]·FR["œuvre"]·heb["מַעֲשִׂים", "מַעֲשֵׂי", "מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם", "מַעֲשֵׂיו", "מַעֲשֵׂים"]·HI["कर्म", "कर्म,", "कर्मों-पर", "कर्म।", "काम", "काम»⇔", "कामों"]·ID["pekerjaan", "perbuatan-perbuatan", "perbuatan-perbuatan,", "perbuatan-perbuatan."]·IT["opera"]·jav["pakaryan", "pandamel", "pandamel,", "pandamel.", "pedamelan", "pedamelané", "pendamelan", "pendamelanipun"]·KO["일들", "일들을", "일들이", "행위들이"]·PT["obras", "obras,", "obras."]·RU["Дела", "дел", "дела", "делам"]·ES["obras"]·SW["kazi", "matendo"]·TR["iş", "işler", "işlere", "işleri", "işlerini"]·urd["-ال", "کام", "کاموں", "کاموں-پر"]

John 3:19, John 3:20, John 3:21, John 5:36, John 5:36, John 6:28, John 7:3, John 7:7, John 8:39, John 8:41, John 9:3, John 9:4 (+38 more)

2. work or task — A task, enterprise, or labor undertaken — the sense of productive work rather than moral evaluation. In Rom 2:7 'patient continuance in well-doing' shifts toward effort and perseverance; Phil 1:22 speaks of 'fruitful labor' as an ongoing enterprise. The multilingual glosses sometimes add a prepositional frame (spa de-obra, eng of-work), hinting at the instrumental or material nuance. Jas 1:25 bridges both senses: the 'work' that blesses is both task and moral deed. 4×

PROPERTIES_RELATIONS › Nature, Class, Example › Geography and Space

AR["أَعْمَالاً", "العَمَلِ", "بِعَمَلٍ", "عَمَلٍ"]·ben["কর্মের", "কাজ", "কাজের"]·DE["Werke"]·EN["of-work", "works"]·FR["œuvre"]·heb["מַעֲשִׂים", "מַעֲשֶׂה", "מַעֲשֶׂה."]·HI["कअम.", "कर्म", "काम,", "काम-का"]·ID["berbuat-", "pekerjaan", "pekerjaan,", "perbuatan--"]·IT["opera"]·jav["padamelan", "pakaryan", "pakaryan--", "pandamel,"]·KO["일-의--", "일들-을", "일의.", "행위"]·PT["de-obra"]·RU["дела", "дела,", "дела--", "труда"]·ES["de-obra", "obras"]·SW["kazi", "la-kazi", "wa-kazi", "wa-tendo"]·TR["is", "isin", "işin", "işler"]·urd["اُسے", "کام--", "کام-میں", "کام-کا"]

John 5:20, Rom 2:7, Phil 1:22, Jas 1:25

BDB / Lexicon Reference

ἔργον, Doric dialect ϝέργον Refs 6th c.BC+, Elean ϝάργον Refs 6th c.BC+ weorc (neuter) 'work', Avest. var[schwa]za-):— work, Refs 8th c.BC+; especially in plural, Refs 8th c.BC+; τὰ σ᾽ αὐτῆς ἔργα κόμιζε see to thine own tasks, Refs 8th c.BC+ __1 in Refs 8th c.BC+works or deeds of war, Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐν τῷ ἔ. during the action, Refs 6th c.BC+; ἔργου ἔχεσθαι to engage in battle, Refs __2 of…