1. (n.) The act of willing or choosing; the act of forming a purpose; as, to choose on one's own volition.

2. (n.) The result of an act or exercise of choosing or willing; a state of choice.

3. (n.) The power of willing or determining; will.

WILL, VOLITION

vo-lish'-un ('abhah, ratson; thelo) boulomai, thelema: "Will" as noun and verb, transitive and intrans, carries in it the idea of "wish," "purpose," "volition." "Will" is also used as an auxiliary of the future tense of other words, but the independent verb is frequent, and it is often important to distinguish between it and the mere auxiliary, especially in the New Testament.

In the Old Testament the word chiefly rendered "to will" is 'abhah, "to breathe after," "to long for." With the exception of Job 39:9 Isaiah 1:19, it is accompanied by a negation, and is used of both man and God. Several other words are employed, but only sparsely. "Will" as noun is the translation chiefly of ratson, "good-will," "willfulness" (Genesis 49:6), with emphasis on the voluntariness of action (Leviticus 1:3; Leviticus 19:5; Leviticus 22:19, 29, etc.); also of nephesh, and a few other words. In the New Testament "will" is chiefly the translation of thelo and boulomai, the difference between the two being that thelo expresses an active choice or purpose, boulomai, "passive inclination or willingness, or the inward predisposition from which the active choice proceeds" (compare Mark 15:9, 12 with 15:15). "Will," noun, is thelema. With the exception of a few passages, it is used of the will of God (over all, Matthew 18:14; in all things to be done, Matthew 6:10; Matthew 26:42 parallel, etc.; ordering all things, Ephesians 1:11, etc.); human will, however, may oppose itself to the will of God (Luke 23:25 John 1:13 Romans 7:18; here the capacity to will is distinguished from the power to do, etc.). Boulema is properly counsel or purpose. While it is possible to oppose the will of God, His counsel or purpose cannot be frustrated (Acts 2:23; Acts 4:28 Romans 9:19 Ephesians 1:11 Hebrews 6:17); it may, however, be resisted for a time (Luke 7:30).

In Apocrypha, for "will" we have thelema (1 Esdras 9:9 (of God); Ecclesiasticus 43:16; 1 Maccabees 3:60; Ecclesiasticus 8:15, "his own will"); boule (The Wisdom of Solomon 9:13, the Revised Version (British and American) "counsel); boulema (2 Maccabees 15:5, "wicked will," the Revised Version (British and American) "cruel purpose"); "willful" (Ecclesiasticus 30:8) is proales, the Revised Version (British and American) "headstrong"; "willing" (The Wisdom of Solomon 14:19), boulomai, the Revised Version (British and American) "wishing"; thelo (Ecclesiasticus 6:35); "wilt" (The Wisdom of Solomon 12:18), thelo, the Revised Version (British and American) "hast the will" (compare 2 Maccabees 7:16).

The Revised Version (British and American) has many changes, several of them of note as bringing out the distinction between the auxiliary and the independent verb. Thus, Matthew 11:27, "willeth to"; John 7:17, "if any man willeth to do his will"; 1 Timothy 6:9, the American Standard Revised Version "they that are minded to be rich," the English Revised Version "desire," etc.

The words employed and passages cited show clearly that man is always regarded as a responsible being, free to will in harmony with the divine will or contrary to it. This is further shown by the various words denoting refusal. "Ye will not come to me, that ye may have life" (John 5:40). So with respect to temptation. We may even choose and act deliberately in opposition to the will of God. Yet God's counsel, His will in its completeness, ever prevails, and man, in resisting it, deprives himself of the good it seeks to confer upon him.

In modern psychology the tendency is to make will primary and distinctive of personality.

W. L. Walker

2307. thelema -- will
... From the prolonged form of ethelo; a determination (properly, the thing), ie (actively)
choice (specially, purpose, decree; abstractly, volition) or (passively ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2307.htm - 7k

1012. boule -- counsel
... advise, counsel. From boulomai; volition, ie (objectively) advice, or (by implication)
purpose -- + advise, counsel, will. see GREEK boulomai. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1012.htm - 7k

2974. yaal -- to show willingness, be pleased, determine ...
... the same as ya'al through the idea of mental weakness); properly, to yield, especially
assent; hence (pos.) To undertake as an act of volition -- assay, begin ...
/hebrew/2974.htm - 6k

Whether Volition is of the End Only, or Also of the Means?
... OF THE WILL, IN REGARD TO WHAT IT WILLS (THREE ARTICLES) Whether volition
is of the end only, or also of the means? Objection 1: It ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether volition is of the.htm

Volition and Ability.
... A Treatise on the spirit and the letter, Chapter 53 [XXXI.]"Volition and
Ability. Some one will ask whether the faith itself, in ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 53 xxxi volition and ability.htm

Of Indulgence and Pure Volition. The Question Illustrated.
... Chapter III."Of Indulgence and Pure Volition. The Question Illustrated.
[521] For what things are manifest we all know; and in ...
/.../tertullian/on exhortation to chastity/chapter iii of indulgence and pure.htm

The Blame of Our Misdeeds not to be Cast Upon God the one Power ...
... Chapter II."The Blame of Our Misdeeds Not to Be Cast Upon God The One
Power Which Rests with Man is the Power of Volition. What ...
/.../tertullian/on exhortation to chastity/chapter ii the blame of our.htm

Whether Intention of the End is the Same Act as the Volition of ...
... OF INTENTION (FIVE ARTICLES) Whether intention of the end is the same act
as the volition of the means? Objection 1: It would seem ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether intention of the end.htm

Pelagius' System of Faculties.
... In his system, he posits and distinguishes three faculties, by which he says God's
commandments are fulfilled,"capacity, volition, and action: [1789] meaning ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 4 pelagius system of faculties.htm

Concerning the Volitions and Free-Will of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
... Simple willing then is spoken of as volition or the faculty of will [2087] , being
a rational propension [2088] and natural will; but in a particular way ...
/.../exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter xiv concerning the volitions and.htm

Pelagius' Own Account of the Faculties, Quoted.
... We put in the first place ability;' in the second, volition;' and in the third,
actuality.' [1790] The ability' we place in our nature, the volition' in our ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 5 iv pelagius own account.htm

Pelagius and Paul of Different Opinions.
... of the liberty of the will, in which he has taken care to distinguish with so great
subtlety these three things,"the "capacity," the "volition," and the ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 6 v pelagius and paul.htm

Whether Faith be in a Man's Own Power.
... Nowhere, however, in Holy Scripture do we find such an assertion as, There
is no volition but comes from God. And rightly is it ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 54 whether faith be in.htm

Volition
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The act of willing or choosing; the act of forming
a purpose; as, to choose on one's own volition. ... WILL, VOLITION. ...
/v/volition.htm - 11k

Will (64996 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The choice which is made; a determination or preference which results
from the act or exercise of the power of choice; a volition. ...
/w/will.htm - 13k

Volume (4 Occurrences)

/v/volume.htm - 8k

With (66342 Occurrences)
... indicates the belief of the New Testament writers that the control of demons over
men is obtained outside of or below the region of conscious volition and that ...
/w/with.htm - 20k

Faculty (1 Occurrence)
... of mental activity; psychical or soul capacity; capacity for any of the leading
kinds of soul activity, as knowledge, feeling, volition; intellectual endowment ...
/f/faculty.htm - 8k

Devils (48 Occurrences)
... indicates the belief of the New Testament writers that the control of demons over
men is obtained outside of or below the region of conscious volition and that ...
/d/devils.htm - 31k

Demons (54 Occurrences)
... indicates the belief of the New Testament writers that the control of demons over
men is obtained outside of or below the region of conscious volition and that ...
/d/demons.htm - 34k

Miracle (15 Occurrences)
... An event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple
volition of God, operating without the use of means capable of being ...
/m/miracle.htm - 44k

Brute (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Not having sensation; senseless; inanimate; unconscious; without intelligence
or volition; as, the brute earth; the brute powers of nature. ...
/b/brute.htm - 9k

Communion (8 Occurrences)
... indicates the belief of the New Testament writers that the control of demons over
men is obtained outside of or below the region of conscious volition and that ...
/c/communion.htm - 30k

Volition

Will (64996 Occurrences)

Volume (4 Occurrences)

With (66342 Occurrences)

Faculty (1 Occurrence)

Devils (48 Occurrences)

Demons (54 Occurrences)

Miracle (15 Occurrences)

Brute (4 Occurrences)

Communion (8 Occurrences)

Holy (1097 Occurrences)

Sever (6 Occurrences)

Void (64 Occurrences)

Cruelty (8 Occurrences)

Cruel (196 Occurrences)

Conversion (1 Occurrence)

Creation (35 Occurrences)

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