Bible Word Study
μεστός
mestos · full
μεστός
full
Definition
The adjective μεστός means 'full' or 'filled with,' describing a state of being completely occupied or saturated by something. It often carries a figurative sense, indicating a person or thing is thoroughly characterized by a particular quality or substance. For example, in John 19:29, it describes a sponge 'full' of sour wine, a literal usage. In contrast, in Matthew 23:28, it is used metaphorically: the scribes and Pharisees are 'full' of hypocrisy and lawlessness, indicating their complete internal corruption. Similarly, James 3:8 states the tongue is 'full' of deadly poison, emphasizing its pervasive and dangerous nature.
Biblical Usage
Μεστός appears eight times in the New Testament, used in both literal and metaphorical contexts. The literal sense is seen with physical substances, as in John 19:29 (sour wine) and John 21:11 (fish). The metaphorical usage is more common, describing people filled with negative or positive qualities: hypocrisy (Matthew 23:28), wickedness (Romans 1:29), poison (James 3:8), wisdom (James 3:17), or covetousness (2 Peter 2:14). It is used across Gospels, Pauline epistles, and general letters, often to emphasize an overwhelming internal condition.
Etymology
Μεστός is a primary Greek adjective meaning 'full' or 'filled.' It is related to the verb μεστόω (mestoō, G3325), meaning 'to fill.' The root concept is one of saturation or completeness. Cognates in other languages include the Latin 'mestus' (sad, mournful), though the Greek term does not inherently carry an emotional connotation.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it highlights the internal state of a person, a key theme in New Testament ethics. It moves beyond external actions to the heart's condition, as seen in Jesus' condemnation of hypocrisy (Matthew 23:28) and Paul's description of human depravity (Romans 1:29). Conversely, it describes the positive fullness believers can possess, like being 'full of goodness' (Romans 15:14) or 'full of mercy' (James 3:17). Understanding μεστός enriches reading by emphasizing that Christian transformation involves being thoroughly filled with godly character, not just avoiding bad behavior. In the ancient Greco-Roman world, being 'full' of a quality was a common idiom for being completely dominated or characterized by it. This concept aligned with philosophical discussions about virtue and vice being internal dispositions. The biblical usage taps into this understanding but redirects it toward spiritual reality, assessing a person's true nature before God rather than just social reputation. πλήρης (plērēs, G4134) — also means 'full,' but often implies a completed fullness or fulfillment, as in being full of the Holy Spirit. γέμω (gemō, G1073) — a verb meaning 'to be full' or 'to abound,' focusing more on the action or state of being laden.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]