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G2244 · Greek · New Testament
ἡλικία
hēlikia
Noun, Feminine
Age / stature / maturity / span of life

Definition

The Greek noun hēlikia (ἡλικία) means age, time of life, stature, bodily maturity. It appears eight times in the NT (Matt 6:27; Luke 2:52; 12:25; 19:3; John 9:21, 23; Eph 4:13; Heb 11:11). The word can refer to physical height, chronological age, or the span of one's life, depending on context.

Usage & Theological Significance

In Luke 2:52, Jesus 'increased in wisdom and in hēlikia' — here meaning age/stature, describing his genuine human development. In Matthew 6:27 and Luke 12:25, Jesus asks: 'Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his hēlikia?' — here most likely 'span of life,' since anxiety cannot extend our days. In John 9:21, the parents of the man born blind deflect: 'He is of hēlikia' — he is of legal age, old enough to speak for himself. Most theologically rich is Ephesians 4:13, where the church is to grow 'to the measure of the hēlikia of the fullness of Christ' — full spiritual maturity measured against Christ Himself.

Key Bible Verses

Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Matthew 6:27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Ephesians 4:13 ...until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

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