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

I WILL BE

See GOD, NAMES OF.

WILL

See TESTAMENT.

1. (n.) The power of choosing; the faculty or endowment of the soul by which it is capable of choosing; the faculty or power of the mind by which we decide to do or not to do; the power or faculty of preferring or selecting one of two or more objects.

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.

3. (n.) The choice or determination of one who has authority; a decree; a command; discretionary pleasure.

4. (v.) Strong wish or inclination; desire; purpose.

5. (v.) That which is strongly wished or desired.

6. (v.) Arbitrary disposal; power to control, dispose, or determine.

7. (n.) The legal declaration of a person's mind as to the manner in which he would have his property or estate disposed of after his death; the written instrument, legally executed, by which a man makes disposition of his estate, to take effect after his death; testament; devise. See the Note under Testament, 1.

8. (adv.) To wish; to desire; to incline to have.

9. (adv.) As an auxiliary, will is used to denote futurity dependent on the verb. Thus, in first person, I will denotes willingness, consent, promise; and when will is emphasized, it denotes determination or fixed purpose; as, I will go if you wish; I will go at all hazards. In the second and third persons, the idea of distinct volition, wish, or purpose is evanescent, and simple certainty is appropriately expressed; as, You will go, or He will go, describes a future event as a fact only. To emphasize will denotes (according to the tone or context) certain futurity or fixed determination.

10. (v. i.) To be willing; to be inclined or disposed; to be pleased; to wish; to desire.

11. (n.) To form a distinct volition of; to determine by an act of choice; to ordain; to decree.

12. (n.) To enjoin or command, as that which is determined by an act of volition; to direct; to order.

13. (n.) To give or direct the disposal of by testament; to bequeath; to devise; as, to will one's estate to a child; also, to order or direct by testament; as, he willed that his nephew should have his watch.

14. (v. i.) To exercise an act of volition; to choose; to decide; to determine; to decree.

7522. ratson -- goodwill, favor, acceptance, will
... ratson or ratson. 7523 >>. goodwill, favor, acceptance, will. Transliteration: ratson
or ratson Phonetic Spelling: (raw-tsone') Short Definition: favor. ...
/hebrew/7522.htm - 6k

3301. Yiphdeyah -- "Yah will ransom," an Israelite
... << 3300, 3301. Yiphdeyah. 3302 >>. "Yah will ransom," an Israelite. Transliteration:
Yiphdeyah Phonetic Spelling: (yif-deh-yaw') Short Definition: Iphedeiah. ...
/hebrew/3301.htm - 6k

7470. reuth -- pleasure, will
... reuth. 7471 >>. pleasure, will. Transliteration: reuth Phonetic Spelling: (reh-ooth')
Short Definition: pleasure. Word Origin see reu. pleasure, will ...
/hebrew/7470.htm - 5k

3820. leb -- inner man, mind, will, heart
... << 3819, 3820. leb. 3821 >>. inner man, mind, will, heart. Transliteration:
leb Phonetic Spelling: (labe) Short Definition: heart. Word ...
/hebrew/3820.htm - 7k

3437. Yashub -- "He will return," two Israelites
... Yashub or Yashib. 3438 >>. "He will return," two Israelites. Transliteration: Yashub
or Yashib Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-shoob') Short Definition: Jashub. ...
/hebrew/3437.htm - 6k

3434. Yashobam -- "people will return," one of David's heroes
... Yashobam. 3435 >>. "people will return," one of David's heroes. Transliteration:
Yashobam Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-shob-awm') Short Definition: Jashobeam. ...
/hebrew/3434.htm - 6k

3380. Yerubbesheth -- "shame will contend," a name of Gideon
... "shame will contend," a name of Gideon. Transliteration: Yerubbesheth Phonetic
Spelling: (yer-oob-beh'-sheth) Short Definition: Jerubbesheth. ...
/hebrew/3380.htm - 6k

3416. Yirpeel -- "God will heal," a place in Benjamin
... << 3415, 3416. Yirpeel. 3417 >>. "God will heal," a place in Benjamin. Transliteration:
Yirpeel Phonetic Spelling: (yir-peh-ale') Short Definition: Irpeel. ...
/hebrew/3416.htm - 6k

3234. Yimna -- "He will restrain," an Asherite
... "He will restrain," an Asherite. Transliteration: Yimna Phonetic Spelling:
(yim-naw') Short Definition: Imna. ... From mana'; he will restrain; Jimna, an Israelite: ...
/hebrew/3234.htm - 6k

7466b. reu -- good pleasure, will
... << 7466a, 7466b. reu. 7467 >>. good pleasure, will. Transliteration: reu Short
Definition: decision. Word Origin (Aramaic) corresponding ...
/hebrew/7466b.htm - 5k