ἀρετή [ ᾰ], ἡ,
I
1. goodness, excellence, of any kind, in Hom. esp. of manly qualities, ποδῶν ἀρετὴν ἀναφαίνων Il. 20.411; ἀμείνων παντοίας ἀρετὰς ἠμὲν πόδας ἠδὲ μάχεσθαι καὶ νόον 15.642; so of the gods, τῶν περ καὶ μείζων ἀ. τιμή τε βίη τε 9.498; also of women, Od. 2.206; ἀ. εἵνεκα for valour, Hdt. 8.92: pl., ἀ. ἀπεδείκνυντο displayed brave deeds, Id. 1.176, 9.40. later, of the gods, chiefly in pl., glorious deeds, wonders, miracles, SIG 1172, Str. 17.1.17; ζῶσαι ἀ. IG 14.966, cf. [1Pe 2:9]: also in sg., ὄψιν ἰδοῦσα ἀρετὴν τῆς θεοῦ IG 2.1426 b, cf. Isyll. 62, BSA 21.169,180.
2. generally, excellence, ἡ ἀ. τελείωσίς τις Arist. Metaph. 1021b20, cf. EN 1106a15, etc.; of persons, ἄνδρα πὺξ ἀρετὰν εὑρόντα Pi. O. 7.89, cf. P. 4.187, B. 9.13, etc.; τὸ φρονεῖν ἀ. μεγίστη Heraclit. 112: in pl., forms of excellence, μυρίαι ἀνδρῶν ἀ. B. 13.8, cf. Gorg. Fr. 8, etc.; δικαστοῦ αὕτη ἀ. Pl. [Rev 18:1-24] a; esp. moral virtue, Democr. 179, 263, al., Gorg. Fr. 6; opp. κακία, X. Mem. 2.1.21, cf. Pl. R. 500d, Lg. 963a, 963c sq., D. 60.17, Arist. EN 1102a6, Pol. 1295a37, etc.; good nature, kindness, etc., E. Fr. 163. of animals, things, as land, Hdt. 4.198, 7.5, Th. 1.2; ἡ ἐν ἀρετῇ κειμένη γῆ productive land, PTeb. 5.165 (ii B. C.); ἵππου Hdt. 3.88; κυνῶν, ἵππων, Pl. R. 335b; σκεύους ib. 601d; [ ἀστακοῦ ] Archestr. Fr. 24; ἀ. βίου Pl. R. 618c; πολιτείας Lg. 886b, etc.
3. prosperity, Od. 13.45.
II ἀ. εἴς τινα active merit, good service done him, ἐς τοὺς Ἕλληνας Th. 3.58, cf. 2.40; ἀ. περί τινα X. An. 1.4.8; ἀνταποδοῦναι ἀ. Th. 4.19; ἀρετὰς παρασχέσθαι ὑπέρ τινος D. 19.312; ἀρετῆς ἕνεκα, freq. in honorary Inscrr., IG 22.107.14, etc.
III reward of excellence, distinction, fame, πλούτῳ δ’ ἀρετὴ καὶ κῦδος ὀπηδεῖ Hes. Op. 313, cf. Sapph. 80, Pi. N. 5.53, al.; ἀθάνατος ἀ. S. Ph. 1420, Pl. Smp. 208d; ἃ ἆθλα τοῦ πολέμου τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐστίν, ἐλευθερία καὶ ἀ. Lycurg. 49; of God, δόξα καὶ ἀ. [2Pe 1:3]: in pl., glories, Thgn. 30, Pi. N. 10.2, al.; πλοῦτος ἀρεταῖς δεδαιδαλμένος Id. O. 2.53; γενναίων ἀ. πόνων E. HF 357 (lyr.), cf. Lys. 2.26; προγόνων ἀ. Pl. R. 618b; in LXX freq. of the praises of God, [Isa 42:8], al. Ἀρετή personified, Prodic. 1, Arist. Fr. 675, Callix. 2, CIG 2786, SIG 985.10, etc. ἡ ἀ. σου as a title, Your worship, PLips. 13 ii 20, etc. an engine of war, Ath.Mech. 38.11. a plaster, Androm. ap. Gal. 13.531.
G703 — ἀρετή
ἀρετῆς, ἡ (see ἄρα at the beginning), a word of very wide signification in Greek writings; any excellence of a person (in body or mind) or of a thing, an eminent endowment, property or quality. Used of the human mind and in an ethical sense, it denotes:
1. a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action; virtue, moral goodness (Wis. 4:1 Wis. 5:13; often in 4 Macc. and in Greek writings): [2Pe 1:5] (others take it here specifically, viz. moral vigor; cf. next entry).
2. any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity; hence (plural αἱ ἀρεταί, Wis. 8:7; often in 4 Macc. and in the Greek philosophers) τίς ἀρετή, [Phi 4:8]. Used of God, it denotes a. his power: [2Pe 1:3].
b. in the plural his excellences, perfections, 'which shine forth in our gratuitous calling and in the whole work of our salvation' (John Gerhard): [1Pe 2:9]. (In the Sept. for הוד splendor, glory, [Hab 3:3], of God; [Zec 6:13], of the Messiah; in plural for תְּהִלּות praises, of God, [Isa 43:21]; [Isa 42:12]; [Isa 63:7].)
ἀρετή , - ῆς , ἡ ,
[in LXX , in sing.: [Hab 3:3], [Zec 6:13] (H1935), in pl .: [Isa 42:8]; [Isa 42:12]; [Isa 43:21]; [Isa 63:7] (H8416), Wis 4:1 ; Wis 5:13 ; Wis 8:7; Wis 2:1-24 -4 Mac.22 * ;]
prop ., whatever procures pre-eminent estimation for a person or thing, in Hom . any kind of conspicuous advantage. Later confined by philos. writers to intrinsic eminence- moral goodness, virtue;
(a) of God: [2Pe 1:3];
(b) of men: Php 4:8 , [2Pe 1:5]; pl. (Isa, Es, ll . c .), excellencies: [1Pe 2:9] (the usage appears to be a survival of an early comprehensive sense in which the original idea is blended with the impression which it makes on others, i.e . praise, renown; v. Hort , 1 Pe., 129. Deiss., BS , 95 f ., thinks it means manifestations of divine power, as in current Gk . speech; cf. also MM , s.v. ) †