Topical Encyclopedia
The term "altogether" is used in the Bible to convey a sense of completeness, totality, or entirety. It often emphasizes the full extent or absolute nature of a statement or condition. In the Berean Standard Bible , "altogether" appears in various contexts, each highlighting different aspects of God's nature, human behavior, or spiritual truths.
1.
Divine Perfection and Holiness: The concept of God being "altogether" perfect and holy is a recurring theme in Scripture. God's nature is complete and without flaw, as seen in passages that describe His attributes. For instance,
Psalm 19:9 states, "The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, altogether righteous." This verse underscores the absolute righteousness and purity of God's decrees.
2.
Human Sinfulness: The Bible also uses "altogether" to describe the comprehensive nature of human sinfulness. In
Romans 3:12 , Paul writes, "All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." This passage highlights the total depravity of humanity apart from divine intervention, emphasizing that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory.
3.
Complete Transformation: The transformative power of the Gospel is another area where "altogether" is significant. Believers are called to be wholly transformed by the renewing of their minds. In
2 Corinthians 5:17 , Paul declares, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." This transformation is not partial but altogether complete, signifying a total change in identity and purpose.
4.
Unity in the Body of Christ: The term is also used to describe the unity and completeness of the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:16 illustrates this by stating, "From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." The church is depicted as a body that is altogether unified and functioning harmoniously when each member contributes to the whole.
5.
Faith and Assurance: In matters of faith, believers are encouraged to be altogether assured of their hope in Christ.
Hebrews 10:22 exhorts, "Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." This call to draw near to God with full assurance reflects a complete and unwavering trust in His promises.
6.
Judgment and Justice: The Bible also uses "altogether" in the context of divine judgment and justice. In
Jeremiah 5:10 , God warns, "Go up through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not finish them off. Strip away her branches, for they do not belong to the LORD." Here, the term conveys the idea of a judgment that is thorough yet not utterly destructive, reflecting God's justice tempered with mercy.
In summary, the use of "altogether" in the Bible serves to emphasize the completeness and totality of various spiritual truths, whether it pertains to God's perfect nature, human sinfulness, the transformative power of the Gospel, the unity of the church, the assurance of faith, or the execution of divine justice. Each instance invites believers to consider the full scope of God's work and their response to His call.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
adv.) All together; conjointly.
2. (adv.) Without exception; wholly; completely.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ALTOGETHERol-too-geth'-er: Representing five Hebrew and three Greek originals, which variously signify
(1) "together"; i.e. all, e.g. `all men, high and low, weighed together in God's balance are lighter than vanity' (Psalm 62:9); so alsoPsalm 53:3Jeremiah 10:8.
(2) "all": so the Revised Version (British and American),Isaiah 10:8: "Are not my princes all of them kings?"
(3) "with one accord have broken the yoke"; so the Revised Version (British and American),Jeremiah 5:5.
(4) "completely," "entirely," "fully": "so as not to destroy him altogether" (2 Chronicles 12:12; compareGenesis 18:21Exodus 11:1Psalm 39:5Jeremiah 30:11 the King James Version; compare the Revised Version (British and American)).
(5) "wholly": "altogether born in sins,"John 9:34.
(6) In1 Corinthians 5:10 the Revised Version (British and American) rendered "at all";1 Corinthians 9:10 "assuredly."
(7) A passage of classic difficulty to translators isActs 26:29, where "altogether" in the Revised Version (British and American) is rendered "with much," Greek en megalo (en pollo). SeeALMOST. Many of the instances where "altogether" occurs in the King James Version become "together" in the Revised Version (British and American). Used as an adjective inPsalm 39:5 ("altogether vanity").
Dwight M. Pratt
Greek
3654. holos --altogether, assuredly...altogether, assuredly. Part of Speech: Adverb Transliteration: holos Phonetic Spelling:
(hol'-oce) Short Definition: wholly,
altogether, not at all Definition
...3843. pantos --altogether, by all means
...altogether, by all means. Part of Speech: Adverb Transliteration: pantos Phonetic
Spelling: (pan'-toce) Short Definition: entirely, in every way, certainly...
3650. holos -- whole, complete
... all,altogether, whole. A primary word; "whole" or "all", ie Complete
(in extent, amount, time or degree), especially (neuter) as...
4780. sugkalupto -- to cover completely
... cover. From sun and kalupto; to concealaltogether -- cover. see GREEK sun. see
GREEK kalupto. (sunkekalummenon) -- 1 Occurrence. 4779, 4780. sugkalupto. 4781...
4794. sugkupto -- to bend forwards, bow down
... bow together. From sun and kupto; to stoopaltogether, ie Be completely overcome
by -- bow together. see GREEK sun. see GREEK kupto....
1254. diakoluo -- to hinder
... forbid. From dia and koluo; to hinderaltogether, ie Utterly prohibit -- forbid.
see GREEK dia. see GREEK koluo. (diekoluen) -- 1 Occurrence. 1253, 1254....
2527. katholou -- in general
... Speech: Adverb Transliteration: katholou Phonetic Spelling: (kath-ol'-oo) Short
Definition: entirely, at all Definition: one the whole, in general,altogether....
537. hapas -- all, the whole
... the whole. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: hapas Phonetic Spelling:
(hap'-as) Short Definition: all, the whole Definition: all, the whole,altogether...
1722. en -- in, on, at, by, with
... etc. -- about, after, against, + almost, Xaltogether, among, X as, at,
before, between, (here-)by (+ all means), for (... Sake...
4183. polus -- much, many
... or (plural) many; neuter (singular) as adverbial, largely; neuter (plural) as adverb
or noun often, mostly, largely -- abundant, +altogether, common, + far...
Strong's Hebrew
7534. raq -- thin, only,altogether, surely... 7533, 7534. raq. 7535 . thin, only,
altogether, surely. Transliteration:
raq Phonetic Spelling: (rak) Short Definition: only. Word
...259. echad -- one
... one NASB Word Usage 151,450* (1), 41,500* (2), 61* (1), 61,000* (1), 621* (2), 721*
(1), alike (1), all at once (1), alone (2),altogether (1), another (23...
3605. kol -- the whole, all
... 1), all your concerning everything (1), all your to every (1), all your throughout
(1), all men (2), all these (1), all things (11),altogether (1), always* (15...
3162. yachad -- unitedness
... Word Origin from yachad Definition unitedness NASB Word Usage alike (1), all (4),
altogether (2),altogether* (1), both (4), completely (2), each other (1...
2790. charash -- to cut in, engrave, plow, devise
... 2789, 2790. charash. 2790a . to cut in, engrave, plow, devise. Transliteration:
charash Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-rash') Short Definition:altogether....
5352. naqah -- to be empty or clean
... acquit at all,altogether, be blameless, cleanse, be clearing, cut off. A primitive
root; to be (or make) clean (literally or figuratively...
1892. hebel -- vapor, breath
... vanity (19), vanity of vanities (3), vapor (1), worthless (2).altogether,
vain, vanity. Or (rarely in the abs.) Habel {hab-ale'}; from...
1961. hayah -- to fall out, come to pass, become, be
... 1), wear (1), went (1). become,altogether, accomplished, committed, like,
break, cause,. A primitive root (compare hava'); to exist...
1288. barak -- to kneel, bless
... abundantly,altogether, at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, greatly,.
A primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless...
8323. sarar -- to be or act as prince, rule
...altogether, make self a prince, bear rule. A primitive root; to have (transitively,
exercise; reflexively, get) dominion -- Xaltogether...
Library
ChristAltogether Lovely
ChristAltogether Lovely. <. ChristAltogether Lovely John Flavel. Table of
Contents. Title Page. Christ is to be Loved. He is "Altogether Lovely"....
Altogether Lovely
...Altogether Lovely. A Sermon (No.1001).... CH SPURGEON,. At the Metropolitan Tabernacle,
Newington. "Yea, he isaltogether lovely.""Song of Solomon 5:16....
Whether Passion Excuses from SinAltogether?
... OF THE CAUSE OF SIN, ON THE PART OF THE SENSITIVE APPETITE (EIGHT ARTICLES)
Whether passion excuses from sinaltogether? Objection...
Whether God isAltogether Simple?
... OF THE SIMPLICITY OF GOD (EIGHT ARTICLES) Whether God isaltogether simple?
Objection 1: It seems that God is notaltogether simple....
Whether Ignorance Excuses from SinAltogether?
... OF THE CAUSES OF SIN, IN PARTICULAR (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether ignorance excuses from
sinaltogether?... Therefore ignorance excuses from sinaltogether....
Whether God isAltogether Immutable?
... THE IMMUTABILITY OF GOD (TWO ARTICLES) Whether God isaltogether immutable?
Objection 1: It seems that God is notaltogether immutable....
Whether it is Lawful to AbstainAltogether from Communion?
... OF THE USE OR RECEIVING OF THIS SACRAMENT IN GENERAL (TWELVE ARTICLES)
Whether it is lawful to abstainaltogether from communion?...
Whether God isAltogether Simple
... Article Seven Whether God isAltogether Simple. Whether God isAltogether Simple...
1. It seems that God is notaltogether simple. God's creatures resemble him....
Whether the Use of Wine isAltogether Unlawful?
... OF SOBRIETY (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether the use of wine isaltogether unlawful? Objection
1: It would seem that the use of wine isaltogether unlawful....
Whether an Angel isAltogether Incorporeal?
... TREATISE ON THE ANGELS (QQ -64)OF THE SUBSTANCE OF THE ANGELS ABSOLUTELY CONSIDERED
(FIVE ARTICLES) Whether an angel isaltogether incorporeal?...
Thesaurus
Altogether (56 Occurrences)... 2. (adv.) Without exception; wholly; completely. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
ALTOGETHER.
... (5) "wholly": "
altogether born in sins," John 9:34.
...All (60349 Occurrences)
... 3. (a.) Only; alone; nothing but. 4. (adv.) Wholly; completely;altogether; entirely;
quite; very; as, all bedewed; my friend is all for amusement....
Defect (62 Occurrences)
... de-fekt', de-fekt'-iv (hettema, "loss," "a defect"): Occurs in 1 Corinthians 6:7:
"Nay, already it isaltogether a defect in you (the King James Version "there...
Lovely (19 Occurrences)
... or "lovable." Two other words are so translated in the Old Testament: machmadch,
"desire" a "desirable thing" (Songs 5:16, "He isaltogether lovely," that is...
Vanity (100 Occurrences)
... Psalms 39:5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as
nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state isaltogether vanity....
Actually (35 Occurrences)
... (See NAS). 1 Corinthians 6:7 Therefore it is alreadyaltogether a defect in you,
that you have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather be wronged?...
Guiltless (29 Occurrences)
... whither I have scattered thee; yet of thee will I not make a full end, but I will
correct thee with judgment, and will not hold theealtogether guiltless....
Red (124 Occurrences)
... elsewhere it is either a chief act or serves to consume the remnants of a finished
sacrifice- Leviticus 4:12 and Numbers 19:3 arealtogether different....
Heifer (22 Occurrences)
... 9 the ceremony of the ratification of the covenant by God makes use of a heifer
and a she-goat, but the reason for the use of the females isaltogether obscure...
Haggai (14 Occurrences)
...Altogether Darius fought 19 battles in putting down his rivals, and did not succeed
in vanquishing all of his foes till the year after Haggai prophesied....
Resources
Should a Christian go to Prom / Homecoming? | GotQuestions.orgWas Jonah truly swallowed by a whale? | GotQuestions.orgHow can we prevent our young people from losing faith? | GotQuestions.orgAltogether: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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