# G2320 - theotes

<!-- type: lexicon | created: 2026-04-26 | updated: 2026-04-26 -->

**Strong's:** [G2320](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2320/) · BLB lookup
**Pronunciation:** theh-ot'-ace
**Part of speech:** feminine abstract noun
**Root:** from [G2316 - theos](/codex/g2316-theos/) (θεός, "God"), the abstract noun formed with the *-tēs* suffix denoting essential nature.
**NT occurrences:** **1**, a NT *hapax legomenon* at [Colossians 2.9](/codex/colossians-2-9/).

## Semantic range (Thayer / BDAG)

1. **The state of being God; deity in essence; the divine nature itself.**

The word denotes the **essential being** of God, what *makes* God God. It is the abstract substantive of *theos*: not God's *acts* or *attributes*, but God's *nature*.

## The crucial distinction: *theotēs* vs *theiotēs*

Greek has two abstract nouns derived from *theos*:

| Term | Strong's | Sense | Usage |
|------|----------|-------|-------|
| **θεότης** *(theotēs)* | G2320 | **deity in essence**, the divine nature itself | Colossians 2:9 only |
| **θειότης** *(theiotēs)* | G2305 | **divinity in attribute**, divine qualities, divine character | Romans 1:20 only |

Thayer (citing Trench, *Synonyms of the New Testament*) summarizes: "θεότ. *deity* differs from θειότ. *divinity*, as essence differs from quality or attribute." Trench's classic 1854 work argues this distinction is decisive, [Romans 1:20](/codex/romans-1-20/)'s *theiotēs* says creation reveals God's *divine attributes* (eternal power, glory, etc.); [Colossians 2:9](/codex/colossians-2-9/)'s *theotēs* says Christ embodies the *divine essence itself*.

## Theological force, Christ as full *theotēs*

[Colossians 2:9](/codex/colossians-2-9/): *en autō katoikei pan to plērōma tēs theotētos sōmatikōs*, "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form."

Three intensifiers stack:

1. **πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα** ([G4138 - pleroma](/codex/g4138-pleroma/)), *all the fullness*, the totality, not a portion.
2. **τῆς θεότητος** (*tēs theotētos*), *of Deity itself*, the essential divine being, not just divine quality.
3. **σωματικῶς** (*sōmatikōs*), *in bodily form*, incarnate, fleshly, locatable. Not merely a spiritual indwelling.

Together this is the strongest single Christological assertion in the NT corpus. Paul wrote Colossians explicitly to refute proto-Gnostic / Colossian heresy that demoted Christ to one *aeon* among many in the divine hierarchy; the verse is engineered to leave no Christological reduction possible.

## Notable verses

- **[Colossians 2.9](/codex/colossians-2-9/)**, the only NT occurrence; the lexical anchor of the doctrine of Christ's full deity

## Theological correlates (verses making the same claim with different vocabulary)

- **[John 1:1](/codex/john-1-1/)**, *theos ēn ho logos*, qualitatively predicating deity of the Word
- **[John 1:18](/codex/john-1-18/)**, *monogenēs theos*, "only-begotten God"
- **[John 20:28](/codex/john-20-28/)**, Thomas: *ho kyrios mou kai ho theos mou*, "my Lord and my God"
- **[Hebrews 1:3](/codex/hebrews-1-3/)**, "the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature (*charaktēr tēs hypostaseōs autou*)"
- **[Hebrews 1:8](/codex/hebrews-1-8/)**, Father addresses Son: "Your throne, O God"
- **[Titus 2:13](/codex/titus-2-13/)**, "our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus"
- **[2 Peter 1:1](/codex/2-peter-1-1/)**, "our God and Savior, Jesus Christ"
- **[Philippians 2:6](/codex/philippians-2-6/)**, "existing in the form of God (*en morphē theou hyparchōn*)"

## Patristic / scholarly note

The verse was central to Athanasius's case against Arius. Arius held that the Son was the highest creature, not God by nature, and [Colossians 2:9](/codex/colossians-2-9/) (*pan to plērōma tēs theotētos*) is fatal to that reading. Athanasius (*Discourses Against the Arians* III.18, c. AD 358) develops the verse into Trinitarian dogma. The Council of Nicaea's *homoousios* (consubstantial with the Father) is, in part, the credal articulation of the *theotēs* claim.

[Cyril of Alexandria](/codex/cyril-of-alexandria/) (*Commentary on Colossians*, c. AD 425) presses *theotēs* against Nestorianism: the divine essence dwells *bodily*, there is no separation of natures or persons.

Richard Trench's *Synonyms of the New Testament* (1854) is the foundational modern treatment of the *theotēs* / *theiotēs* distinction. Most modern lexicons and conservative commentators (Bruce, Moo, Wright) follow Trench, treating *theotēs* in [Colossians 2:9](/codex/colossians-2-9/) as a maximally strong Christological term. Some modern scholars (Witherington, Fee) caution against pressing the *theotēs* / *theiotēs* contrast too hard, since the words can occasionally overlap; but the classical reading remains dominant.

## Verses in this codex

_See Obsidian's backlinks pane._ The single occurrence is at [Colossians 2.9](/codex/colossians-2-9/).

## See also

- [G2316 - theos](/codex/g2316-theos/), the simple noun "God"
- [G2305 - theiotes](/codex/g2305-theiotes/), "divinity (in attribute)", the [Romans 1:20](/codex/romans-1-20/) contrast
- [G4138 - pleroma](/codex/g4138-pleroma/), paired in [Colossians 2:9](/codex/colossians-2-9/)
- [Colossians 2.9](/codex/colossians-2-9/), the locus classicus