τέλος, -ους, τό, [cf. Curtius § 238], fr. Hom. down, Sept. mostly for קֵין;
1. end, i. e.
a. termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be, (in the Grk. writ. always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time, which they call τελεὐτή; in the Scriptures also of a temporal end; an end in space is everywhere called πέρας; cf. Schmidt ch. 193 esp. §§ 3 and 9): τῆς βασιλείας, Lk. 1:33; ζωῆς, Heb. 7:3; τοῦ καταργουμένου, 2 Co. 3:13; τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων, 1 Co. 10:11 (τέλος τῶν ἡμερῶν, Neh. 13:6; τῶν ἑπτὰ ἐτῶν, 2 K. 8:3; ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος καὶ μεσότης χρόνων, p 620 Sap. 7:18); i. q. he who puts an end to: τέλος νόμου Χριστός, Christ has brought the law to an end (πᾶσίν ἐστιν ἀνθρώποις τέλος τοῦ βίου θάνατος, Dem. 1306, 25), Ro. 10:4; cf. Fritzsche ad loc., vol. ii. p. 377 sq. πάντων τὸ τέλος, the end of all things (i. e. of the present order of things), 1 Pet. 4:7; also in the phrases ἕως τέλους, 1 Co. 1:8; 2 Co. 1:13; μέχρι τέλους, Heb. 3:6 [Tr mrg. WH br. the 150.], 14; ἄχρι τέλους, Heb. 6:14; Rev. 2:26. What ‘end’ is intended the reader must determine by the context; thus, τὸ τέλος denotes the end of the Messianic pangs (dolores Messiae; see ὠδίν) in Mt. 24:6, 14, (opp. to ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων); Mk. 13:7 (cf. 9); Lk. 21:9; τὸ τέλος in 1 Co. 15:24 denotes either the end of the eschatological events, or the end of the resurrection i. e. the last or third act of the resurrection (to include those who had not belonged to the number of οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ), 1 Co. 15:24 cf. 23; see De Wette ad loc.; Weizel in the Theol. Stud. u. Krit. for 1836, p. 978; Grimm in the Zeitschr. f. wissensch. Theol. for 1873, p. 388 sqq.; [yet cf. Heinrici in Meyer (6tc Aufl.) ad loc.]. εἰς τέλος,—to the very end appointed for these evils, Mt. 10:22; 24:13; Mk. 13:13; also at the end, at last, finally, Lk. 18:5 (Vulg. in novissimo) [i. e. lest at last by her coming she wear me out; but al. take it i. q. Hebr. לָנֶצַח (cf. Job 14:20 etc. see Trommius) and connect it with the ptcp., lest by her coming to the last i. e. continually; see ὑπωπιάζω, sub fin.]; Jn. 13:1 [al. to the uttermost, completely (cf. our to the very last); see Westcott, and Weiss (in Meyer 6tc Aufl.) ad loc.; Grimm on 2 Macc. 8:29], cf. ἀγαπάω, sub fin., (Xen. oec. 17, 10; Hes. opp. 292; Hdt. 3, 40; 9, 37; Soph. Phil. 409; Eur. Ion 1615; Ael. v. h. 10, 16); to the (procurement of their) end, i. e. to destruction [A. V. to the uttermost (cf. reff. u. s.)], 1 Th. 2:16 (for לִבָלָה, 2 Chr. 12:12); τέλος ἔχειν, to have an end, be finished, (often in Grk. writ.), Lk. 22:37 [al. give τέλος here the sense of fulfilment (cf. τελέω, 2)]; i. q. to perish, Mk. 3:26. τὸ δὲ τέλος, adverbially, finally (denique vero): 1 Pet. 3:8 (Plat. legg. 6 p. 768 b.; καὶ τό γε τέλος, ibid. 5 p. 740 e.; but generally in prof. auth. τέλος in this sense wants the article; cf. Passow ii. p. 1857a; [L. and S. s. v. I. 4 a.]).
b. the end i. e. the last in any succession or series: (ἡ) ἀρχὴ καὶ (τὸ) τέλος, of God, who by his perpetuity survives all things, i. e. eternal, Rev. 1:8 Rec.; 21:6; 22:13.
c. that by which, a thing is finished, its close, issue: Mt. 26:58; final lot, fate, as if a recompense: with a gen. of the thing, Ro. 6:21 sq.; Heb. 6:8; 1 Pet. 1:9; with a gen. of the person whom the destiny befalls, 2 Co. 11:15; Phil. 3:19; 1 Pet. 4:17; τοῦ κυρίου (gen. of author), the closing experience which befell Job by God’s command, Jas. 5:11 (referring to Job 42. [esp. 12]).
d. the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose: 1 Tim. 1:5 (often so in philos. fr. Plat. de rep. 6 p. 494 a. down; cf. Fritzsche on Rom. 2 p. 378).
2. toll, custom, [i. e. an indirect tax on goods; see φόρος and κῆνσος]: Mt. 17:25; Ro. 13:7, (Xen., Plat., Polyb., Aeschin., Dem., al.: 1 Macc 10:31; 11:35).*