Bible Dictionary
TRANSFORM
To transform means to change in form, appearance, or condition. Scripture uses the term for the believer’s renewal of mind and for being changed into the likeness of Christ through fellowship with the Lord.
Definition
To transform means to change in form, appearance, or condition. In biblical usage the word may describe a profound change or, in another related term, a change limited to outward appearance. The supplied material cautions that a strict distinction between these meanings is probably fanciful.
Biblical Usage
The term is used of the renewing change associated with the Christian life and of being transformed into the Lord’s image. The King James Version also uses a related form in passages where later versions read “fashion.”
Historical Background
The English translations represent more than one Greek verb. Commentaries often distinguish a change of nature from a change of appearance, but the supplied material regards that distinction as uncertain.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>trans-form' (Ro 12:2; the Revised Version (British and American) 2Co 3:18 for metamorphoomai, and the King James Version 2Co 11:13,14,15 for metaschematizo, the Revised Version (British and American) "fashion"): The commentaries often explain the former word as connoting a change of nature, while the latter refers only to the appearance, but this distinction is probably fanciful.</p>