Original Word: γεννάω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: gennaó
Pronunciation: ghen-nah'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (ghen-nah'-o)
Definition: To beget, to give birth, to bring forth, to produce.
Meaning: I beget (of the male), (of the female) I bring forth, give birth to.

Word Origin: From the Greek root γένος (genos), meaning "race" or "kind."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Hebrew equivalent often associated with γεννάω is יָלַד (yalad), which means "to bear, bring forth, beget."

Usage: The verb γεννάω (gennaó) primarily means "to beget" or "to give birth." It is used in the New Testament to describe both physical birth and spiritual rebirth. In a physical sense, it refers to the act of a father begetting or a mother giving birth to a child. In a spiritual context, it is often used to describe the process of being "born again" or "born of God," signifying a spiritual transformation and new life in Christ.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the ancient Greco-Roman world, lineage and ancestry were of great importance, often determining one's social status and inheritance rights. The concept of being "born again" would have been a radical idea, especially for Jewish audiences who valued physical descent from Abraham. The New Testament writers used γεννάω to convey the transformative power of faith in Jesus Christ, emphasizing a spiritual lineage that transcends physical ancestry.

1080 gennáō – properly, beget (procreate a descendant), produce offspring; (passive) be born, "begotten."

Word Origin
from genna (descent, birth)
Definition
to beget, to bring forth
NASB Translation
bear (1), bearing children (1), became the father of (4), became...father (1), begotten (4), bore (1), born (41), Child (1), conceived (1), father (37), Father (1), gave (1), gives birth (1), produce (1).

STRONGS NT 1080: γεννάω

γεννάω, γέννω; future γεννήσω; 1 aorist ἐγέννησα; perfect γεγέννηκά; (passive, present γεννάομαι, γεννωμαι); perfect γεγέννημαι; 1 aorist ἐγεννήθην; (from γεννᾷ, poetic for γένος); in Greek writings from Pindar down; in the Sept. for יָלַד; to beget;

1. properly: of men begetting children, Matthew 1:1-16; Acts 7:8, 29; followed by ἐκ with the genitive of the mother, Matthew 1:3, 5, 6; more rarely of women giving birth to children, Luke 1:13, 57; Luke 23:29; John 16:21; εἰς δουλείαν to bear a child unto bondage, that will be a slave, Galatians 4:24 ((Xenophon, de rep. Lac. 1, 3); Lucian, de sacrif. 6; Plutarch, de liber. educ. 5; others; the Sept. Isaiah 66:9; 4 Macc. 10:2, etc.). Passive, to be begotten: τό ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθέν that which is begotten in her womb, Matthew 1:20; to be born: Matthew 2:1, 4 (Winers Grammar, 266 (250); Buttmann, 203 (176)); ; Mark 14:21; Luke 1:35; John 3:4; (Acts 7:20); Romans 9:11; Hebrews 11:23; with the addition εἰς τόν κόσμον, John 16:21; followed by ἐν with the dative of place, Acts 22:3; ἀπό τίνος, to spring from one as father, Hebrews 11:12 (L WH marginal reading ἐγεννήθησαν see Tdf. at the passage); ἐκ τίνος to be born of a mother, Matthew 1:16; ἐκ πορνείας, John 8:41; ἐξ αἱμάτων, ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρός, John 1:13; ἐκ τῆς σαρκός, John 3:6 (Rec.elz γεγενημένον); ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὅλος, John 9:34 (see ἁμαρτία, 2 a.); εἰς τί, to be born for something, John 18:37; 2 Peter 2:12 (Tdf. γεγενημένα so Rec.st bez); with an adjective: τυφλός γεγέννημαι, John 9:2, 19f, 32; Ῥωμαῖος to be supplied, Acts 22:28; τῇ διαλέκτῳ, ἐν ἡ ἐγεννήθημεν, Acts 2:8; γεννηθείς κατά σάρκα begotten or born according to (by) the working of natural passion; κατά πνεῦμα according to (by) the working of the divine promise, Galatians 4:29, cf. Galatians 4:23.

2. metaphorically,

a. universally, to engender, cause to arise, excite: μάχας, 2 Timothy 2:23 (βλαβην, λύπην, etc. in Greek writings).

b. in a Jewish sense, of one who brings others over to his way of life: ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα I am the author of your Christian life, 1 Corinthians 4:15; Philemon 1:10 (Sanhedr. fol. 19, 2 "If one teaches the son of his neighbor the law, the Scripture reckons this the same as though he had begotten him"; (cf. Philo, leg. ad Gaium § 8)).

c. after Psalm 2:7, it is used of God making Christ his son;

a. formally to show him to be the Messiah (υἱόν τοῦ Θεοῦ), viz. by the resurrection: Acts 13:33.

b. to be the author of the divine nature which he possesses (but compare the commentaries on the passages that follow): Hebrews 1:5; Hebrews 5:5.

d. peculiarly, in the Gospel and First Epistle of John, of God conferring upon men the nature and disposition of his sons, imparting to them spiritual life, i. e. by his own holy power prompting and persuading souls to put faith in Christ and live a new life consecrated to himself; absolutely 1 John 5:1; mostly in passive, ἐκ Θεοῦ or ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν, γεγέννηται, γεγεννημένος, etc.: John 1:13; 1 John 2:29 (Rec.st γεγένηται); ; also ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος γέννασθαι, John 3:6 (Rec.elz γεγενημένον), ; ἐξ ὕδατος καί πνεύματος (because that moral generation is effected in receiving baptism ((?) cf. Schaff's Lange, Godet, Westcott, on the words, and references under the word βάπτισμα, 3)), John 3:5; ἄνωθεν γέννασθαι, John 3:3, 7 (see ἄνωθεν, c.) equivalent to τέκνον Θεοῦ γίνεσθαι, . (Compare: ἀναγεννάω.)

bear, beget, conceive.

From a variation of genos; to procreate (properly, of the father, but by extension of the mother); figuratively, to regenerate -- bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring.

see GREEK genos

γεγεννηκα γεγέννηκά γεγεννηκότων γεγεννημαι γεγέννημαι γεγεννήμεθα γεγεννημενα γεγεννημένα γεγεννημένης γεγεννημενον γεγεννημένον γεγεννημενος γεγεννημένος γεγεννημενου γεγεννημένου γεγέννησαι γεγεννήσθαι γεγεννηται γεγέννηται γεννά γενναται γεννάται γεννᾶται γεννηθεις γεννηθείς γεννηθεὶς γεννηθεν γεννηθέν γεννηθὲν γεννηθέντες γεννηθεντος γεννηθέντος γεννηθεντων γεννηθέντων γεννηθη γεννηθή γεννηθῇ γεννηθηναι γεννηθήναι γεννηθῆναι γεννηθώσιν γεννήσαι γεννησαντα γεννήσαντα γεννήσαντά γεννήσαντες γεννήσαντός γεννησει γεννήσει γεννήσεις γεννηση γεννήση γεννήσῃ γεννήσης γεννήσω γεννήσωσιν γεννώμενα γεννωμενον γεννώμενον γεννωμένων γεννώνται γεννωσα γεννώσα γεννῶσα γεννώσαν γεννωσι γεννώσι γεννῶσι γεννῶσιν εγεννηθη εγεννήθη ἐγεννήθη εγεννηθημεν εγεννήθημεν ἐγεννήθημεν εγεννήθην εγεννηθης εγεννήθης ἐγεννήθης εγεννηθησαν εγεννήθησαν ἐγεννήθησαν εγεννησα εγέννησα εγέννησά ἐγέννησα εγεννησαν εγέννησαν εγέννησάν ἐγέννησαν εγέννησας εγέννησάς εγέννησε εγέννησέ εγεννησεν εγέννησεν ἐγέννησεν εγεννώσαν egennesa egennēsa egénnesa egénnēsa egennesan egennēsan egénnesan egénnēsan egennesen egennēsen egénnesen egénnēsen egennethe egennēthē egennḗthe egennḗthē egennethemen egennēthēmen egennḗthemen egennḗthēmen egennethes egennēthēs egennḗthes egennḗthēs egennethesan egennēthēsan egennḗthesan egennḗthēsan gegenneka gegennēka gegénneká gegénnēká gegennemai gegennēmai gegénnemai gegénnēmai gegennemena gegenneména gegennēmena gegennēména gegennemenon gegenneménon gegennēmenon gegennēménon gegennemenos gegenneménos gegennēmenos gegennēménos gegennemenou gegenneménou gegennēmenou gegennēménou gegennemetha gegennēmetha gegennḗmetha gegennetai gegennētai gegénnetai gegénnētai gennatai gennâtai gennesanta gennēsanta gennḗsanta gennese gennēsē gennesei gennēsei gennḗsei gennḗsēi gennethe gennēthē gennethêi gennēthē̂i gennetheis gennetheìs gennētheis gennētheìs gennethen gennethèn gennēthen gennēthèn gennethenai gennethênai gennēthēnai gennēthē̂nai gennethenton gennethénton gennēthentōn gennēthéntōn gennethentos gennethéntos gennēthentos gennēthéntos gennomenon gennōmenon gennṓmenon gennosa gennôsa gennōsa gennō̂sa gennosin gennôsin gennōsin gennō̂sinInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts