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γενετή

genetḗ

G1079 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Birth—the act or process of being born or produced, especially in reference to origin or nativity. In Koine Greek, γενετή specifically refers to the event or circumstance of coming into existence, primarily focusing on human or animal birth. It can indicate the point of origin or conditions surrounding one's birth, as opposed to lineage or descent (which is more commonly expressed by γενεά or γένος).

Semantic Range

birth (the event of being born), origin, generation (the fact of coming into existence)

Root / Etymology

Feminine noun derived from the base γεν- of γεννάω (to beget, to produce, to give birth to). The form γενετή is the feminine counterpart of a derived form (possibly γενετής, though unattested in extant literature), based on the verbal stem γεν-.

Historical & Contextual Notes

γενετή is a rare and somewhat archaic Koine Greek noun, occurring only in a few sources including certain New Testament manuscripts (notably Luke 1:14 in the Textus Receptus, though many critical editions lack the term). It is not the standard word for 'birth' (more frequently γέννησις or γένεσις) and appears to have remained a minor literary or dialectal variant. It emphasizes the point or act of birth rather than the process or result. Classical Greek typically used γένεσις for general birth or origin, and γέννησις when referring to the begetting or bearing of children. In the Septuagint and New Testament period, γενετή can occasionally denote birth in almost a conceptual or formal sense but is not common in wider Hellenistic Greek. English Bible translations almost invariably render γενετή as 'birth,' but its nuance as event over process or lineage is easily lost.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of a presumed derivative of the base of γενεά; birth:--birth.

Root Family

γεν- (geneá) — to beget, produce, originate, bear offspring

Root γεν- to be born, to produce, to arise
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G1074 γενεά generation
G1077 γενέσια at birthday festivals
G1078 γένεσις in origin
G1080 γεννάω I begot
G1084 γεννητός to the born ones

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1079-01 γενετῆς genetes N GEN F SG birth of birth birth 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1079-01 John 9:1 γενετῆς genetes N GEN F SG birth of birth birth
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