ἔγερσις

égersis

G1454 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Raising up or awakening, especially from a state of sleep or death; used particularly for the act of rising from the dead but can also denote any act of restoring or reawakening from a lower or inactive state. In various contexts, denotes resurrection (the restoration to life after death), but can also indicate a general awakening or raising up.

Semantic Range

raising up from sleep or death, awakening, act of resurrection, resurgence, restoration from a prostrate or inactive state

Root / Etymology

From the verb ἐγείρω (egeirō), meaning 'to raise, to awaken.' Formed with the suffix -σις, which indicates an action or process. Thus, ἔγερσις denotes the act or process of raising or awakening. No Semitic influence is evident in its formation, and the term is of native Greek origin.

Historical & Contextual Notes

ἔγερσις is a noun formed in Koine Greek, found primarily in Hellenistic Jewish and early Christian literature, but it is rare. Its most prominent use is in the New Testament at Matthew 27:53 where it refers specifically to the 'resurrection' or the event of many being raised after the crucifixion. In broader Greek usage (including earlier periods), ἐγείρω and related noun forms more frequently pertained to waking from sleep, raising from a seat or position, or stirring to action, but ἔγερσις itself becomes specialized in Hellenistic/Jewish and Christian contexts for the act of resurrection. The more common Greek word for 'resurrection' in the New Testament and Septuagint is ἀνάστασις (anastasis), which conveys both the event and the state of rising, often with a broader range of uses. ἔγερσις is comparatively technical and particular to certain Jewish-Greek or early Christian contexts. While English translations routinely render ἔγερσις as 'resurrection,' this term specifically connotes the act or occurrence of being raised, focusing on the event itself rather than on the prolonged state or new life; it does not inherently carry all doctrinal nuances that later theology attached to the concept of 'resurrection.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἐγείρω; a resurgence (from death):--resurrection.

Root Family

ἔγερσις (egersis) — awakening, raising up, resurgence, restoration from death or inactivity

Root ἐγερ- to awaken, to raise up

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1454-01 ἔγερσιν egersin N ACC F SG resurrection raising up raising up 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1454-01 Matthew 27:53 ἔγερσιν egersin N ACC F SG resurrection raising up raising up