τεκνογονέω
teknogonéō
G5041 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To give birth to children, to bear offspring. Used especially of women to describe the act or capacity of bearing children. In broader contexts, may denote the fulfillment of the social role or duty of motherhood by having children.
Semantic Range
to bear children, to become a mother, to fulfill the social role of motherhood by having children; by extension, to be a parent (rare or context-dependent)
Root / Etymology
From τέκνον (child, offspring) and γεννάω (to beget, to bear), with the verb formation τεκνογον- signifying 'to bring forth children.' Composed of τέκνον and a verbal element related to γίγνομαι or γεννάω ('to become, to be born'), indicating the act of giving birth. The formation is specific to later and Hellenistic Greek, showing productive compounding.
Historical & Contextual Notes
τεκνογονέω is a rare word, documented primarily in Hellenistic and Koine-period literature, including a hapax legomenon in 1 Timothy 5:14 in the New Testament. In this Pauline context, it is applied to encourage young women (presumably in the role of wives) to bear children and fulfill conventional social expectations of the household. The term is virtually absent from classical Greek, where verbs like τίκτω (to bear, give birth) or γεννάω (to beget, bear) were predominant. In later Hellenistic moral and legal literature, similar compounding appears, often stressing the ideal of producing legitimate offspring for the oikos (household). Standard English Bible translations typically render it 'to bear children' or 'to have children,' but do not always convey the sense of social expectation or role fulfillment implied in Koine usage. Related terms include τεκνοτροφέω ('to bring up children'), highlighting a distinction between childbearing and childrearing.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a compound of τέκνον and the base of γίνομαι; to be a child-bearer, i.e. parent (mother):--bear children.
Root Family
τεκνογον- (teknogonéō) — to bear (children), to beget, to produce offspring
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G5042 | τεκνογονία | of childbearing |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5041-01 |
τεκνογονεῖν | teknogonein | V PRS ACT INF |
to bear children | to bear children | to bear children | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5041-01 |
1 Timothy 5:14 | τεκνογονεῖν | teknogonein | V PRS ACT INF |
to bear children | to bear children | to bear children |