τεκνοτροφέω
teknotrophéō
G5044 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To care for, nurture, or bring up children; to fulfill the duties of upbringing and education as pertains to children, including feeding, providing and supervising physical, emotional, and moral development. While primarily denoting the rearing of one's own biological children, it may also extend to the general raising, nursing, or fostering of children, depending on context.
Semantic Range
to bring up children, to nurture or care for children, to fulfill parental duties, to educate or rear children, to foster children
Root / Etymology
Compound of τέκνον ('child') and τρέφω ('to nurture, feed, rear'). Formed in Koine Greek to express the concept of child-rearing.
Historical & Contextual Notes
τεκνοτροφέω is a rare verb in extant Greek literature, first attested in the Hellenistic period, and used relatively infrequently in the Septuagint and early Christian writings. Its meaning contrasts with related terms such as τεκνογονέω (to bear children) and τρέφω (a broader term meaning simply to nourish or rear, applicable to humans, animals, or plants). In the cultural context of the Greco-Roman world, childraising (τεκνοτροφία) was often socially ascribed to the domestic sphere, especially to women, but the verb itself does not explicitly mark gender, though context may imply the caregiver's identity. In New Testament and post-NT usage, the term denotes not merely physical care, but the full process of upbringing, possibly including education and moral instruction. Standard English translations often render it narrowly ('bring up children' or 'raise children'), but the term's scope includes a holistic dimension of nurturing, typical of ancient household dynamics.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a compound of τέκνον and τρέφω; to be a childrearer, i.e. fulfil the duties of a female parent:--bring up children.
Root Family
τεκνοτροφέω (teknotropheō) — to rear children, to nurture, to feed, to fulfill parental duties
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5044-01 |
ἐτεκνοτρόφησεν | eteknotrophesen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
she has brought up children | reared children | reared children | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5044-01 |
1 Timothy 5:10 | ἐτεκνοτρόφησεν | eteknotrophesen | V AOR ACT IND 3P SG |
she has brought up children | reared children | reared children |