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ἀρτιγέννητος

artigénnētos

G738 attributive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Newly born; primarily denotes one who has been born very recently, i.e., a newborn child or animal. By extension, can refer metaphorically to someone newly initiated or just beginning in a particular sphere, e.g., a new adherent or convert.

Semantic Range

newborn, recently born, just born (of a child, animal, or figuratively, a new convert or initiate)

Root / Etymology

Formed from ἄρτι ('just now', 'recently') and γεννητός ('born', 'begotten'), thus literally 'just-born'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Rare word in Greek literature; appears notably in 1 Peter 2:2 in the New Testament, where it is used metaphorically to describe those who have only recently entered a new (spiritual) state, likening them to newborn infants needing nourishment. The literal use (newborn, recently born) is transparent but the figurative application (new adherent or initiate) occurs in limited literary contexts of Late Hellenistic Greek. Standard English translations typically render the term as 'newborn' or 'newly born', which accurately conveys the image, but may obscure the metaphorical extension in certain contexts. No evidence supports a distinction between human and animal referents in non-metaphorical uses. Related terms: νεογνός (neognos, 'newborn'), which is more commonly used for literal newborn infants or animals. ἀρτιγεννήτος is more emphatic regarding the very recent time of birth or origin. The word does not appear in classical Attic Greek and has a distinctly Koine flavor.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἄρτι and γεννητός; just born, i.e. (figuratively) a young convert:--new born.

Root Family

γενν- (génnēma) — to beget, to produce, to bring forth

Root γενν- to beget, to be born
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G1081 γέννημα produced things
G1083 γέννησις

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G738-01 ἀρτιγέννητα artigenneta ADJ.A NOM N PL newborn newborn ones newborn ones 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G738-01 1 Peter 2:2 ἀρτιγέννητα artigenneta ADJ.A NOM N PL newborn newborn ones newborn ones
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