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1 Timothy 5:6 — Word Study

Depth

N1904 δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.

BSASheho howeverde living in self-indulgencespatalaō [gives herself to, indulges in, luxury, excess] [while] livingzaō [physically, has life] has died.thnēskō [spiritually, has died to God]

Word
Listen & take away1 Timothy 5
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 6 is in this chapter.
Say the word Each Greek word carries its transliteration (thnēskō) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
1 Timothy 5:6quick helps
In a sentenceA widow who indulges in pleasure is spiritually dead despite being physically alive.
Who is speakingThe Apostle Paul, addressing Timothy about proper conduct in the church.
Where we areInstructions regarding the care of widows, emphasizing spiritual health over physical status.
The hard wordσπαταλῶσα
Take awayLiving for pleasure leads to spiritual death.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subject verbσπαταλάω The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the New Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the New Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — , the commonest word in the Greek New Testament, stands 19,867 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — 1 Timothy 5:6

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Instructions on Caring for Widowsgenerated

5The widow who is truly in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers.
6But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive.
7Give these instructions to the believers, so that they will be above reproach.
8If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:6 contrasts two types of widows: one who is truly in need and devoted to God, and another who indulges in pleasure. Paul urges Timothy to ensure that the church supports those who genuinely seek God, while warning against those who live for their own desires, which leads to spiritual death. The surrounding verses emphasize the importance of faithfulness and responsibility within the community of believers.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
11 Samuel 25:6and say to him, ‘Long life to you, and peace to you and your house and to all that belongs to you.
2Job 21:11–15They send forth their little ones like a flock; their children skip about,
3Psalm 73:5–7They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men.
4Isaiah 22:13But look, there is joy and gladness, butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
5Amos 6:5–6You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments.

The Key Word σπαταλῶσα, spatalaōgenerated

The word σπαταλῶσα is a present active participle of σπαταλάω, which conveys the idea of living in excess or indulgence. It describes a lifestyle devoted to luxury and self-gratification, as seen in James 5:5.

This term highlights a significant contrast in the passage: while one may appear to be alive physically, a life centered on pleasure results in spiritual death. The participial form indicates an ongoing state, emphasizing the continuous nature of such indulgence.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The Berean Standard Bible translates the verse as lives for pleasure, while the KJV uses liveth in pleasure. Both capture the essence of indulgence but differ in phrasing.

The translations diverge further at ζῶσα, with the BSB rendering it alive, while the BBE opts for living. This reflects nuances in how they interpret the state of being alive in a spiritual sense.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the verse is τέθνηκεν, has died, which governs the entire clause. The subject is a noun phrase, ἡ σπαταλῶσα, she who lives in self-indulgence, with an adverbial participle ζῶσα, [while] living, providing additional context.

This structure emphasizes the contrast between physical life and spiritual death, with the finite verb anchoring the statement.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

ζάω appears in the Septuagint, translating the Hebrew words for life, such as חָיָה (chayah) which means to live. This connection enriches the understanding of life in a spiritual context.

The term θνῄσκω also has roots in the Septuagint, where it translates the Hebrew מוּת (muth), meaning to die. This reinforces the biblical theme of spiritual death as a consequence of sinful living.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

1 Timothy 5:6 warns that a widow who indulges in pleasure is spiritually dead, even though she may still be physically alive. This verse contrasts her with those who genuinely seek God, emphasizing the importance of spiritual vitality over mere physical existence.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to live for pleasure?

Living for pleasure refers to a lifestyle focused on self-indulgence and luxury, often at the expense of spiritual health and responsibilities.

How does this verse apply to widows specifically?

The verse highlights the need for widows to maintain spiritual focus and not succumb to a life of indulgence, which can lead to spiritual death.

What is the significance of being 'dead while living'?

This phrase illustrates the concept that one can be physically alive yet spiritually dead, emphasizing the importance of one's relationship with God.

How can I avoid living for pleasure?

Avoiding a life of pleasure involves prioritizing spiritual growth, engaging in prayer, and serving others rather than giving in to selfish desires.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I see the temptation to indulge in pleasure in my own life?
  2. How can I cultivate a deeper spiritual life that prioritizes God over self-indulgence?
  3. What practical steps can I take to support those in need, especially widows, in my community?
  4. How does understanding spiritual life and death affect my daily choices and interactions with others?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early church writers referenced this verse to discuss the dangers of indulgence and the importance of spiritual vigilance, as seen in the quotes from Ignatius, the Shepherd of Hermas, and Pope Urban I.

Ignatius of AntiochEpistle of Pseudo-Ignatius to the Antiochians c. 35–108
Let no one addicted to idleness eat, lest he become a wanderer about, and a whoremonger. Let drunkenness, anger, envy, reviling, clamour, and blasphemy "be not so much as named among you." Let not the widows live a life of pleasure,
Early Church Fathers on 1 Timothy 5 →
Shepherd of HermasShepherd of Hermas, Similitude 8 c. 140
These, then, have repentance within their reach, if they repent quickly, and do not remain in their pleasures; but if they abide in their deeds, these, too, work to themselves death.
Early Church Fathers on 1 Timothy 5 →
Pope Urban I d. 230
Behold, to what does the wisdom of this world urge a man? To live in pleasures. Whence it is said: A widow that liveth in pleasure, is dead while she liveth.
Early Church Fathers on 1 Timothy 5 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 1 Timothy 5:6 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But she that liveth in pleasure,.... Voluptuously, and deliciously; lives a wanton, loose, and licentious life, serving divers lusts and pleasures:, is dead while she liveth; is dead in trespasses

Read John Gill on 1 Timothy 5 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. She that liveth in pleasure - the opposite of the self-denying widow, 1 Timothy 5:5; therefore one undeserving of church charity.

Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Timothy 5 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

H de sqatalwsa, she that is wanton, , she that spends her money in needless costs, as to meat, drink, or apparel, is spiritually dead, dead in sin, while she liveth a temporary voluptuous life, in vanity, and luxury, and impurity of flesh and spirit.

Read Matthew Poole on 1 Timothy 5 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. Ver. 6. Is dead while she liveth] Cum careat pura mente, cadaver agit. Pamphilius in Terence saith the like of a light housewife. Sane hercle homo voluptati obsequens fuit dum vixit. St Paul’ s Greek cannot well be rendered but by Terence’ s Latin, and Terence’ s Latin cannot well be put into other Greek. But she that liveth in pleasure] Gr. σπαταλωσα. The delicate dame, such as were those wanton daughters of Sion, those mincing minions mentioned Isaiah 3:16-26, as also those of Tyre and Sidon, those of Phoenicia, so called from the Syriac phinneck, delicate: the Greeks call them τρυφεροι, such as lie melting in sensual delights…

Read John Trapp on 1 Timothy 5 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(6) But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.—This is a thoroughly Pauline thought, set forth in other language in the Roman Epistle, Romans 8:13 : “For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die.” The word in the Greek rendered “she that liveth in pleasure” is very remarkable, and in the New Testament is found only in one other place (James 5:5). The widow-woman who could so forget her sorrow and her duty is spoken of as a living corpse, and sharply contrasted with her far happier sister, who, dead to the pleasures of the flesh, living a life of prayer and of self-denial, in the true sense of the word, may be spoken of as living. A very different estimate of life was held by…

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AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 6. But she that liveth in pleasure] Ἡδεσπαταλωσα· She that liveth delicately-voluptuously indulging herself with dainties; it does not indicate grossly criminal pleasures; but simply means one who indulges herself in good eating and drinking, pampering her body at the expense of her mind. The word is used in reference to what we term petted and spoiled children; and a remarkable passage, is produced by Kypke, from an epistle of Theanus to Eubulus, found in Opusc. Myth. Galaei, page 741, where he says: "What can be done with that boy, who, if he have not food when and as he pleases, bursts out into weeping; and, if he eats, must have dainties and sweetmeats? If the weather be hot he…

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CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6. liveth in pleasure] The word occurs only once besides in N.T., James 5:5; where it is coupled with ‘living delicately,’ and is translated by R.V. ‘have taken your pleasure,’ consistently with its rendering here ‘giveth herself to pleasure.’ But surely all the connexion and derivation of the word points to a worse meaning, the rioting of a prodigal; as e.g. its use by the LXX. (as Bp Ellicott points out) in Ezekiel 16:49, ‘this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters.’ It is reproduced in the cognate ‘wax wanton’ of 1 Timothy 5:11. Render perhaps she that liveth a prodigal’s life. Stress is laid on this being…

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Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But she that liveth in pleasure - Margin, “delicately.” The Greek word (σπαταλάω spatalaō) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, except in James 5:5, “Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth.”

Read Albert Barnes on 1 Timothy 5 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

But she who gives herself to pleasure is dead while she lives.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive.

NETBNew English Translation2006

But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

But she that giveth herself to pleasure is dead while she liveth.

RVARevised Version, American1894

But she that giveth herself to pleasure is dead while she liveth.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

But she that liveth in pleasure, is dead while she liveth.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

But shee that liueth in pleasure, is dead, while shee liueth.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

But she that lives in habits of self-indulgence is dead [while] living.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

and she who is given to luxury, living — hath died;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

but she given to luxury [while] living has died;

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

However, the woman who lives for pleasure is dead, even though she is still alive.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

For she that liveth in pleasures, is dead while she is living.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

But a widow who concentrates on pleasing herself is already dead, even though she's still physically alive.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

But she who gives herself to pleasure is dead while she is living.

Word by word, the decisions they made

σπαταλῶσαspatalaō living in self-indulgence G4684 2 different renderings
luxuryLSV YLT
gives herself toBBE WEB
ζῶσαzaō [while] living G2198 4 different renderings
livingBBE DBY DRA LSV YLT
aliveBSB MSB ULB
livesNETB WEB
physicallyFBV

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the Nestle 1904 treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseδὲhoweverclausenoun phrase · subjectSheclauseverbσπαταλῶσαliving in self-indulgenceadverbialζῶσα[while] livingverbτέθνηκενis dead

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The earliest translations — Latin and Syriac

Every translation is an argument about meaning made by someone who had to commit to one. These two were made while the Greek was still a living language, and they are the oldest opinions we have about what this verse says.

Latin VulgateAD 382–405

Nam quæ in deliciis est, vivens mortua est.

Jerome revised the Old Latin against the Greek from AD 382; the Latin west read this text for a thousand years.

Syriac Peshittaby AD 400

ܐܝܕܐ ܕܝܢ ܕܦܠܚܐ ܐܣܛܪܢܝܐ ܡܝܬܐ ܗܝ ܟܕ ܚܝܐ

The Bible of the Syriac-speaking church, in the language nearest to the Aramaic Jesus spoke.

Shown verse by verse rather than word by word: aligning a Greek word to its Latin or Syriac counterpart automatically would be guesswork, and a wrong alignment is worse than none.


The Greek editions compared — what the manuscripts actually say

Eight printed editions of the Greek New Testament, side by side. Where they agree the wording is settled; where a word is missing from an edition it is marked, so you can see the difference rather than take it on trust.

Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.

An independent critical text built from the oldest witnesses then known.

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

δὲ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν.

The printed tradition behind the King James Version.

Every witness on this verse all agree
Critical editions
Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993SBL Greek New Testament2010Westcott–Hort1881Tregelles1857–1879Tyndale House Greek NT2017
Byzantine / Majority
Byzantine majority text2018
Received Text
Textus Receptus1550/1894

A witness that read differently would show its variant word here, marked.

Word by word, across the editions

Every edition agrees. All 8 printed editions — Nestle-Aland 28, Nestle-Aland 27, SBLGNT, Westcott-Hort, Tregelles, Tyndale House 2017, Textus Receptus (KJV), Byzantine majority — carry every word of this verse, in the same order, with no difference that any translator would render differently.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Greek New Testament — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

1 Timothy 5:6SheSheδέhoweverhoweverδέσπαταλάωliving in sliving in self-σπαταλάωζάω[while] liv[while] livingζάωθνῄσκωhas died.has died.θνῄσκωμηκέτιNeg.adv. nNeg.adv. no lonμηκέτινεκρόςAdj dead, Adj dead, a corνεκρόςἤδηAdv now, aAdv now, alreadἤδηὁράωv. I see, v. I see, look ὁράω
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in 1 Timothy 5:6

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Greek lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. Imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, the full Liddell-Scott-Jones, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate LSJ, Robinson and Packard on the Greek, Webster and Cawdrey on the English the translators were using. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

She however living in self-indulgence [while] living has died.
ho She G3588 Article · nominative · singular · feminine
19,783× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in 1 Timothy as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for 'the' or 'this', used to point out a specific person or thing, like in Acts 17:28. It can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Tyndale gloss
the/this/who
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The definite article — the commonest word in the Greek New Testament at 19,867 occurrences. Greek uses it more freely than English does and can drop it deliberately, so its presence and its absence both carry weight for a translator; but no single occurrence carries a message of its own. Here it simply gathers “the things” into one definite bundle.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὁ, ἡ, τό,

the prepositive article (ἄρθρον προτακτικόν), originally a demonstr. pron. (so usually in Hom.), in general corresponding to the Eng. definite article.

As demonstr. pron.

As freq. in Hom., absol., he (she, it), his (etc.): Ac 17:28 (quoted from the poet Aratus).

Distributive, ὁ μὲν . . . ὁ δέ, the one . . . the other: I Co 7:7, Ga 4:22; pl., Ac 14:4, 17:32, Phl 1:16, al.; οἱ μὲν . . . ἄλλοι δέ, Mt 16:14, Jo 7:12; οἱ μεν̀ . . . ὁ δέ, He 7:21, 23.

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὁ 435 ὁ tives of quantity, ὅλος, πᾶς, πολύς, see each in its own place. d. What has been said concerning adjectives holds true also of all other limitations added to substantives, as ἡ κατ᾽ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις, Ro. ix. 11; ἡ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διαθήκη, Ro. xi. 27; 6 λόγος 6 τοῦ σταυροῦ, 1 Co. i. 18; ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν πίστις, Col. ii. 5; on the other hand, ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, 1 Th. i. 8; τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους, 2 Co. viii. 4; see many other exx. of each usage in W. 131 (124) sqq.; [B. 91 (80) sqq.]. e. The noun has the article before it when a demonstrative pronoun (υὗτος, ἐκεῖνος) belonging to it either precedes or follows [W. § 18, 4; B. § 127, 29-31]; as, ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, Jn. ix. 24 [οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρ. 1, Tr mrg. WH); Acts vi. 13; xxii. 26; ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, Mt. xv. 8; 6 vids σου οὗτος, Lk. xv. 30; plur. Lk. xxiv. 17, and numberless other exx.; οὗτος 6 ἄνθρωπος, Lk. xiv. 30; οὗτος ὁ…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ὃ, ἡ τό. (1) Apart from connexion with μέν or δέ (see below) the demonstrative use of the art. in the NT is confined to a poetical quotation Ac 1778, but it is not uncommon in the papyri, e.g. P Par 45® (B.C. 153) (= Witkowski®, p. 85) τὰ (for ἃ) πράσεις (Δ πράσσεις), P Oxy VIII. 1160! (iii/iv A.D.) Ta (for ἃ) σεσύλληχα (for συνείληχα) δὲ κέρμα {ταν τηρῶ αὐτὰ εἰς τὴν δίκην, “1 am keeping for the trial the money that I have collected” (Ed.). For the distributive Opéev.. - 6 8€, as in 1 Cor7’, cf. P Lond 535 (B.c. 161) (=I. p. 19, U.P.Z. i. p. 239) kal τὰ μὲν ἡμῶν ἐληφότων εἰς τὴν γινομένην ἡμῖν συντάξειν, τὰ δ᾽ ἔτι διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων {(.. ... > παρελκομένων. (2) The use of the art. as a relative, of which there is no trace in the NT, may again be illustrated by the following papyrus citations from ¢c. A.D. 346—P Lond 414® (= II. Ῥ. 292) γεινῴσκιν oe θέλω περὶ τοῦ βρεουίου…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὁ (ho) — the/this/who.

ὁ,

ἡ, τό, is, when thus written,

__A demonstrative Pronoun.

__B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article.

__C in Epic dialect, the so-called postpositive Article, = relative Pronoun, ὅς, ἥ, ὅ.—The nominative masculine and feminine singular and plural, ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ, have no accent in codices and most printed books, except when used as the relative; but ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ differ only in writing from ὃ, ἣ, οἳ, α; the nominative forms of the article are said by Hdn.Gr.1.474 to be oxytone, and by [Refs 2nd c.AD+] in Aeolic dialect accusative to [Refs 8th c.BC+] genitive and dative dual τοῖιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]— In Doric dialect and all other dialects except Attic dialect and Ionic dialect the feminine forms preserve the old ᾱ instead of changing it to η, hence Doric dialect etc. ἁ, τάν, τᾶ; the genitive plural τάων contracts in many dialects to τᾶ; the genitive…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὁ ἡ τό

ho

he hay, and the neuter

to to

in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be

supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one,

he, she, it, etc.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὁ, ἡ, τό

Article

the

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὁ ho 19x

the prepositive article, answering, to a considerable extent, to the English definite article; but, for the principle and facts of its usage, consult a grammar; ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, the one ... the other, Phil. 1:16, 17; Heb. 7:5, 6, 20, 21, 23, 24; pl. some ... others, Mt. 13:23; 22:5, 6; ὁ δέ, but he, Mt. 4:4; 12:48; οἱ δέ, but others, Mt. 28:17; used, in a poetic quotation, for a personal pronoun, Acts 17:28

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὁ the, that

ὁ, ἡ, τό, is

demonstr. Pronoun.

the definite Article.

in epic, the relative Pronoun, when it is written with the accent ὅ, ἥ, τό ῀ ὅς, ἥ, ὅ. Besides the common forms, note epic gen. sg. τοῖο for τοῦ; pl. nom. τοί, ταί; gen. fem. τάων [α^], dat. τοῖσι, τῇς and τῇσι; dual gen, and dat. τοῖιν:— in Trag. we find τοὶ μέν . . , τοὶ δέ . . , for οἱ μέν . . , οἱ δέ . . ; dat. pl. also τοῖσι, ταῖσι: the dual has commonly but one gender, τώ for τά, τοῖν for ταῖν.

DEMONSTR. PRONOUN:

joined with a Subst., not as the Art., but like Lat. ille, ὁ Τυδείδης Tydeus's famous son, Il.; Νέστωρ ὁ γέρων Nestor— that aged man, id. Il.; τιμῆς τῆς Πριάμου for honour, namely that of Priam, id. Il.

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art-NSF — Article · nominative · singular · feminine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular feminine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-NSF Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%the
the64% · 13160×<the>28% · 5846×those3% · 597×other renderings4% · 788×other renderings1% · 294×

20,685 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 83 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject34%adverbial32%object24%predicate5%indirect object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 19,783 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςεἰμίI am, existἐγώ
ἐν
καίand, even, also,αὐτόςArticle the
εἰς
αὐτόςεἰσέρχομαιI go in, come inἔρχομαιI come, go
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakδέbut, on the otheπρός
εἰμίI am, exist
οὗτοςσύἐγώ
She19783×
what comes after →
θεόςGod, a god
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakἸησοῦςJesusἀποκρίνομαιI answer, reply
ἸησοῦςJesus
λέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,Article the
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
ἐγώἸησοῦςJesusArticle the
πατήρfather, Father, ance
ἐγώσύαὐτός

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordance · 19,783× in the New Testament
Matthew Acts Luke John Revelation Mark Romans 1 Corinthians Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

40 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 1c. AD 40

Τῶν ἄλλων νομοθετῶν οἱ μὲν ἀκαλλώπιστα καὶ γυμνὰ τὰ νομισθέντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι δίκαια διετάξαντο, οἱ δὲ πολὺν ὄγκον τοῖς νοήμασι προσπεριβαλόντες ἐξετύφωσαν τὰ πλήθη μυθικοῖς πλάσμασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύψαντες.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.1c. AD 100

Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

r βασιλεύοντος Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν Φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιε, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει Παθύρεως χαλκοῦ Γ. ἐπρίατο Ὧρος Νεχούτου.

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

βασιλευόντων Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιϛ, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

She however living in self-indulgence [while] living has died.
δὲde however G1161 Conjunction
2,787× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in 1 Timothy as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This is a conjunction that means and, but, or then, used to connect ideas like in Matthew 1:2 and 2 Corinthians 6:15.
Tyndale gloss
then
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

δέ (de) is a post-positive particle in Greek, primarily used as a conjunction to connect clauses. It can express contrast (but, on the other hand) or continuation (and, also), and is often used to transition between ideas or to add emphasis. In the New Testament, it appears frequently in various contexts, such as contrasting statements or resuming interrupted discourse, with notable examples in Matthew and 2 Corinthians.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

δέ (before vowels δ’; on the general neglect of the elision in NT, v. WH, App., 146; Tdf., Pr., 96),

post-positive conjunctive particle;

copulative, but, in the next place, and, now (Abbott, JG, 104): Mt 1:2ff., II Co 6:15, 16, II Pe 1:5-7; in repetition for emphasis, Ro 3:21, 22, 9:30, I Co 2:6, Ga 2:2, Phl 2:8; in transition to something new, Mt 1:18 2:19, Lk 13:1, Jo 7:14, Ac 6:1, Read the full entry →

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

δέ (related to δή, as μέν to μήν, ef. Klotz ad Devar. ii. 2 p. 355), a particle adversative, distinctive, disjunctive, but, moreover, (W.§ 53, 7 and 10, 2); it is much more freq. in the historical parts of the N. T. than in the other books, very rare in the Epp. of John and the Apocalypse. {On its general neglect of elision (when the next word begins with a vowel) cf. Tdf. Proleg. p. 96; WH. App. Ῥ 146; W.§5,1a.; B. p.10sq.] It is used ἘΠ ΟἹ δὲ univ. by way of opposition and distinction; it is added to statements opp. to a preceding statement: ἐὰν yap ἀφῆτε... ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀφῆτε, Mt. vi. 14 sq.; ἐὰν de ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς κτλ. Mt. vi. 23; ἐλεύσονται δὲ ἡμέραι, Mk. ii. 20; it opposes persons to persons or things previously mentioned or thought of, —either with strong emphasis: ἐγὼ δέ, Mt. v. 22, 28, 32, 34, 39,44; ἡμεῖς de, 1 Co. i. 23; 2 Co. x. 13; σὺ δέ, Mt. vi. 6; ὑμεῖς δέ, Mk. viii. 29; of δὲ…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

δεῖ. For the conjunctive, as in Mt 26%, cf. P Fay 109° (early i/A.D.) ἐάν σε δῇ (for δέῃ) τὸ εἱμάτιόν σου θεῖναι ἐνέχυρον. “even if you have to pawn your cloak” (Edd.). In P Tebt I. 585° (B.c. 111) we have ἐάν followed by the indicative— ἐὰν δεῖ σε συνπεσεῖν τῶι ᾿Ανικήτωι, σύνπεσαι, ‘if you must meet Anicetus, meet him” (Edd.): cf. Mayser G7. p. 325. Other examples of the verb are l’ Par 461® (B.C. 153) διὸ Kal ἡγούμενος δεῖν ἐπ᾿ ἄλλου μὲν μηθενὸς αὐτῶι διακριθῆναι» P Lille I. 267 (iii.B.c.) περὶ (corr. from πεερὶ) δὲ τούτου τοῦ μέρους δεήσει ἐπισχεῖν, P Tebt 11. 3414 (A.p. 140-1) δεήσι ἐπισταλῆναι εἰς δάνε[ι]α σπέρματα κατασπίο]ρᾶς KTA., “ΕἼ will be necessary to send on account of loans of seedcorn for the sowing,” etc., AécheZ 1001" © (Theran Doric —c. B.C. 200) no one may bring forward a proposal ὡς δεείσῃ διαλῦσαι τὸ κοινὸν εἰ τὰς θυσίας, P Flor II. 133" (A.D. 257) ἔδι μὲν ὑμᾶς μηδὲ…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

δέ (de) — then.

δέ,

but: adversative and copulative Particle,

I. answering to μέν (which see), τὴν νῦν μὲν Βοιωτίαν, πρότερον δὲ Καδμηίδα γῆν καλουμένην [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. without preceding μέν,

II.1. adversative, expressing distinct opposition, αἰεί τοι τὰ κάκ᾽ ἐστὶ φίλα.. μαντεύεσθαι, ἐσθλὸν δ᾽ οὔτε τί πω εἶπας[Refs 5th c.BC+]; so in Prose, οὐκ ἐπὶ κακῷ, ἐλευθερώσει δέ.. [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II.2. copulative,

II.2. a in explanatory clauses, ξυνέβησαν.. τὰ μακρὰ τείχη ἑλεῖν (ἦν δὲ σταδίων μάλιστα ὀκτώ) [Refs 8th c.BC+]: when a substantive is followed by words in apposition, Ἀρισταγόρῃ τῷ Μιλησίῳ, δούλῳ δὲ ἡμετέρῳ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; so in answers, διπλᾶ λέγειν. —Answ. διπλᾶδ᾽ ὁρᾶν…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

δέ

de

a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and,

etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

δέ

Cj.

but, on the other hand, and

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

δέ de 2x

a conjunctive particle, marking the superaddition of a clause, whether in opposition or in continuation, to what has preceded, and it may be variously rendered but, on the other hand, and, also, now, etc.; καὶ δέ, when there is a special superaddition in continuation, too, yea, etc. It sometimes is found at the commencement of the apodosis of a sentence, Acts 11:17. It serves also to mark the resumption of an interrupted discourse, 2 Cor. 2:10; Gal. 2:6

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

δέ but: conjunctive Particle, with adversative force: it commonly answers to μέν, and may often be rendered by while, whereas, on the other hand, v. μέν:— but μέν is often omitted, δέ being used merely to pass on from one thing to another; ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς θάμβησεν, θάμβησαν δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι Il.; etc.; κινεῖ κραδίην κινεῖ δὲ χόλον Eur.

δέ is often redundant,

to introduce the apodosis, where it may be rendered by then, yet, εἰ δέ κε μὴ δώωσιν, ἐγὼ δέ κεν αὐτὸς ἕλωμαι if they will not give it, then I will take it, Il.; so at in Lat., si tu oblitus es, at Dii meminerint Catull.

to resume after interruption caused by a parenthesis, where it may be rendered by I say, now, so then, Hdt.

POSITION of δέ: properly second, being often put between the Art. and Subst., the prep. and case.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Conjunction
conjunction — it joins clauses, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

CONJ CONJunction or conjunctive particle

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
33%now
now33% · 974×however27% · 780×then21% · 620×and12% · 360×but5% · 154×other renderings2% · 49×

2,937 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 15 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 2,787 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
αὐτόςεἰμίI am, existσύ
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςκύριοςlord, Lord, mastπεντακισχίλιοιfive thousand
εἰCond
παλαιόςold, ancient, woσύεἰμίI am, exist
εἰμίI am, exist
περιπατέωI walk, conduct ἀναπίπτωI lie down, reclμνημεῖονa tomb, sepulche
οὗτος
δίδωμιI offer, giveθεόςGod, a godπίστιςfaith, belief, t
δέhowever2787×
what comes after →
Article the
ἸησοῦςJesusθεόςGod, a godκύριοςlord, Lord, mast
αὐτός
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐπί
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςArticle theσύ
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theοὗτοςἸωάννηςJohn
τὶς
Article theαὐτόςὄνομαname, character,

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceδέ · 2,787× in the New Testament
Acts Luke Matthew 1 Corinthians John Mark Romans 2 Corinthians Hebrews Galatians James 1 Timothy

2 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament26 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
She however living in self-indulgence [while] living has died.
σπαταλῶσαspatalaō living in self-indulgence G4684 Verb · present · active · participle · nominative · singular · feminine
2× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 1 Timothy than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To indulge means to live a life of excess and luxury, as warned against in 1 Timothy 5:6 and James 5:5. It involves giving in to selfish desires and living riotously.
Amplified meaning
gives herself to, indulges in, luxury, excess
Tyndale gloss
to indulge
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word σπαταλάω (transliterated as spatalaō) is built from the root σπατάλη meaning 'luxury' or 'wantonness.' It covers the idea of living extravagantly or indulgently, often associated with a lewd or riotous lifestyle. In the New Testament, it appears in 1 Timothy 5:6 and James 5:5, where it describes a life devoted to pleasure.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — στρηνιάω, τρυφάω, σπαταλάω from a scan

In all these words lies the notion of excess, of wanton, dissolute, self-indulgent, prodigal living, but in each case with a difference. Στρηνιάω occurs only twice in the N. T. (Rev. xviii. 7, 9), στρῆνος once (Rev. xviii. 3; cf. 2 Kin. xix. 28), and the compound καταστρηνιάω as often (1 Tim. v. 11). It is a word of the New or Middle Comedy, and is used by Lycophron, as quoted in Athenzeus (x. 4206) ; by Sophilus (ib. iii. 100 a); and Antiphanes (ib. 111. 127 d); but rejected by the Greek purists—Phrynichus, indeed, affirming that none but a madman would employ it, having τρυφᾶν at his command (Lobeck, Phrynichus, p. 381). This last, which is thus so greatly preferred, is a word of solitary occurrence in the N. T. (Jam. v. 5); évtpudav (2 Pet. ii. 13) of the same; but belongs with τρυφή (Luke vii. 25; 2 Pet. ii. 13) to the best age and most classical writers in the language. It will be…

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Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

† σπαταλάω, -ῶ

(< σπατάλη, wantonness, luxury, Si 27:13 *),

[in LXX: Ez 16:49 (שׁקט hi.), Si 21:15 * ;]

to live riotously: I Ti 5:6, Ja 5:5 (Polyb.).†

SYN.: στρηνιάω, τρυφάω (v. Tr., Syn., § liv)

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

σπαταλάω, -@; 1 aor. ἐσπατάλησα; (σπατάλη, riotous living, luxury); to live luxuriously, lead a voluptuous life, [give one’s self to pleasure]: 1' Tim. v.6; Jas.v.5. (Prov. xxix. 21; Am. vi. 4 [in both these pass. κατασπ.; Ezek. xvi. 49]; Sir. xxi. 15; Barnab. ep. 10,3; Polyb. excrpt. Vat. p. 451 [i.e. 37, 4, 6 (ed. Didot)], and occasionally in later and inferior writ.)

Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

σπαταλάω, ‘give myself to pleasure,’’ ‘‘am wanton,” is confined in the NT to 1 Tim 5° (Vg guae in deliciis est), Jas 5°. Hort James p. 107 ff. illustrates the word fully from the LXX and other sources, from which it appears that σπαταλάω is often combined with τρυφάω, with perhaps somewhat worse associations. But see Aazbel 646 «51. (p. 529)— ὡς οὖν καιρὸν ἔχεις, λοῦσαι, μύρισαι, σπατάλησον καὶ χάρισαι, δαπάνησον, ἅπερ δύνασαι: τίνι τηρεῖς ; For the subst. σπατάλη in its sense of ‘* bracelet,” see Syl? 11841.

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

σπαταλάω (spatalaō) — to indulge.

σπᾰτᾰλ-άω,

live softly or in excessive comfort or indulgence, [NT+2nd c.BC+]; τὰ σπαταλῶντα τῶν παιδίων spoilt children, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

σπαταλάω

spatalao

from spatale (luxury); to be voluptuous:--live in pleasure, be wanton.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

σπαταλάω

v.

I live extravagantly

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

σπαταλάω spatalaō 2x

to live luxuriously, voluptuously, wantonly, 1 Tim. 5:6; Jas. 5:5*

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

σπαταλάω σπα^τα^λάω, to live lewdly, to run riot, NTest.

from σπα^τάλη

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAP-NSF — Verb · present · active · participle · nominative · singular · feminine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular feminine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAP-NSF Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Participle Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
50%living in self-indulgence
living in self-indulgence50% · 1×lived in self-indulgence50% · 1×

2 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 2 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
δέbut, on the other ha
Article the
καίand, even, also, nam
γῆthe earth, soil,
σπαταλάωliving in self-indulgence
what comes after →
ζάωI live
θνῄσκωI am dying, am d
τρέφωI feed, rear
Article the

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceσπαταλάω · 2× in the New Testament
1 Timothy James
Across the New Testament2 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
She however living in self-indulgence [while] living has died.
ζῶσαzaō [while] living G2198 Verb · present · active · participle · nominative · singular · feminine
140× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 1 Timothy than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To live means to have life, either physically or spiritually, as seen in Acts 20:12 and Romans 7:1-3. It can also refer to being alive with Christ, like in Philippians 1:21.
Amplified meaning
physically, has life
Tyndale gloss
to live
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ζάω (transliterated as zao) means 'to live' and is used in various contexts, including both literal and figurative senses. It encompasses the idea of being alive, functioning in life, and can refer to both animals and plants. In the New Testament, it appears in discussions of spiritual life and vitality, often in relation to Christ and God, highlighting a deeper, metaphorical meaning of existence.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ζάω, -ῶ,

[in LXX chiefly for חיה (most freq. ptcp., ζῶν, inf., ζῆν, for חַי);]

prop., to live, be alive (v. Syn., s.v. βίος; in cl. usually of animal life, but sometimes of plants, as Arist., Eth. N, i, 7, 12): Ac 20:12, Ro 7:1-3, I Co 7:39, Re 19:20, al.; ἐν αὐτῷ ζῶμεν, Ac 17:28; ἐμοὶ τὸ ζῆν Χριστός, Phl 1:21; διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν (M, Pr., 215, 249), He 2:15; ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, Ga 2:20; ζῇ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός, Ga 2:20; (ὁ) ζῶν, of God (אֵל חַי…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ζάω (zaō) — to live.

ζῶ

(contraction from ζώω: ζάω only in Grammars, [Refs 4th c.AD+]; imperative ζῆ [Refs 5th c.BC+] see at {ζῆ}; optative ζῴη; infinitive ζῆν: imperfect ἔζων [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἔζην in most codices of [Refs 4th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural ἔζων [Refs 5th c.BC+]: future ζήσω [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist 1 ἔζησα [Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect ἔζηκα [Refs 4th c.BC+]aorist and perfect are mostly supplied from βιόω.- Exc. participle ζῶντος, [Refs 8th c.BC+] always uses the Epic dialect Ionic dialect Lyric poetry present ζώω (also in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; subjunctive ζώῃ [Refs 5th c.BC+], contraction ζῷ [Refs]; Cretan dialect δώω [Refs]; infinitive ζωέμεναι, -έμεν, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: imperfect ἔζωον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Ionic dialect ζώεσκον [Refs 8th c.BC+]aorist 1 ἔζωσα (ἐπ-) [Refs 5th c.BC+]; infinitive ζῶσαι [Refs]: perfect participle ἐζωκότα [Refs]; infinitive ζόειν [Refs 7th c.BC+]…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ζάω

zao

a primary verb; to live (literally or figuratively):--life(-time),

(a-)live(-ly), quick.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ζάω

v.

I live

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ζάω zaō 140x

to live, to be possessed of vitality, to exercise the functions of life, Mt. 27:63; Acts 17:28; τὸ ζῆν, life, Heb. 2:15; to have means of subsistence, 1 Cor. 9:14; to live, to pass existence in a specific manner, Lk. 2:36; 15:13; to be instinct with life and vigor; hence, ζῶν, living, an epithet of God, in a sense peculiar to Himself; ἐλπὶς ζῶσα, a living hope vigor and constancy, 1 Pet. 1:3; ὕδωρ ζῶν, living water in respect of a full and unfailing flow, Jn. 4:10, 11; to be alive with cheered and…

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Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ζάω to live, Hom., etc.; ἐλέγχιστε ζωόντων vilest of living men, Od.; ζώειν καὶ ὁρᾶν φάος ἠελίοιο Il.; ῥεῖα ζώοντες living at ease, of the gods, id. Il.; ζῶν κατακαυθῆναι to be burnt alive, Hdt.:—also, ζῆν ἀπό τινος to live off or on a thing, Theogn., Hdt., etc.:— τὸ ζῆν ῀ ζωή, Aesch., etc.: —in a quasi-trans. sense, ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ὧν ἔζης ( = ἃ ἐν τῶι βίωι ἔπραττες) from the other acts of your life, Dem.

metaph. to be in full life and strength, to be fresh, be strong, ἄτης θύελλαι ζῶσι Aesch.; ἀεὶ ζῆι ταῦτα [νόμιμα] Soph.; ζῶσα φλόξ living fire, Eur.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAP-NSF — Verb · present · active · participle · nominative · singular · feminine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular feminine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAP-NSF Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Participle Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
42%living
living42% · 60×live10% · 14×will live8% · 11×we live4% · 5×lives4% · 5×alive3% · 4×we may live3% · 4×he lives2% · 3×other renderings26% · 37×

143 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 37 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb73%adverbial11%predicate6%object5%second object3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 140 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
ἐγώθεόςGod, a godπᾶςall, the whole,
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςνεκρόςdead, a corpseσῴζωI save, heal
θεόςGod, a god
ἐπίυἱόςa son, descendenπνεῦμαwind, breath, sp
αὐτός
οὐσίαproperty, wealthγάρforλέγωI say, speak
ἀλλάbut, except
νεκρόςdead, a corpseἀσθένειαwant of strengthαὐτός
ζάω[while] living140×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
νεκρόςdead, a corpseπιστεύωI believe, have θεάομαιI see, behold, c
Article the
ἄνθρωποςa man, one of thἀνήρa male human beiπεριλείπομαιI leave behind
εἰς
Article theθάνατοςdeath
ἐν
αὐτόςσάρξflesh, bodyκόσμοςthe world, unive
διά
Article theἐγώἀνάστασιςa rising again,

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceζάω · 140× in the New Testament
Romans John Revelation Acts Hebrews 2 Corinthians Galatians Luke 1 Peter Matthew 1 Thessalonians 1 Corinthians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament20 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 250 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 77c. AD 40

λέγουσιν οὖν οἱ τοῖς νόμοις ἐπὶ πλέον ἐμβαθύναντες καὶ τὰ κατ’ αὐτοὺς ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα μετὰ πάσης ἐξετάσεως ἀκριβοῦντες, ὅτι τῆς αὑτοῦ συγγενείας μεταδοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἀνθρώπῳ τῆς λογικῆς, ἥτις ἀρίστη δωρεῶν ἦν, οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἐφθόνησεν, ἀλλ’ ὡς οἰκειοτάτῳ…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.66c. AD 75–95

ἔτι δὲ ζῶντος Ἀδάμου Κάιος τοὺς ἐγγόνους πονηροτάτους συνέβη γενέσθαι κατὰ διαδοχὴν καὶ μίμησιν ἄλλον ἄλλου χείρονα τελευτῶντα·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 6.3c. AD 100

Καὶ ὃς ἐλπίσει ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 2nd c. BC 4th c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Lond. 2 p. 163-165 no. 354Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites8 BC–5 BC

Κόρδῳ τῶι ἐπιστατήσαντι τῶν φυλακιτῶν … … τας φάσκοντες τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ ζῆν μεθεστακέναι πρὸς … λο … κατὰ φυλακὴν. καταστάντες δὲ καὶ ἀπολογησάμενοι ἐφάνημεν τῶι Κόρδωι

P.Mich. 5 228Areos Kome (Arsinoites)AD 47

ὥστε παρʼ αὐτῇ ἐκτέτρωται τὸ βρέφος νεκρὸν ὥστε αὐτὴν κατακλινῆ εἶναι καὶ κινδυνεύειν τοῦ ζῆν. διὸ ἀξιῶ γράψαι τοῖς τῆς Ὠξυρύνχων πρεσβυτέροις ἐκπέμψαι τὸν ἐνκαλούμενον ἐπὶ σὲ πρὸς τὴν

P.Lond. 3 p. 131 no. 846Soknopaiu Nesos (ArsinoitesAD 140

μου τὸ ὄνομα εἰς πρεσβυτερείαν τῆς κώμης ἀπόρου μου ὄντος καὶ μισθοῦ πορίζοντος τὸ ζῆν ἀπὸ τῆς γερδιακῆς διὸ ἀξιῶ σε τὸν κύριον βοηθῆσαί μοι, ἵνα τύχω τῆς ἀπὸ

She however living in self-indulgence [while] living has died.
τέθνηκεν.thnēskō has died. G2348 Verb · perfect · active · indicative · third person · singular
9× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in 1 Timothy than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To die or be dead, like in Mark 15:44, where Jesus' death is confirmed. It can also mean spiritual death, as in 1 Timothy 5:6, where a widow who lives for pleasure is considered dead.
Amplified meaning
spiritually, has died to God
Tyndale gloss
to die/be dead
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word θνῄσκω (i.e., *thnēskō*) means 'to die' or 'to be dead,' and it can be used literally or metaphorically, such as referring to spiritual death. It is derived from a root meaning 'to die' and appears in various forms across ancient texts, including the New Testament. The lexicons do not indicate significant disagreement on its meaning or usage.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

θνήσκω,

[in LXX chiefly for מות;]

to die; pf. (M, Pr., 114), to be dead: Mt 2:20, Mk 15:44, Lk 7:12 8:49, Jo 11:44 19:33, Ac 14:19 25:19; metaph., of spiritual death, I Ti 5:6 (cf. ἀπο-, συν-απο-θνήσκω).†

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

θνήσκω: pf. τέθνηκα, inf. τεθνάναι and LT Tr WH τεθνηκέναι (in Acts xiv. 19), ptep. τεθνηκώς ; plupf. 3 pers. sing. ἐτεθνήκει (Jn. xi. 21 Rec.) ; [fr. Hom. down]; Sept. for ny; to die; pf. to be dead: Mt. ii. 20; Mk. xv. 44; Lk. vii. 12 [L br.]; viii. 49; Jn. xi. 21, Kee. in 39 " 291 and 41, 44; xii. 1 [Τ WH om. LTr br.]; xix. 33; Acts xiv. 19; xxv.19; metaph., of the loss of spiritual life: ζῶσα τέθνηκε, i. 6. κἂν δοκῇ ζῆν ταύτην THY αἰσθητὴν ζωήν, τέθνηκε κατὰ πνεῦμα (Theoph.): 1 Tim. y.6 (Philo de prof. § 10 ζῶντες ἔνιοι τεθνήκασι καὶ τεθνηκότες ζῶσι). [Comp.: ἀπο-, συν-απο-θνήσκω.}

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

θνῄσκω (thnēskō) — to die/be dead.

θνῄσκω

(with ι [Refs]; θνείσκ- [Refs 5th c.BC+], Aeolic dialect θναίσκω Hdn.Gr.[Refs]θνᾴσκω [Refs 3rd c.BC+]: future θᾰνοῦμαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Epic dialect infinitive -έεσθαι[Refs 8th c.BC+]aorist 2 ἔθᾰνον, Epic dialect θάνον [Refs 8th c.BC+]; infinitive Epic dialect and Ionic dialect θανέειν, as always in [Refs 8th c.BC+]: perfect τέθνηκα [Refs 8th c.BC+]; subjunctive τεθνήκω [Refs 5th c.BC+]: pluperfect ἐτεθνήκειν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural -ήκεσαν[Refs 5th c.BC+]: short forms of perfect, 3rd.pers. dual τέθνᾰτον [Refs 5th c.BC+], 1st pers. plural τέθνᾰμεν [Refs 5th c.BC+], 3rd.pers. plural τεθνᾶσι [Refs 8th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural pluperfect ἐτέθνᾰσαν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; infinitive τεθνάναι [ᾰ] [Refs 7th c.BC+] uncertain reading in [Refs 6th c.BC+]; Epic dialect τεθνάμεναι, -άμεν, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Aeolic dialect τεθνάκην…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

θνῄσκω

thnesko

a strengthened form of a simpler primary thano than'-o (which is used

for it only in certain tenses); to die (literally or

figuratively):--be dead, die.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

θνῄσκω

v.

I am dying, am dead

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

θνῄσκω thnēskō 9x

to die; in NT to be dead, Mt. 2:20; Mk. 15:44

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

θνήσκω The Root is ΘΑΝ, found in aor2 θανεῖν, etc. The form τεθνειώς appears as a variant reading at Iliad 17.161 to die, be dying, in aor2 and perf. to be dead, Hom., etc.; the pres. sometimes takes a perf. sense, θνήσκουσι γάρ, for τεθνήκασι, Soph., Eur.

often used like a pass. Verb, χερσὶν ὑπ᾽ Αἴαντος θανέειν to fall by his hand, be slain by him, Il., etc.:—note the phrase of Dem., τεθνᾶσι τῶι δέει τοὺς τοιούτους, where τεθνᾶσι τῶι δέει must be taken as a single Verb, are in mortal fear of.

metaph. of things, to die, perish, Aesch., Soph., etc.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-RAI-3S — Verb · perfect · active · indicative · third person · singular
perfect active indicative — a past action whose result still stands.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-RAI-3S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: peRfect Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: third Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
45%having died
having died45% · 5×has died18% · 2×have died9% · 1×they have died9% · 1×he has died9% · 1×having been dead9% · 1×

11 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 6 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb78%subject11%adverbial11%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 9 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
αὐτός
ἤδηnow, alreadyνομίζωI think, suppose
ἸσραήλProp
γῆthe earth, soil,
ἤδηnow, already
εἰCond
ἐκκομίζωI carry out
ὁράωI see, look upon
ὅτιthat, since, because
λέγωI say, speak
θνῄσκωhas died.
what comes after →
γάρfor
Article the
καίand, even, also, nam
προσκαλέωI summon
μονογενήςonly, only-begotten,
υἱόςa son, descenden
Article the
θυγάτηρa daughter
δέωI bind
Article the

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceθνῄσκω · 9× in the New Testament
Acts John Luke 1 Timothy Matthew Mark
Across the New Testament6 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 25 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas
Philo of AlexandriaThat the Worse Attacks the Better 49c. AD 40

Ὁ μὲν δὴ σοφὸς τεθνηκέναι δοκῶν τὸν φθαρτὸν βίον ζῇ τὸν ἄφθαρτον, ὁ δὲ φαῦλος ζῶν τὸν ἐν κακίᾳ τέθνηκε τὸν εὐδαίμονα.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 2.23c. AD 75–95

τούτων οὖν αὐτῶν αἰδῶ λαβόντας καὶ τῷ λογισμῷ τί καὶ πείσονται τεθνηκότος αὐτοῖς παιδὸς ἀγαθοῦ καὶ νεωτάτου παραθεμένους ἀποσχέσθαι τοῦ τολμήματος παρεκάλει καὶ τὸν θεὸν δείσαντας, ὃς θεατὴς ἅμα καὶ μάρτυς ἤδη καὶ τῆς βουλῆς αὐτῶν τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν…

The Shepherd of HermasThe Shepherd of Hermas 25.7.1c. AD 140

ὅσων ἦσαν αἱ ῥάβδοι ἡμίξηροι, δίψυχοί εἰσιν: οὔτε γὰρ ζῶσιν οὔτε τεθνήκασιν.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
P.Tebt. 3.2 759Tebtynis (Arsinoites)227 BC

λωι προφερόμενον μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτὰ παρέχειν ἕνεκα τοῦ ἀποθνῄσκειν. φαίνομαι οὖν τὰ δέοντα καὶ τεθνηκότα ζητήσειν διὰ τὴν σὴν ὀλιγωρίαν. ἦ γὰρ οὕτως ἐπιτέτροφας ὥστε τὰ μοσχάρια προσερρίφθαι τῶι

BGU 3 983Karanis (Arsinoites)AD 138–AD 161

σαι ἐδήλωσε … τὴν περιου… ει … πρώτω … ειτου ζῶντα καὶ τεθνηκότα … … … ὄντος ἠλασσωμέν … τον πρὸς τελε … ὀνόματος ἐμ

O.Florida 7Contrapollonopolis (?) oder Theben (?)AD 126–AD 200

σου τὸ ὄστρακον ἐπηρώτησα τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους καὶ ἀπεκρίθησάν μοι ἰδίῳ θα… … αι λειμῷ τεθνηκέναι ἀξιῶ σεοὖν τὸ ἀκριβὲς … … γην εἶχεν … ἐρρῶσθαί σε εὔχομαι.

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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