ζωογονέω (zōogoneō)
zōogoneō
to give life
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb zoōgoneō literally means to give life or bring forth alive, combining roots for "life" and "to beget." In the New Testament, it appears only three times, carrying a specific nuance of preservation rather than initial creation. It describes the act of keeping someone alive or saving them from death, as seen in the urgent commands to hold onto life.
This meaning is clear in Luke 17:33, where Jesus warns that trying to save one’s life will result in losing it, and in Acts 7:19, where Stephen recounts how Pharaoh mistreated Israel’s infants by attempting to kill them. The word highlights the fragility of physical existence and the divine power required to sustain it.
In 1 Timothy 6:13, Paul charges Timothy to keep God’s commandment without stain until Christ’s appearance. Here, the term underscores the spiritual vitality needed to endure faithfully. It reminds readers that true life is not merely biological but sustained by obedience and hope in God’s ultimate victory over death.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word for 'giving life' in these verses points to preservation rather than initial creation. It reminds us that staying alive is often an act of faithfulness through difficult seasons. When Jesus speaks about losing one's life to keep it, He invites us to trust God with our future instead of clinging tightly to control.
In Acts, this term highlights the harsh reality of those who tried to stop life from continuing. Yet, in Timothy, it describes the God who sustains all things. This offers a steady hope: true vitality comes not from our own strength, but from the One who keeps us alive spiritually until Christ returns.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- will preserve1×
- to be given life.1×
- is giving life1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ζῳογονήσει1×
- ζῳογονοῦντος1×
- ζῳογονεῖσθαι.1×
Key Verses
-
Luke 17:33
Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it.
Jesus uses this term to show that holding onto physical safety can actually cost you your spiritual life.
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Acts 7:19
The same took advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to abandon their babies, so that they wouldn’t stay alive.
Stephen describes how Pharaoh tried to prevent infants from staying alive, highlighting the fragility of human existence.
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I Timothy 6:13
I command you before God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate testified the good confession,
Paul charges Timothy before God who gives life to all things, emphasizing spiritual vitality for faithful endurance.