γένεσις
génesis
G1078 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The process or act of coming into being, origin, or birth; in some contexts, the account or narrative of origin; more generally, generation or the circumstances of one's origin. The term may refer to the literal birth or beginnings of individuals, entities, or phenomena, and secondarily to the nature or characteristics derived from origins.
Semantic Range
origin, birth, process of becoming, coming into being, genealogy, ancestry, account of origins, generation, nature
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root γεν- (to become, to be born, to come into being), related to γένος (race, kind, family) and γενεά (generation, age). The suffix -σις forms nouns of action or process, so γένεσις literally means 'coming into being,' 'begetting,' or 'generation.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, γένεσις denotes the act or process of birth or origin, including the beginning of the world or of a person. It is used in works by Herodotus and Plato to refer to generation, creation, and coming into being. In the Septuagint, γένεσις appears most notably as the title of the first book of the Pentateuch (Γένεσις) highlighting its content as a narrative of origins or beginnings (the origin of the world, humanity, Israelite ancestors, etc.). In Hellenistic and philosophical texts, it can refer to cosmic or philosophical origins and processes of becoming. In the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 1:1), it refers to the genealogy or origins of a person (such as 'the book of the genesis of Jesus Messiah'), functioning as an account or record of birth and ancestry. Later Christian tradition adopted the transliteration 'Genesis' as a proper name for the book, but this is a later development and not part of native Greek semantic range. English translations often render the term as 'generation,' 'origin,' 'birth,' or 'genealogy,' but these do not always capture its broader connotations in Greek literature.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the same as γενεά; nativity; figuratively, nature:--generation, nature(-ral).
Root Family
γένεσις (genesis) — coming into being, origin, birth, generation
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1078-02 |
γενέσεως | geneseos | N GEN F SG |
natural | of coming-into-being | 3 |
G1078-03 |
γένεσις | genesis | N NOM F SG |
birth | coming-into-being | 1 |
G1078-01 |
γενέσει | genesei | N DAT F SG |
birth | in origin | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G1078-02 |
Matthew 1:1 | γενέσεως | geneseos | N GEN F SG |
of the genealogy | of coming-into-being |
G1078-03 |
Matthew 1:18 | γένεσις | genesis | N NOM F SG |
birth | coming-into-being |
G1078-01 |
Luke 1:14 | γενέσει | genesei | N DAT F SG |
birth | in origin |
G1078-02 |
James 1:23 | γενέσεως | geneseos | N GEN F SG |
natural | of coming-into-being |
G1078-02 |
James 3:6 | γενέσεως | geneseos | N GEN F SG |
of nature | of coming-into-being |