μήτηρ (G3384) — Greek Lexicon

μήτηρ

mḗtēr

G3384 noun

SILEX Entry

Root μητρ- to be a mother, to bear, to nurture

Definition

Mother; denotes a female parent, either literally (a woman who has borne or raised children) or, in extended uses, a woman regarded as the source, origin, or protectress of something (such as a city, community, or institution). Contextually, it can also refer to a maternal figure in familial, social, or metaphorical senses—including founding, nurturing, or leading roles within groups or traditions.

Semantic Range

female parent, literal or biological mother, adoptive or foster mother, metaphorical mother (origin, source, protectress), maternal figure, title of respect or authority, personification of a city or institution

Root / Etymology

Primary Greek word; related to the Indo-European root *méh₂tēr (cf. Latin mater, Sanskrit mātṛ, English mother). Forms cognate with other ancient Indo-European languages, attested as early as Mycenaean Greek.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical and Hellenistic Greek, μήτηρ refers straightforwardly to a female parent, typically a biological mother but occasionally an adoptive or symbolic one. The word appears widely in both literal and symbolic contexts—from familial genealogies to literature that personifies cities or countries (e.g., Athens as 'mother of wisdom'). In the Septuagint, it translates Hebrew אֵם (’ēm) with the same primary sense but sometimes used metaphorically for cities, wisdom, or personified abstractions. In the New Testament, μήτηρ is most often literal (biological mothers), but it can also denote broader kinship or symbolic relationships (e.g., "mother of us all" in Galatians 4:26 referring to Jerusalem). Greek usage distinguished μήτηρ (biological/social mother) from τροφός (wet nurse) and μαμμή (mamma, informal or diminutive form). English translations uniformly render μήτηρ as "mother," but may not always convey the broader metaphorical or symbolic usages found in ancient Greek contexts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

apparently a primary word; a "mother" (literally or figuratively, immediate or remote):--mother.

Root Family

μήτηρ (mētēr) — mother, female parent, bearer, nurturer, source

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`G3384-01`	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother	32
`G3384-02`	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother	26
`G3384-05`	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother's	of a mother	12
`G3384-04`	μητρὶ	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother	11
`G3384-03`	μητέρας	meteras	`N ACC F PL`	mothers	mothers	2

Occurrences in Scripture

83 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`G3384-05`	Matthew 1:18	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother	of a mother
`G3384-05`	Matthew 2:11	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother	of a mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 2:13	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 2:14	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 2:20	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 2:21	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-05`	Matthew 10:35	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`		of a mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 10:37	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Matthew 12:46	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Matthew 12:47	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Matthew 12:48	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Matthew 12:49	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Matthew 12:50	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Matthew 13:55	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`		mother
`G3384-05`	Matthew 14:8	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`		of a mother
`G3384-04`	Matthew 14:11	μητρὶ	metri	`N DAT F SG`		to a mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 15:4	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`		mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 15:4	μητέρα	metera-2	`N ACC F SG`		mother
`G3384-04`	Matthew 15:5	μητρί	metri	`N DAT F SG`		to a mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 19:5	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`		mother
`G3384-05`	Matthew 19:12	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`		of a mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 19:19	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`		mother
`G3384-02`	Matthew 19:29	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Matthew 20:20	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Matthew 27:56	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Matthew 27:56	μήτηρ	meter-2	`N NOM F SG`		mother
`G3384-01`	Mark 3:31	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Mark 3:32	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Mark 3:33	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Mark 3:34	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Mark 3:35	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Mark 5:40	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-04`	Mark 6:24	μητρὶ	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother
`G3384-04`	Mark 6:28	μητρὶ	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother
`G3384-02`	Mark 7:10	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Mark 7:10	μητέρα	metera-2	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-04`	Mark 7:11	μητρί	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother
`G3384-04`	Mark 7:12	μητρί	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother
`G3384-02`	Mark 10:7	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Mark 10:19	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Mark 10:29	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-03`	Mark 10:30	μητέρας	meteras	`N ACC F PL`	mothers	mothers
`G3384-01`	Mark 15:40	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-05`	Luke 1:15	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother's	of a mother
`G3384-01`	Luke 1:43	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Luke 1:60	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Luke 2:33	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Luke 2:34	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Luke 2:48	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Luke 2:51	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-04`	Luke 7:12	μητρὶ	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother
`G3384-04`	Luke 7:15	μητρὶ	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother
`G3384-01`	Luke 8:19	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Luke 8:20	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Luke 8:21	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Luke 8:51	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	Luke 12:53	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Luke 12:53	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Luke 14:26	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Luke 18:20	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	John 2:1	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	John 2:3	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	John 2:5	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	John 2:12	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-05`	John 3:4	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother's	of a mother
`G3384-02`	John 6:42	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-01`	John 19:25	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-05`	John 19:25	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother	of a mother
`G3384-02`	John 19:26	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-04`	John 19:26	μητρί	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother
`G3384-01`	John 19:27	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-04`	Acts 1:14	μητρὶ	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother
`G3384-05`	Acts 3:2	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother's	of a mother
`G3384-05`	Acts 12:12	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother	of a mother
`G3384-05`	Acts 14:8	μητρὸς	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother's	of a mother
`G3384-02`	Romans 16:13	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-05`	Galatians 1:15	μητρός	metros	`N GEN F SG`	mother's	of a mother
`G3384-01`	Galatians 4:26	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Ephesians 5:31	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	mother	mother
`G3384-02`	Ephesians 6:2	μητέρα	metera	`N ACC F SG`	is	mother
`G3384-03`	1 Timothy 5:2	μητέρας	meteras	`N ACC F PL`	mothers	mothers
`G3384-04`	2 Timothy 1:5	μητρί	metri	`N DAT F SG`	mother	to a mother
`G3384-01`	Revelation 17:5	μήτηρ	meter	`N NOM F SG`	mother	mother

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