← G4490 G4492 →

ῥίζα

rhíza

G4491 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ῥιζ- to root, to take root, to be at the origin

Definition

A root—the below-ground or originating part of a plant which anchors it and from which it draws nourishment. By extension, it can mean the source, origin, or foundation of something, and metaphorically may refer to ancestry, lineage, underlying cause, or the basis for development.

Semantic Range

root (of a plant), source, origin, lineage, ancestry, underlying cause, basis, foundation

Root / Etymology

From the Greek root ῥιζ- (ῥίζα); it is a primary word and does not derive from another Greek term. Cognate with the Latin 'radix' and related words found in other Indo-European languages indicating 'root'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek literature, ῥίζα is used primarily for the physical root of a plant, tree, or herb, sometimes also for an underground stem or shoot. The Septuagint employs ῥίζα frequently when translating Hebrew שֹׁרֶשׁ (shoresh), both literally (as in botany) and metaphorically (for origin, offspring, or foundational elements). In the New Testament, ῥίζα retains a literal sense but often appears in figurative contexts—such as Romans 11 (regarding the cultivated olive and grafting image) or Revelation and Pauline epistles (for cause, foundation, or lineage—e.g., “root of Jesse” referring to Davidic ancestry). The metaphorical extension to 'descendant' or 'offspring' is especially common in Jewish-Greek literature, and is sometimes rendered as 'stock' or 'lineage' in translation. Standard English versions often translate ῥίζα simply as 'root', but this may underrepresent the word’s broader metaphorical and source-based usage in antiquity. In secular Koine Greek, ῥίζα can indicate origin, foundation, or underlying cause beyond botanical imagery. The term’s classical, biblical, and Hellenistic usage consistently connects 'root' with origin, sustenance, and connectedness both literally and metaphorically.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

apparently a primary word; a "root" (literally or figuratively):--root.

Root Family

ῥίζα (rhiza) — root, source, origin, foundation, lineage

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G4491-02 ῥίζαν rizan N ACC F SG root root 8
G4491-01 ῥίζα riza N NOM F SG root root 7
G4491-03 ῥίζης rizes N GEN F SG root of a root 1
G4491-04 ῥιζῶν rizon N GEN F PL the roots of roots 1

Occurrences in Scripture

17 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G4491-02 Matthew 3:10 ῥίζαν rizan N ACC F SG root
G4491-02 Matthew 13:6 ῥίζαν rizan N ACC F SG root
G4491-02 Matthew 13:21 ῥίζαν rizan N ACC F SG root
G4491-02 Mark 4:6 ῥίζαν rizan N ACC F SG root root
G4491-02 Mark 4:17 ῥίζαν rizan N ACC F SG root root
G4491-04 Mark 11:20 ῥιζῶν rizon N GEN F PL the roots of roots
G4491-02 Luke 3:9 ῥίζαν rizan N ACC F SG root root
G4491-02 Luke 8:13 ῥίζαν rizan N ACC F SG root root
G4491-01 Romans 11:16 ῥίζα riza N NOM F SG root root
G4491-03 Romans 11:17 ῥίζης rizes N GEN F SG root of a root
← G4490 Greek Lexicon G4492 →