Keraia
Lexicon

ζάω

zaōto liveHow to read Greek
greekNew TestamentVerb140 occurrences20 books124 verses

Definition

ζάω, -ῶ,

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

1. prop., to live, be alive (see Syn., see word βίος; in cl. usually of animal life, but sometimes of plants, as Arist., Eth. N, i, 7, 12): Acts 20:12, Romans 7:1-3, 1 Corinthians 7:39, Revelation 19:20, al.; ἐν αὐτῷ ζῶμεν, Acts 17:28; ἐμοὶ τὸ ζῆν Χριστός, Philippians 1:21; διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν (M, Pr., 215, 249), Hebrews 2:15; ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, Galatians 2:20; ζῇ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός, Galatians 2:20; (ὁ) ζῶν, of God (אֵל חַי and cognate phrases, Joshua 3:10, Hosea 2:1 (1:10), Isaiah 37:4, al.; see DCG, ii, 39a), Matthew 16:16, John 6:57, Romans 9:26, 1 Thessalonians 1:9, Hebrews 3:12, Revelation 7:2, al.; in juristic phrase, ζῶ ἐγώ (חַי־אָנִי, Numbers 14:21, al.), as I live, Romans 14:11; ζῆν ἐπ᾽ ἄρτῳ, Matthew 4:4, al.; ἐκ, 1 Corinthians 9:14; of coming to life, Mrk.16:[11], Romans 6:10; 14:9, 2 Corinthians 13:4; opposite to νεκρός, Revelation 1:18; 2:8; metaphorically, Luke 15:32; ζῆν ἐκ νεκρῶν, Romans 6:13; of the spiritual life of Christians, Luke 10:28, John 5:25, Romans 1:17; 8:13; εἰς τ. αἰῶνα, John 6:51, 58; σὺν Χριστῷ, 1 Thessalonians 5:10; ὄνομα ἔχεις ὅτι ζῇς, Revelation 3:1.

2. As sometimes in cl., = βιόω, to live, pass one's life: Luke 2:36, Acts 26:5, Romans 7:9, Colossians 2:20; ἐν πίστει, Galatians 2:20; ἐν τ. ἁμαρτίᾳ, Romans 6:2; εὐσεβῶς, 2 Timothy 3:12; ἀσώτως, Luke 15:13; with dative (cl.), ἑαυτῳ (Field, Notes, 164), Romans 14:7, 2 Corinthians 5:15; τ. δικαιοσύνῃ, Luke 20:38, Romans 6:10, 11, Galatians 2:19; τ. Χριστῷ, 2 Corinthians 5:15; τ. θεῷ, 1 Peter 2:24; πνεύματι, Galatians 5:25; κατὰ σάρκα, Romans 8:12, 13;

3. Of inanimate things, metaphorically: ὕδωρ ζῶν (i.e. springing water, as opposite to still water), in a spiritual sense, John 4:10, 11; 7:38 (DCG, ii, 39f.): ἐλπὶς ζῶσα, 1 Peter 1:3; ὁδὸς ζῶσα, Hebrews 10:20 (cf. ἀνα-, συν-ζάω; Cremer, 270, 721).

Hebrew words it translates

The Hebrew words that the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament renders as ζάω:

Usage patterns

Old TestamentNew Testament

Occurrences

140 total
  1. 1 Timothy 3:15ζῶντος · of [the] living
    …in case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
  2. 1 Timothy 4:10ζῶντι · [the] living
    To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe.
  3. 1 Timothy 5:6ζῶσα · [even while she] is still alive
    But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive.
  4. 2 Timothy 3:12ζῆν · to live
    Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
  5. 2 Timothy 4:1ζῶντας · [the] living
    I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom:
  6. Titus 2:12ζήσωμεν · [and] to live
    It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
  7. Hebrews 2:15ζῆν · lives
    …and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
  8. Hebrews 3:12ζῶντος · [the] living
    See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
  9. Hebrews 4:12Ζῶν · [is] living
    For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
  10. Hebrews 7:8ζῇ · he lives on
    In the case of the Levites, mortal men collect the tenth; but in the case of Melchizedek, it is affirmed that he lives on.
  11. Hebrews 7:25ζῶν · lives
    Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
  12. Hebrews 9:14ζῶντι · [the] living
    …how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!
  13. Hebrews 9:17ζῇ · he is still alive
    …because a will does not take effect until the one who made it has died; it cannot be executed while he is still alive.
  14. Hebrews 10:20ζῶσαν · living
    …by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,
  15. Hebrews 10:31ζῶντος · of [the] living
    It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
  16. Hebrews 10:38ζήσεται · will live
    But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.”
  17. Hebrews 12:9ζήσομεν · live
    Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
  18. Hebrews 12:22ζῶντος · of [the] living
    Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels
  19. James 4:15ζήσομεν · we will live
    Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
  20. 1 Peter 1:3ζῶσαν · a living
    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
  21. 1 Peter 1:23ζῶντος · [the] living
    For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
  22. 1 Peter 2:4ζῶντα · [the] living
    As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,
  23. 1 Peter 2:5ζῶντες · living
    …you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
  24. 1 Peter 2:24ζήσωμεν · [and] live
    He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”
  25. 1 Peter 4:5ζῶντας · [the] living
    But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
  26. 1 Peter 4:6ζῶσι · live
    That is why the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
  27. 1 John 4:9ζήσωμεν · we might live
    This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
  28. Revelation 1:18Ζῶν · Living [One]; ζῶν · alive
    …the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.
  29. Revelation 2:8ἔζησεν · returned to life
    To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.
  30. Revelation 3:1ζῇς · being alive
    “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of the One who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead.
  31. Revelation 4:9ζῶντι · lives
    And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
  32. Revelation 4:10ζῶντι · lives
    …the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
  33. Revelation 7:2ζῶντος · of [the] living
    And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:
  34. Revelation 10:6ζῶντι · lives
    And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay!
  35. Revelation 13:14ἔζησεν · had lived
    Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.
  36. Revelation 15:7ζῶντος · lives
    Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
  37. Revelation 19:20ζῶντες · alive
    But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
  38. Revelation 20:4ἔζησαν · they came to life
    Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
  39. Revelation 20:5ἔζησαν · come back to life
    The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection.