Quick Definition
γένεσις, εως, ἡ n.f. birth, lineage
Strong's Definition
from the same as 1074; nativity; figuratively, nature
KJV Usage: generation, nature(-ral)
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -εως | γίνομαι
23.46 · Physiological Processes and States · Birth, Procreation
be born, birth coming into existence by birth A literal translation of MAT 1:18 as ‘this is the way that Jesus Christ was born’ might be misleading, since it would imply a description of the actual process of his birth rather than an account of those circumstances and events which took place in connection with his birth. It may, therefore, be better to translate MAT 1:18 as ‘this is what happened when Jesus Christ was born’ or ‘these things happened at the time of Jesus Christ’s birth.’
10.24 · Kinship Terms · Kinship Relations Involving Successive Generations
lineage, family line persons of successive generations who are related by birth In biblical times the reckoning of a lineage was somewhat complex in view of certain distinctions between legal and biological relations. The focus of meaning in γένεσις[b], οἶκος[c], and πατριά[a] is not, however, the list of ancestors, but the lineage of successively related persons to which the reference person belongs. Some scholars, however, interpret γένεσις in MAT 1:1 as being part of what is essentially a title for the book of Matthew and thus would render the introductory phrase as ‘the book of the history of Jesus Christ’ (see γένεσις[c] ‘history,’ 33.19).
In some languages a successive series of ancestors is called ‘the forefathers’ or ‘those to whom one looks back’ or ‘those who have gone ahead.’ In other languages a lineage is referred to as ‘a person’s root’ or ‘a man’s trunk’ (referring to the trunk of a tree).
33.19 · Communication · Discourse Types
history an account of the origin and life of someone For the most part, scholars understand the phrase βίβλος γενέσεως in MAT 1:1 as referring to the list of ancestors which immediately follows. Therefore, βίβλος γενέσεως is more often interpreted as ‘the record of the ancestors’ or ‘the birth record of ...’ (see 10.24).
1 See 33.38, where MAT 1:1 is the illustrative example for βίβλος[c] ‘written statement,’ ‘record.’ See 23.46 for γένεσις[a] ‘birth.’
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
γένεσις, -ews, 7, (TEN@ [Curtius § 128]), in Grk. writ. for the first time in Hom. Il. 14, 201 [ef. 246]; 1. source, origin: βίβλος γενέσεώς τινος a book of one’s liaeage, i. e. in which his ancestry or his progeny are enumerated (i. q. niToIM 750, Gen. v. 1, ete.), [Mt. i. 11. 2. used of birth, nativity, in Mt. i. 18 and Lk. i. 14, for Ree. γέννησις (ἡμέραι τῆς γενέσεώς μου equiv. to ἀφ᾽ οὗ ἐγεννήθην, Judith xii. 18 ef. 20); πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως his native (natural) face, Jas. i. 23. 3. of that which follows origin, viz. existence, life: ὁ τροχὸς τῆς γενέσεως the wheel [cf. Eng. “ machinery ”] of life, Jas. iii. 6 (cf. Grimm on Sap. vii. 5); but others explain it the wheel of human origin which as soon as men are born begins to run, i. 6. the course [cf. Eng. “ round "7 of life.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
γένεσις genesis 5x
birth, nativity, Mt. 1:18; Lk. 1:14; Jas. 1:23; successive generation, descent, lineage, Mt. 1:1; meton. life, Mt. 1:18; Jas. 3:6*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
γένεσις, -εως, ἡ
(< γίγνομαι), [in LXX chiefly for תֹּולֵדֹת ;]
origin, lineage: βίβλος γενέσεως (as in Ge 2:4a 5:1), Mt 1:1.
birth: Mt 1:18, Lk 1:14 (Rec. γέννησις); πρόσωπον τῆς γ., face of his birth ("what God made him to be," Hort., in l.), Ja 1:23; ὁ τροχὸς τῆς γ., the wheel (course) of birth or creation ("the wheel of man's nature according to its original Divine purpose," Hort), Ja 3:6.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
γένεσις. For y- = ‘‘ birth, nativity,” as in Lk 144, ct. Prvene το 535 (c. B.C. Q—see 5.7. γενέσια) TO ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου yleve|oews ἄρχειν τῷ βίῳ τὸν χρόνον, Aazbe/ 314°! οὐδ᾽ οὕτως μοι γένεσις δεινὴ πλησθεῖσ᾽ ἐκορέσθη —the sense appears to be ‘‘nativity” (astrological). Other examples are P Lond 98 recfo™ (a horoscope ~i/ii A.D.) (= I. p. 139) ο]ϊκ[οδεσπότης] τῆς γενέσεως, a common phrase in nativities, and Os¢, 1601 (a notice of birth or for a horoscope —A. D. 114) γένεσις παιδίου ἀρσενικοῦ uf (ἔτει) Τραιανοῦ Καίσαρος τοῦ κυρίου. In the pre-Christian inscriptions of the «Ἔσοδη Sea the phrase κατὰ γένεσιν is frequent in contrast to καθ᾽ νυἱοθεσίαν : see e.g. Sy// 905, and cf. Deissmann 4S p. 239. In P. Oxy I. 1208, a philosophic letter of iv/A.D., the word is used in the more general sense of ‘‘existence,” ‘‘ life” --μετρίων yap kal δυστυχῶν γένεσιν αἴχοντες (/. ἔχ-) οὐδὲ οὕτω aiavtois προσαίχομεν (2. ἑαυτοῖς προσέχομεν), ‘we fail to realize the inferiority and wretchedness to which we are born” (Edd.). Not very different is P Leid W “v-) (ii/ili A.p.) Kat μηνεύσϑω (/. -υέσθω) μοι τὰ τῆς γενέσεώς pov, “quae genilturam meam spectant” (Ed.).
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
γένεσις (genesis) — origin. γένεσις, εως, ἡ, (γενέσθαι) origin, source, Ὠκεανόν τε θεῶν γένεσιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Ὠκεανοῦ, ὅς περ γ. πάντεσσι τέτυκται[Refs 5th c.BC+]; beginning, in dual, τοῖν γενεσέοιν ἡ ἑτέρα [Refs]
II. manner of birth, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; race, descent, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κατὰ γένεσιν, opposed to καθ᾽ υἱοθεσίαν, [Refs]
II.2. Astrology texts, nativity, geniture, [Refs 1st c.AD+]: hence, lot, fortune, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
III. production, generation, coming into being, opposed to ὄλεθρος, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; more usually opposed to φθορά, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; περὶ γενέσεως καὶ φθορᾶς, title of work by [Refs 4th c.BC+]: generally, formation, πύου [Refs 5th c.BC+]; origination, making, ἱματίων, περὶ τὰ ἀμφιέσματα, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.2. ={τὸ γίγνεσθαι}, becoming, opposed to οὐσία,[Refs 5th c.AD+]
IV. concrete, creation, i.e. all created things, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
V. race, kind or sort of animals, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; family, δίδυμος γ. of the Spartan kings, [Refs]
VI. generation, age, [Refs]; κατὰ περίστασιν τῆς γ. according to the circumstances of his time, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]
VII. παιδοπόρος γ. genitalia muliebria, [Refs 1st c.AD+]
VIII. in Mathematics texts, generation of a figure, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]
VIII. b origin of a spiral, [Refs]; ἡ ἐν γ. εὐθεῖα the initial line, [Refs]