Quick Definition
ζωή, ῆς, ἡ n.f. life
Strong's Definition
from 2198; life (literally or figuratively)
KJV Usage: life(-time). Compare 5590
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ῆς | ζάω
23.88 · Physiological Processes and States · Live, Die
life the condition of being alive and well because of the presence of air to breathe and food to eat; in many cases its usage implies health, strength, and some degree of prosperity In some figurative expressions ζάω[a] and ζωή may involve serious complications in reference. For example, in JHN 6:51 the expression ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ‘I am the living bread’ may be understood in some languages as bread which has some living objects in it, namely, bread which is being eaten by worms or weevils. It may therefore be necessary to say ‘I am that bread which gives life.’
In MRK 10:30, καὶ ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ ἐρχομένῳ ζωὴν αἰώνιον ‘and in the age to come (he will receive) eternal life,’ there are significant differences of opinion as to whether the emphasis is primarily upon duration or upon the quality of life which is to be characteristic of the coming age. Since in some languages life can only be spoken of as a verb meaning literally ‘to live,’ then ‘eternal life’ might be expressed merely as ‘living without dying,’ but this can be misunderstood to mean that Christians will never die physically. Some translators have thus spoken of ‘eternal life’ as being ‘real life that never ends.’ In this way a qualitative distinction is introduced so that readers will not think merely in terms of the prolongation of earthly life, something which in some parts of the world would be regarded as being a terrible punishment rather than a blessing.
In a number of languages there is no noun-like word for ‘life.’ It may therefore be necessary to change all passages which speak of ‘life’ into a corresponding expression using a verb-like form meaning ‘to live.’
MAT 7:14 · MAT 18:8 · MAT 18:9 · MAT 19:16 · MAT 19:17 · MAT 19:29 · MAT 25:46 · MRK 9:43 · MRK 9:45 · MRK 10:17 · MRK 10:30 · LUK 10:25 · LUK 12:15 · LUK 16:25 · LUK 18:18 · LUK 18:30 · JHN 1:4 · JHN 1:4 · JHN 3:15 · JHN 3:16 · JHN 3:36 · JHN 3:36 · JHN 4:14 · JHN 4:36 · JHN 5:24 · JHN 5:24 · JHN 5:26 · JHN 5:26 · JHN 5:29 · JHN 5:39 · JHN 5:40 · JHN 6:27 · JHN 6:33 · JHN 6:35 · JHN 6:40 · JHN 6:47 · JHN 6:48 · JHN 6:51 · JHN 6:53 · JHN 6:54 · JHN 6:63 · JHN 6:68 · JHN 8:12 · JHN 10:10 · JHN 10:28 · JHN 11:25 · JHN 12:25 · JHN 12:50 · JHN 14:6 · JHN 17:2 · JHN 17:3 · JHN 20:31 · ACT 2:28 · ACT 3:15 · ACT 5:20 · ACT 8:33 · ACT 11:18 · ACT 13:46 · ACT 13:48 · ACT 17:25 · ROM 2:7 · ROM 5:10 · ROM 5:17 · ROM 5:18 · ROM 5:21 · ROM 6:4 · ROM 6:22 · ROM 6:23 · ROM 7:10 · ROM 8:2 · ROM 8:6 · ROM 8:10 · ROM 8:38 · ROM 11:15 · 1CO 3:22 · 1CO 15:19 · 2CO 2:16 · 2CO 2:16 · 2CO 4:10 · 2CO 4:11 · 2CO 4:12 · 2CO 5:4 · GAL 6:8 · EPH 4:18 · PHP 1:20 · PHP 2:16 · PHP 4:3 · COL 3:3 · COL 3:4 · 1TI 1:16 · 1TI 4:8 · 1TI 6:12 · 1TI 6:19 · 2TI 1:1 · 2TI 1:10 · TIT 1:2 · TIT 3:7 · HEB 7:3 · HEB 7:16 · JAS 1:12 · JAS 4:14 · 1PE 3:7 · 1PE 3:10 · 2PE 1:3 · 1JN 1:1 · 1JN 1:2 · 1JN 1:2 · 1JN 2:25 · 1JN 3:14 · 1JN 3:15 · 1JN 5:11 · 1JN 5:11 · 1JN 5:12 · 1JN 5:12 · 1JN 5:13 · 1JN 5:16 · 1JN 5:20 · JUD 1:21 · REV 2:7 · REV 2:10 · REV 3:5 · REV 7:17 · REV 11:11 · REV 13:8 · REV 16:3 · REV 17:8 · REV 20:12 · REV 20:15 · REV 21:6 · REV 21:27 · REV 22:1 · REV 22:2 · REV 22:14 · REV 22:17 · REV 22:19
1 The phrase ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν is probably best interpreted as a type of transform of the phrase ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς in JHN 6:48 and accordingly may be best translated as ‘bread that gives life’ or ‘bread that causes life.’
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ζωή zōē 135x
life, living existence, Lk. 16:25; Acts 17:25; in NT spiritual life of deliverance from the proper penalty of sin, which is expressed by θάνατος, Jn. 6:51; Rom. 5:18; 6:4; the final life of the redeemed, Mt. 25:46; life, source of spiritual life, Jn. 5:39; 11:25; Col. 3:4
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ζωή, -ῆς, ἡ (ζάω),
[in LXX chiefly for חַיִּים;]
life (in Hom., Hdt., = βίος, q.v.; later, existence, vita quâ vivimus, as distinct from βίος, vita quam vivimus; opp. to θάνατος); of natural life: Lk 16:25, Ac 8:33, I Co 15:19, I Ti 4:8, He 7:3, Ja 4:14; πνεῦμα ζωῆς, Re 11:11; ψυχὴ ζωῆς (Ge 1:30), Re 16:3; of the life of one risen from the dead, Ro 5:10, He 7:16.
Of the life of the kingdom of God, the present life of grace and the life of glory which is to follow (Dalman, Words, 156 ff.; Westc, Epp. Jo., 214 ff.; Cremer, 272 ff.): Jo 6:51, 53, Ro 7:10 8:6, 10, Phl 2:16, Col 3:4, II Pe 1:3; αἰώνος (reff. supr.; DCG, i, 538a, ii, 30 f.), Jo 4:36 12:50 17:3, I Jo 1:2, al.; τ. φῶς τῆς ζ., Jo 8:12; ὁ Λόγος τ. ζ., I Jo 1:1; ὁ ἄρτος τ. ζ., Jo 6:35, 48; δικαίωσις ζωῆς, Ro 5:18; μετάνοια εἰς ζ., Ac 11:18; ἐν αὐτῷ ζ. ἦν, Jo 1:4; ζ. ἡ ἐν. Χ. Ἰ., II Ti 1:1; τὰ πρὸς ζωήν, II Pe 1:3, al.; στέφανος τῆς ζ., Ja 1:12, Re 2:10; χάρις ζωῆς (gen. expl.), I Pe 3:7; ζ. καὶ εἰρήνη, Ro 8:6; ζ. καὶ ἀφθαρσία, II Ti 1:10; ἀνάστασις ζωῆς, Jo 5:29; βίβλος ζωῆς, Phl 4:3, Re 3:5; ξύλον ζωῆς, Re 2:7; ὕδωρ ζωῆς, Re 22:17; meton., of that which has life: τ. πνεῦμα, Ro 8:10; ῥήματα, Jo 6:63; of one who gives life, Jo 11:25 14:6, I Jo 1:2; ἡ ἐντολή, Jo 12:50.
SYN.: v.s. βίος.
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ζωή. P Lond 177 (A.D. 40-1) (= ΤΙ. p. 168) ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς ζωῆς note ad loc. τὺ. γλυκύς sub fin. In contrast to the classical usage in which βίος is the ethical term (see further s.v.), the ‘nobler’ connotation is attached in Biblical Greek to ζωή, which is generally used as equivalent to “the very highest blessedness’’: see Trench Syv. p. S6ff., and cf. Hort Asean Lectures, pp. 98 ff., 189 ff., for an important discussion on the Biblical doctrine of Life. In ZV7W xii. p. 228 ff. Burkitt treats the relation of ζωή to hayyim. . The noun survives in MGr. ζών P Petr I. 1412 (B.c. 237) τὴν ζώνην θωρακίτίου, “the girdle of a corslet-armed soldier”” (Ed.). In P Oxy IIL. 4964, a marriage contract of A.D. 127, the dowry of the
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ζωή (zōē) — life. ζωή (ζωιή (probably an error) [Refs 3rd c.BC+], Doric dialect ζωά: Ionic dialect and poetry ζόη, [Refs 5th c.BC+], Doric dialect ζόα: Aeolic dialect ζοΐα [Refs 3rd c.BC+]: ἡ:— living, i.e. one's substance, property, ἦ γάρ οἱ ζ. γ᾽ ἦν ἄσπετος [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τοὶ δὲ ζωὴν ἐδάσαντο[Refs]; τὴν ζόην ποιέεσθαι or καταστήσασθαι ἀπὸ or ἐκ.. to get one's living by.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. after [Refs 8th c.BC+], life, existence, opposed to death, [Refs 7th c.BC+]; θανάτου πέρι καὶ ζωᾶς[Refs 5th c.BC+]; ζόας (ζωᾶς codices) βιοτά [Refs 5th c.BC+] mylife! [LXX+4th c.BC+]; μετὰ τὴν μίαν ζ. πολλαὶ ζ. [Refs 4th c.AD+]
3. way of life, ζόην ἔζωον τὴν αὐτήν [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. ζωή,= γραῦς [Refs], the scum on milk, [Refs]; ζόη· τὸ ἐπάνω τοῦ μέλιτος, [Refs 5th c.AD+] is required by the metre in trimeters in [Refs 5th c.BC+]