Quick Definition
τέκνον, ου, τό n.n. a child, descendent, inhabitant
Strong's Definition
from the base of 5098; a child (as produced)
KJV Usage: child, daughter, son
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, n. | -ου | τίκτω
10.36 · Kinship Terms · Kinship Relations Involving Successive Generations
child, offspring one’s immediate offspring, but without specific reference to sex or age In languages in which there is no generic term for ‘child’ or ‘offspring,’ one may use ‘son’ or ‘daughter’ or ‘son and daughter,’ singular or plural, depending upon the context.
MAT 2:18 · MAT 7:11 · MAT 10:21 · MAT 10:21 · MAT 15:26 · MAT 18:25 · MAT 19:29 · MAT 21:28 · MAT 21:28 · MAT 22:24 · MRK 7:27 · MRK 7:27 · MRK 10:29 · MRK 10:30 · MRK 12:19 · MRK 13:12 · MRK 13:12 · LUK 1:7 · LUK 1:17 · LUK 2:48 · LUK 11:13 · LUK 14:26 · LUK 15:31 · LUK 18:29 · LUK 20:31 · LUK 23:28 · ACT 7:5 · ACT 21:5 · ACT 21:21 · 1CO 7:14 · 2CO 12:14 · 2CO 12:14 · GAL 4:27 · EPH 6:1 · EPH 6:4 · PHP 2:22 · COL 3:20 · COL 3:21 · 1TH 2:7 · 1TH 2:11 · 1TI 3:4 · 1TI 3:12 · 1TI 5:4 · TIT 1:6 · 1JN 3:1 · 1JN 3:2 · 2JN 1:1 · 2JN 1:4 · 2JN 1:13 · REV 12:4 · REV 12:5
10.28 · Kinship Terms · Kinship Relations Involving Successive Generations
posterity, descendants, offspring successive following generations of those who are biologically related to a reference person In the case of γενεά[c], τέκνον[b], and σπέρμα[b] (10.29), the reference is not to one’s immediate descendants or offspring (that is to say, to one’s sons or daughters) but to a successive series of such persons, one’s descendants. In some languages such descendants may be called merely ‘the children of one’s children,’ and in other languages one may refer to descendants as ‘those who follow one’ or ‘those who come later.’
MAT 3:9 · MAT 27:25 · LUK 3:8 · LUK 16:25 · JHN 8:39 · ACT 2:39 · ACT 13:33 · ROM 9:8 · 1PE 3:6
11.63 · Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes · Socio-Political
persons of, people of (a figurative extension of meaning of τέκνον[a] ‘child,’ 10.36) inhabitants of a particular place Only rarely can one preserve the figurative significance of τέκνον[c] as a designation of the inhabitants of an area. Readers are too likely to understand such a reference as applicable only to children who live in a particular place. Even the use of a simile does not assist appreciably, since it would be interpreted as likening the inhabitants of an area to children, probably in the sense of their being immature or incapable. For example, the expression the people of Jerusalem like children would probably lead to serious misunderstanding.
9.46 · People · Persons For Whom There Is Affectionate Concern
my child, my dear friend, my dear man, my dear one, my dear lad (extension of meaning of τέκνον[a] ‘child, offspring,’ 10.36) a person of any age for whom there is a special relationship of endearment and association In a number of languages it is impossible to translate τέκνον in MAT 9:2 as ‘child,’ since this might immediately suggest that Jesus was declaring himself to be the father of this man. Furthermore, the paralytic was evidently an adult male. A more satisfactory equivalent would be ‘my dear man’ or ‘my dear fellow.’
MAT 9:2 · MRK 2:5 · MRK 10:24 · 1CO 4:14 · 1CO 4:17 · 2CO 6:13 · GAL 4:19 · EPH 5:1 · 1TI 1:18 · 2TI 1:2 · 2TI 2:1 · TIT 1:4
36.40 · Guide, Discipline, Follow · Follow, Be a Disciple
disciple a person who looks to another as being, so to speak, a father in the faith and thus becomes a disciple of that person It is also possible that τέκνον in 3JN 1:4 is to be understood simply as an affectionate way of talking about persons who in one way or another are in a dependent relationship to someone (see 9.46).
58.26 · Nature, Class, Example · Class, Kind
son of, offspring of, child of, kind of, one who has the characteristics of, person of a kind or class of persons, with the implication of possessing certain derived characteristics
LUK 7:35 · JHN 1:12 · JHN 11:52 · ROM 8:16 · ROM 8:17 · ROM 8:21 · ROM 9:8 · ROM 9:8 · GAL 4:25 · GAL 4:28 · GAL 4:31 · EPH 2:3 · PHP 2:15 · 1PE 1:14 · 2PE 2:14 · 1JN 3:10 · 1JN 3:10 · 1JN 5:2
11.14 · Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes · Socio-Religious
Collocation: τέκνα φωτός
sons of the light, children of the light, people of God (an idiom, literally: children of light) persons to whom the truth of God has been revealed and who are presumably living according to such truth. See also 9.4 and 12.15 In a number of languages it is difficult to speak of ‘light’ in the metaphorical sense of the truth that comes from God. Such truth is not to be equated with knowledge, but with the principles and practices of right moral behavior. Because of these difficulties in speaking of ‘truth’ as ‘light,’ a number of translators have preferred to use the expression ‘people of God’ for the phrases υἱοὶ τοῦ φωτός, υἱοὶ τῆς ἡμέρας, and τέκνα φωτός. In some instances, however, it is possible to employ ‘light,’ if this is described as ‘light that comes from God’ or even ‘the true light from God.’
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
τέκνον, -ov, τό, (τίκτω, τεκεῖν), fr. Hom. down, Sept. chiefly for 13, sometimes for ΠΩΣ offspring; plur. children; a. prop. a. univ. and without regard to sex, child: Mk. xiii. 12; Lk. i. 7: Acts vii.5; Rev. xii. 4; plur., Mt. vii. 11; x. 21; xv. 26; Mk. vii. 27; xii. 19; Lk.i.17; xiv. 26; Actsxxi.5; 2Co. xii. 14; Eph. vi. 1; Col. iii. 20sq.; 1 Th. ii. 7,11; 1 Tim. iii.4; Tit. i.6; 2Jn.1, 4,13, and often; with emphasis: to be regarded as true, genuine children, Ro. ix. 7; τέκνα ἐπαγγελίας, children begotten by virtue of the divine promise, Ro. ix. 8; accounted as children begotten by virtue of God’s promise, Gal. iv. 28; τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκός, children by natural descent, Ro. ix. 8. in a broader sense (like the Hebr. 0°33), posterity: Mt. ii. 18; iii. 9; Lk. iii. 8; Acts ii. 39; xiii. 33 (32). with emphasis: genuine posterity, true offspring, Jn. viii. 39; (of wo men) to be regarded as children, 1 Pet. iii. 6. β. spec. ἃ male child, a son: Mt. xxi. 28; Acts xxi. 21; Rev. xii. 5; in the voc., in kindly address, Mt. xxi. 28 ; Lk. ii. 48; xv. 31. b. metaph. the name is transferred to that intimate and reciprocal relationship formed between men by the bonds of love, friendship, trust, just as between parents and children ; a. in affectionate address, such as patrons, helpers, teachers, and the like, employ; voc. child (son), my child, children, (Lat. fili, mi fili, etc., for carissime, ete.): Mt. ix. 2; Mk. ii. 5; x. 24 [here Lehm. rexvia, q. v-]. B. just as in Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, so in the N. T., pupils or disciples are called children of their teachers, because the latter by their instruction nourish the minds of their pupils and mould their characters (see γεννάω, 2 b.): Philem. 10; 2 Tim. i. 2; 3Jn.4; in affectionate address, Gal. iv. 19 L txt. T Tr WH mrg.; 1 Tim. 1.18; 2 Tim. ii. 1; with ἐν κυρίῳ added, 1 Co. iv. 17; ἐν πίστει, 1 Tim. i. 2; κατὰ κοινὴν πίστιν, Tit. i. 4, (D829 23, sons i.e. disciples of the prophets, 1 K. xxi. (xx.) 35; 2K. ii. 3, 5, 7; among the Persians, ‘sons of the Magi’ i. e. their pupils). γ- τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ, children of God, —in the O. T. of ‘the people of Israel’ as especially dear to writings, all who are animated by the Spirit of God (Ro. viii. 14) and thus are closely related to God: Ro. viii. 16 sq. 21; Eph.v.1; Phil. ii. 15; those to whom, as dearly beloved of God, he has appointed salvation by Christ, Ro. ix.8; in the writings of John, all who ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν (have been begotten of God, see γεννάω, 2d.) : Jn. i. 12sq.; 1 Jn. iii. 1 sq. 10; v. 2; those whom God knows to be qualified to obtain the nature and dignity of his children, Jn. xi. 52. [Cf. Westcott on the Epp. of St. ἢ τεκνοτροφέω John, pp. 94, 120; “In St. Paul the expressions ‘sons of God’, ‘children of God’, mostly convey the idea of liberty (see however Phil. ii. 15), in St. John of guilelessness and love; in accordance with this distinction St. Paul uses υἱοί as well as τέκνα, St. John τέκνα only” (Bp. Lghtft.) ; cf. vids τοῦ θεοῦ, 4. ] δ. τέκνα τοῦ διαβόλου, those who in thought and action are prompted by the devil, and so reflect his character: 1 Jn. iii. 10. c. metaph. and Hebraistically, one is called τέκνον of anything who depends upon it, is possessed by a desire or affection for it, is addicted to it; or who is liable to any Jate; thus in the N. 'T. we find a. children of a city, i. e. its citizens, inhabitants, (Jer. ii. 30; Joel ii. 23; 1 Mace. i. 88 ; υἱοὶ Σιών, Ps. exlix. 2): Mt. xxiii. 87; Lk. xiii. 34; xix. 44; Gal. iv. 25. B. τέκνα τῆς σοφίας, the votaries of wisdom, those whose souls have, as it were, been nurtured and moulded by wisdom: Mt. xi. 19 (where T Tr txt. WH have hastily adopted ἔργων for τέκνων ; ef. Keim ii. p. 369 [Eng. trans. iv. p. 43 sq.; per contra, see T'df.’s note and WH. App. ad loe.]); Lk. vii. 35; τέκνα ὑπακοῆς, those actuated by a desire to obey, obedient, 1 Pet. i. 14; τοῦ φωτός, both i!lumined by the light and loving the light, Eph. v. 8. Ὑ- κατάρας τέκνα, exposed to cursing, 2 Pet. ii. 14; τῆς ὀργῆς, doomed to God’s wrath or penalty, Eph. ii. 3; cf. Steiger on 1 Pet. i. 14; W. 238 (223); [B. 161 (141)]. In the same way ἔκγονος is used sometimes in Grk. writ.; as, ἔκγ. ἀδικίας, δειλίας, Plat. lege. 3 p. 691¢.; 10 p. 901 6. [Syn. τέκνον, vids: τ. and vi. while concurring in pointing to parentage, differ in that 7. gives prominence to the physical and outward aspects, vi. to the inward, ethical, legal. Cf. b. y. above; υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, fin.; παῖς, fin. and reff. (esp. that to Hohne).|
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
τέκνον teknon 99x
a child, a son or daughter, Mt. 2:18; Lk. 1:7; pl. descendants, posterity, Mt. 3:9; Acts 2:39; child, son, as a term of endearment, Mt. 9:2; Mk. 2:5; 10:24; pl. children, inhabitants, people, of a city, Mt. 23:37; Lk. 19:44; from the Hebrew, met. a child or son in virtue of discipleship, 1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; Tit. 1:4; Phlm. 10; 3 Jn. 4; a child in virtue of gracious acceptance, Jn. 1:12; 11:52; Rom. 8:16, 21; 1 Jn. 3:1; a child in virtue of spiritual conformity, Jn. 8:39; Phil. 2:15; 1 Jn. 3:10; a child of, one characterized by some condition or quality, Mt. 11:19; Eph. 2:3; 5:8; 1 Pet. 1:14; 2 Pet. 2:14
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
τέκνον, -ου, τό
(< τίκτω), [in LXX chiefly for בֵּן, also for יֶלֶד, etc. ;]
that which is begotten, born (cf. Scottish bairn), a child of either sex: Mk 13:12, Lk 1:7, Ac 7:5; pl., Mt 7:11, Mk 7:27, Lk 1:17, Eph 6:1, al.; τέκνα ἐπαγγελίας, Ro 9:8; τ. τῆς σαρκός, ib.; in a wider sense (as Heb. בָּנִים), of posterity, Mt 2:18, Lk 3:8, al.; specif., of a male child, Mt 21:28, Ac 21:21, a,l.; in voc. as a form of kindly address from an elder to a junior or from a teacher to a disciple, Mt 9:2 21:28, Mk 2:5, Lk 2:48; τ. μου (= cl. τ. μοι; v. Bl., §37, 5), Ga 4:19 (τεκνία, WH, txt.), II Ti 2:1. Metaph., of disciples (apart from direct address, v. supr.): Phm 10, I Ti 1:2, Tit 1:4, III Jo 4;
with reference to the Fatherhood of God (v.s. πατήρ, γεννάω), τέκνα τ. θεοῦ (cf. Is 30:1, Wi 16:21): Ro 8:16, Eph 5:1, Phl 2:15; and esp. in Johannine bks. (cf. Westc, Epp. Jo., 94, 120), Jo 1:12, I Jo 3:1 al.;
of those who imitate others and are therefore regarded as the spiritual offspring of their exemplars: Mt 3:9, Lk 3:8, Jo 8:39, Ro 9:7, I Pe 3:6; τ. διαβόλου, I Jo 3:10;
as in Heb. (LXX, Jl 2:23, Ps 149:2, I Mac 1:38), of the inhabitants of a city: Mt 23:37, Lk 13:34 19:44, Ga 4:25;
with an adjectival gen., freq. rendering a Heb. expression, adopted from LXX or formed on the analogy of its language, but sometimes with parallels in Gk. writers (v. Deiss., BS, 161ff.): τέκνα φωτός, Eph 5:8; τ. ὑπακοῆς, I Pe 1:14; κατάρας, II Pe 2:14; ὀργῆς, Eph 2:3.
SYN.: v.s. παῖς.
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
τέκνον. (1) The following may serve as exx. of this very common word = ‘“‘a child’’—P Amh II. 35% (B.c. 132) ὑπέρ τε τοῦ
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
τέκνον (teknon) — child. τέκνον, τό, (τίκτω,--οὐκ ἔστι μήτηρ ἡ κεκλημένου τέκνου τοκεύς, τροφὸς δὲ.. [Refs 4th c.BC+], child, ἄλοχοι καὶ νήπια τέκνα [Refs 8th c.BC+]; γυναῖκες καὶ τ. [Refs 5th c.BC+], etc.: the singular is used by [Refs 8th c.BC+] only in vocative, as a form of address from elders to their youngers, my son, my child, sometimes with masculine adjective, φίλε τέκνον [Refs 8th c.BC+]: the relative pronoun or Participle sometimes follows in masculine or feminine, [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—the word is used in Prose at Cyrene, [Refs 4th c.BC+] in Attic dialect Prose, [LXX+5th c.BC+]; rare in Comedy texts except in paratragoedic passages, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; in Trag. it is generally used with especially reference to the mother, ὦ τέκνον Νηρῇδος, ὦ παῖ Πηλέως [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Ἀγαμέμνονος παῖ (sic codices) καὶ Κλυταιμήστρας τέκνον [Refs]
2. of animals,young, [Refs 8th c.BC+]
3. metaphorically, flowers are γαίας τέκνα [Refs 5th c.BC+]; frogs λιμναῖα κρηνῶν τ. [Refs 5th c.BC+] [The penultimate is long in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; it is occasionally long in Trag.(e.g. [Refs 5th c.BC+], but much more frequently short, as always in old Comedy texts, e.g.[Refs 5th c.BC+], except in mock Tragic passages, e.g.[Refs 5th c.BC+]; but sometimes long in later Comedy texts, [Refs 4th c.BC+]