Quick Definition
υἱοθεσία, ας, ἡ n.f. adoption
Strong's Definition
from a presumed compound of 5207 and a derivative of 5087; the placing as a son, i.e. adoption (figuratively, Christian sonship in respect to God)
KJV Usage: adoption (of children, of sons)
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, f. | -ας | υἱός + τίθημι
35.53 · Help, Care For · Adopt
to adopt, adoption to formally and legally declare that someone who is not one’s own child is henceforth to be treated and cared for as one’s own child, including complete rights of inheritance In a number of languages adoption is spoken of as ‘making a child a son’ or ‘causing a child to become a daughter.’ In some instances the equivalent expression is merely ‘to treat someone as a son’ or ‘... daughter.’
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
υἱοθεσία, -as, 7, (fr. vids and θέσις, cf. ὁροθεσία, νομο@ecia; in prof. auth. fr. Pind. and Hdt. down we find θετὸς vids or θετὸς παῖς, an adopted son), adoption, adoption as sons (Vulg. adoptio filiorum): [Diod. 1. 31 § 27,5 (vol. x. 31,13 Dind.)]; Diog. Laért.4,53; Inserr. In the N. T. it is used to denote a. that relationship which God was pleased to establish between himself and the Israelites in preference to all other nations (see vids τοῦ θεοῦ, 4 init.): Ro. ix. 4. b. the nature and condition of the true disciples of Christ, who by receiving the Spirit of God into their souls become the sons of God (see vids τοῦ θεοῦ, 4): Ro. viii. 15; Gal. iv. 5; Eph. i. 5; it also includes the blessed state looked for in the future life after the visible return of Christ from heaven; hence ἀπεκδέχεσθαι υἱοθεσίαν, to wait for adoption, i. e. the consummate condition of the sons of God, which will render it evident that they are the sons of God, Ro. viii. 23, cf. 19.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
υἱοθεσία hyiothesia 5x
adoption, a placing in the condition of a son, Rom. 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
*† υἱοθεσία, -ας, ἡ
(cf. the cl. phrases, υἱὸν τίθεσθαι, θετὸς υἱός), freq. in Inscr. (v. Deiss., BS, 239), adoption of a son (or daughter); metaph., of God's relation established
with Israel: Ro 9:4;
with Christians: Ro 8:15, Ga 4:5, Eph 1:5; of its consummation, Ro 8:23.†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
υἱοθεσία, “adoption.” Deissmann (&' p. 239) has drawn attention to the frequency of the phrase καθ᾽ υἱοθεσίαν in the inscrr., which ‘‘lets us understand that Paul [Rom 815, Gal 4° a/.] was availing himself of a generally intelligible figure when he utilised the term υἱοθεσία in the language of religion.” Exx. are Priene 37? (ii/B.c.) Evpavlokos Καλλιξείνου, καθ᾽ ὑοθίεἸσίαν δὲ Νικασιδάμου, Sy// 269 (= * 586)" (B.C. 196) Νικαγόρας Παμφ[ίλιδα, κα]θ᾽ ὑοθεσίαν δὲ [Nixaydpa, 20. 555 (= 5. 977)7 (end 1i/B.c.) Τιμ[ό]θεος Σωσικλεῦς, κατὰ δὲ ὑοθεσίαν Ισοπόλιος. See also Hicks CR i. p. 45f., lil. p. 333, and fora literary ex. Diog. Laert. iv. 9. 53 νεανίσκων τινῶν υἱοθεσίας ποιεῖσθαι. From the papyri we may cite P Oxy IX. 12068 (A.D. 335) ὁμολογοῦμεν Apis [μὲν ὅτ]ε “HpaxAjjs καὶ 7 γ[υ]νὴ Ἑϊσάριον ἐκδεδωκέναι σοὶ τῷ ᾿Ὡρίωνι τὸν ἐξ [ἡμ) ῶν υἱὸν ἸΠατερ[μοῦθ]ιν ὡς ἐτῶν δύο εἰς υἱοθεσίαν, ἐμὲ δὲ τὸν [[Ὡρίων]α ἔχειν [τοῦτ]ον γνήσιον υἱὸν πρὸς τὸ μένειν αὐτῷ τὰ ἀπὸ τ]ῆς διαδοχῆς τῆς κληρονομίας μου δίκαια, “ we agree, Heracles and his wile Isarion on the one part, that we have given away to you, Horion, for adoption our son Patermouthis, aged about two years, and I Horion on the other part, that I have him as my own son so that the et vios rights proceeding from succession to my inheritance shall be maintained for him” (Ed.): cf. 14,1620, and the editor’s introduction. We may further cite P Lips I. 2813 (a.p. 381) (= Archiv iii. p. 173 ff.) ὥσ]τ᾽ ἐμὲ τὸν [ἀ]δελ[φ]ὸν αὐτοῦ Σιλβανὸν .. . ἔχειν [πρὸς ?] υἱοθεσίαν : cf. 1.17, 2, 24,27, This last papyrus shows also the verb vioBeréw,?* τῶν ἐμῶν πραγμάτων κληρονόμον υἱοθετηθέντα pot. For υἱοποιέομαι see Gnomon 41 (¢ A.D. 150) (= BGU V. p. 21). vids. The literal sense of this word, ‘‘ male issue,” is too common to require illustration, but for a wider usage (as in the case of πατήρ, μήτηρ, τέκνον) we may cite such passages as P Giss I. 681 (time of Trajan/Hadrian) “Apows ᾿Απολλωνίῳ τῶι υἱῶι χαίρειν, and P Strass I. 21 (a.p. 217) διὰ τοῦ viijod pod Αὐρηλίου, where the context makes it clear that it is not a son ‘‘after the flesh’’ who is intended, and similarly P Oxy IX. 121g? (iii/A.D.) with the editor’s introduction. : Υἱός with the gen. in such expressions as υἱὸς τῆς βασιλείας, vids τοῦ φωτός, may be illustrated from the inserr., e.g. PAS ii, 2 (reign of Nero) vids πόλεως, Jagr 167° (time of Vespasian) υἱὸς τῆς πατρίδος, 75. 1561? (iv/A.D.) vids τῆς πόλεως. The usage is naturally regarded as Hebraistic, but, as the above exx. prove, is not un-Greek, and may be explained on what Deissmann (4S p. 161 ff.) calls ‘‘ the theory of analogical formations.” For a definitely spiritual sense of the word, cf. P Lond V. 1658! δ. (iv/A.D.) TO ἀιμνήτῳ vid "Αμίμωνι] ᾿Αντώνιος ἐν K(upt)w χαίρειν... ἀγαπητὲ υἱέ, P Giss I. 1035 (iv/A.D.) χαίρειν, and P Grenf 11. 931 (vi/vii A.D.) 6 μεγαλοπρεπέστατος ὑμῶν υἱὸς ὁ κόμες ἔγραψέν por. It is startling to find the title @ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, round which so many sacred associations have gathered, applied to the Roman Emperors, as in the following reff. to Augustus—BGU II. 543° (s.c. 27) ὄμνυμι Καίσαρα Αὐτοκράτορα θεοῦ υἱόν, P Tebt II. 38221 (B.c. 30-A.D. 1), Ρ. Οτεηΐ II. 404 (A.D. 9) ἔτους ἐνάτου καὶ τριακοστοῦ τῆς Καίσαρος κρατήσεως θεοῦ υἱοῦ, “the thirty-ninth year of the dominion of Caesar son of god,” and /d/de iii. 174 (A-D. 5) Καῖσαρ θεοῦ vids Σεβαστός, interesting as coming from the Emperor himself. On the significance of the title as referred to Christ, see Deissmann BS, p. 166 f.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
υἱοθεσία (uhiothesia) — adoption (as son). υἱο-θεσία, ἡ, adoption as a son, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; in a religious sense, πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας [NT]; frequently in Inscrr., in the phrase καθ᾽ υἱοθεσίαν, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]