Life (literally or figuratively)
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ζωή means life, and in the New Testament it often means more than biological existence. In the Pastoral Epistles, life is promised in Christ Jesus, displayed as eternal life for those who believe, contrasted with the temporary value of bodily training, grasped in the good fight of faith, and hoped for by heirs justified by grace.
Reader summary
Full entry for ζωή (G2222) · Open the biblical lexicon
ζωή means life, and in the New Testament it often means more than biological existence. In the Pastoral Epistles, life is promised in Christ Jesus, displayed as eternal life for those who believe, contrasted with the temporary value of bodily training, grasped in the good fight of faith, and hoped for by heirs justified by grace.
The BSB source-word alignment has 135 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include life (96), of life (29), . . . (1), [and] life (1), [is] alive (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 7:14. Its strongest book concentrations include John (36), Revelation (17), Romans (14), 1 John (13).
This entry includes 13 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
ζωή means life, and in the New Testament it often means more than biological existence. In the Pastoral Epistles, life is promised in Christ Jesus, displayed as eternal life for those who believe, contrasted with the temporary value of bodily training, grasped in the good fight of faith, and hoped for by heirs justified by grace. Paul does not use ζωή as a vague metaphor for vitality.
It is the life God gives in union with Christ, the life Christ illuminated by abolishing death through the gospel, the life promised by the God who cannot lie, and the life that reorders present conduct because the future is real. The phrase "that which is truly life" in 1 Timothy 6:19 warns readers that possessions, status, and present comfort can imitate life without being life.
ζωή therefore carries promise, resurrection hope, discipleship endurance, and eschatological inheritance.
In the Pastoral Epistles, ζωή is life promised in Christ, revealed through the gospel, received by faith, and hoped for as eternal inheritance. It reorders present godliness because true life is not reducible to present survival, wealth, or religious activity.
But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
Paul's mercy testimony shows eternal life arriving through faith in Christ, not as a reward for prior worthiness. The word names the life sinners receive when mercy meets them in the gospel.
For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.
Godliness holds promise for the present life and the life to come. ζωή shapes present discipleship and future hope together.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.
Timothy is commanded to take hold of eternal life. The gift of life calls for persevering faith, not passive drift.
Treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
Generosity stores a future foundation so believers may take hold of what is truly life. Paul contrasts real life with wealth's counterfeit security.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
Paul's apostleship is according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus. Ministry stands under promised life, not institutional survival.
And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel,
Christ abolished death and illuminated life and immortality through the gospel. ζωή is revealed in the appearing and victory of Christ.
In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
The hope of eternal life rests on God's pre-temporal promise and His truthfulness. Life is grounded in God's character.
So that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
Grace does not merely pardon; it places justified believers into the promised inheritance of life. ζωή is the life hoped for by those whom God has justified.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. Eternal divine life of grace and glory, distinct from mere biological existence or earthly duration
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 134 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
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Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 4 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 135 lexical occurrence verses.
ζωή is built from this root:
Eternal life rooted in union with Christ. 1 John 5:13-17
Eternal life mediated through Christ. 1 John 5:6-12
Eternal life through belief. 2 Timothy 1:1-7
Repentance results in participation in covenant life through Christ. Acts 11:1-18
The gospel proclaimed is not mere doctrine but the message that grants true and eternal life in Christ. Acts 5:17-26
The mission is anchored in life in Christ, which steadies ministry under pressure and guards against fear-driven compromise.
Describes the quality of life originating with the Father and revealed in the Son.
Describes the new state entered through relationship with Christ.
Describes the quality of life granted through union with the Son.
Eternal life is a present possession that grounds Christian confidence.
Eternal life is both present possession and future hope in union with Christ.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
ζωή gives the Pastoral Epistles their horizon. Paul writes about doctrine, elders, widows, wealth, endurance, and false teaching, but these concerns are not administrative fragments. They are ordered by life in Christ Jesus. Christ has abolished death and illuminated life and immortality through the gospel, so the church's present life is no longer measured by Roman status, household security, bodily strength, money, or public honor.
Timothy fights the good fight because eternal life is worth taking hold of. Wealthy believers are warned to take hold of what is truly life because money can mimic permanence while offering none. Titus can labor in hope because eternal life rests on the promise of the God who cannot lie. The word therefore joins doctrine and discipleship: eternal life is God's gift in Christ, and it creates a people who live toward that promise now.
2Tim.1.10
ζωή is a noun for life, but context determines whether the focus is present life, eternal life, promised life, or life revealed through Christ's victory over death. In these letters, the word is rarely abstract. It is attached to Christ, promise, hope, inheritance, godliness, faith, and final reality.
Scripture begins with God giving life and ends with life restored in His presence. The Pastoral Epistles stand within that arc by locating promised life in Christ, the one who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
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