What does μήτηρ (mḗtēr) mean in the Bible?
Mētēr means mother, a female parent, and it can also frame a relationship of familial honor within God's household. Paul tells Timothy to treat older women as mothers.
Greek · G3384
μήτηρ
A "mother" (literally or figuratively, immediate or remote)
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μήτηρ G3384
Pronunciation mḗtēr
What does μήτηρ (mḗtēr) mean in the Bible?
Mētēr means mother, a female parent, and it can also frame a relationship of familial honor within God's household. Paul tells Timothy to treat older women as mothers.
Reader summary
Full entry for μήτηρ (G3384) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3384?
The BSB source-word alignment has 84 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include mother (72), mother’s (4), mothers (2), vvv (2), . . . (1).
Where does μήτηρ (mḗtēr) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 1:18. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (27), Luke (17), Mark (17), John (11).
Are there verse guides for μήτηρ (mḗtēr)?
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
Mētēr means mother, a female parent, and it can also frame a relationship of familial honor within God's household. Paul tells Timothy to treat older women as mothers. He remembers sincere faith dwelling first in Timothy's grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, honoring intergenerational influence without claiming faith is inherited automatically. Jesus says whoever does God's will is His brother, sister, and mother, expanding family around obedient discipleship without erasing biological responsibilities.
At the cross, Jesus entrusts His mother to the beloved disciple, providing care amid suffering. The noun names real kinship and honored relational analogy; it does not reduce a woman's identity to motherhood or guarantee every maternal relationship is safe and nurturing.
How the Bible Uses It
Mētēr identifies biological motherhood and mother-like honor. The passages show respectful treatment of older women, faith transmitted through teaching and example, disciples gathered as Jesus' family, and practical provision for His mother at the cross.
- 1Tim.5.2
Older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
First Timothy 5:2 tells Timothy to appeal to older women as mothers and younger women as sisters in all purity. Familial language disciplines pastoral power toward honor and protection.
- 2Tim.1.5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.
Second Timothy 1:5 remembers sincere faith that lived in Lois and Eunice before Timothy. Their influence is celebrated, while Timothy is still personally charged to guard and live the gospel.
- Mark.3.35
For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 3:35 says whoever does God's will is Jesus' brother, sister, and mother. Jesus forms a new family of disciples without licensing neglect of biological parents.
- John.19.27
Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.
John 19:27 records Jesus telling the beloved disciple, "Here is your mother," after addressing Mary. Even while suffering, He arranges embodied care, and the disciple receives her into his home.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It mother 72× Matthew 1:18, Matthew 2:11, Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:14
mother’s 4× Matthew 13:55, Luke 1:15, John 3:4, Galatians 1:15
mothers 2× Mark 10:30, 1 Timothy 5:2
vvv 2× Matthew 19:12, Acts 3:2
. . . 1× Acts 14:8
[her] 1× John 19:25
[His] mother 1× John 19:26
mother [with it] 1× Matthew 15:6
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 1:18 μητρὸς to mother Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Matthew 2:11 μητρὸς to mother Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Matthew 2:13 μητέρα to mother Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 2:14 μητέρα to mother Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 2:20 μητέρα to mother Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 2:21 μητέρα to mother Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 10:35 μητρὸς to mother Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Matthew 10:37 μητέρα to mother Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Matthew 12:46 μήτηρ to mother Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Matthew 12:47 μήτηρ to mother Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 1:18
Aligned rows 84
Books represented 11
Matthew 27 Mark 17 Luke 17 John 11 Acts 4 Romans 1 Galatians 2 Ephesians 2 1 Timothy 1 2 Timothy 1 Revelation 1
Source forms
μήτηρ 30x mētēr Matthew 12:46, Matthew 12:47, Matthew 12:48, Matthew 12:49
μητέρα 27x mētera Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:14, Matthew 2:20, Matthew 2:21
μητρὸς 11x mētros Matthew 1:18, Matthew 2:11, Matthew 10:35, Matthew 14:8
μητρὶ 6x mētri Matthew 14:11, Mark 6:24, Mark 6:28, Luke 7:12
μητρί 5x mētri Matthew 15:5, Mark 7:11, Mark 7:12, John 19:26
μητέρας 2x mēteras Mark 10:30, 1 Timothy 5:2
ΜΗΤΗΡ 1x MĒTĒR Revelation 17:5
Μήτηρ 1x Mētēr Luke 8:21
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular 32x Matthew 12:46, Matthew 12:47, Matthew 12:48, Matthew 12:49
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 27x Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:14, Matthew 2:20, Matthew 2:21
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 12x Matthew 1:18, Matthew 2:11, Matthew 10:35, Matthew 14:8
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 11x Matthew 14:11, Matthew 15:5, Mark 6:24, Mark 6:28
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural 2x Mark 10:30, 1 Timothy 5:2
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not imply that motherhood is every woman's required vocation or complete identity.
- Do not pressure people to remain exposed to abuse by idealizing biological or church-family relationships.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not imply that motherhood is every woman's required vocation or complete identity.
- Do not pressure people to remain exposed to abuse by idealizing biological or church-family relationships.
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Mother extends figuratively to spiritual relationships and symbolic representations, not just biological connection.
Source Gloss
a "mother" (literally or figuratively, immediate or remote)
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Mother extends figuratively to spiritual relationships and symbolic representations, not just biological connection.
genitive, μητρός, ἡ, [in LXX chiefly for אֵם ;] mother: Mat.1:18 2:11, al.; figuratively, of one who takes the place of a mother, ἰδοὺ, ἡ μ. μου, Mat.12:49 (cf. Mat.12:50, Mrk.3:35, Jhn.19:27, Rom.16:13, 1Ti.5:2); of a city, ἥτις ἐσὶν μ. ἡμῶν, Gal.4:26; symbolically of Babylon, ἡ μ. τ. πορνῶν, Rev.17:5
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 85 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
mhtrov
a mother
Read verse Matthew 2:11 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
μητρὸς mhtrov
a mother
Read verse Matthew 2:13 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
μητέρα mhtera
a mother
Read verse Matthew 2:14 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
μητέρα mhtera
a mother
Read verse Matthew 2:20 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
μητέρα mhtera
a mother
Read verse Matthew 2:21 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
μητέρα mhtera
a mother
Read verse Matthew 10:35 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
μητρὸς mhtrov
a mother
Read verse Matthew 10:37 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
μητέρα mhtera
a mother
Read verse Matthew 12:46 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
μήτηρ mhthr
a mother
Read verse Matthew 12:47 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
μήτηρ mhthr
a mother
Read verse Matthew 12:48 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
μήτηρ mhthr
a mother
Read verse Matthew 12:49 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
μήτηρ mhthr
a mother
Read verse Matthew 12:50 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
μήτηρ mhthr
a mother
Read verse Matthew 13:55 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
μήτηρ mhthr
a mother
Read verse Matthew 14:8 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
μητρὸς mhtrov
a mother
Read verse Matthew 14:11 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
μητρὶ mhtri
a mother
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.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 5 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.
Form patterns 5 Aligned forms 83 Case pattern Nominative (32) Number pattern Singular (81)
Nominative · Singular · Feminine Matt 12:46 · Matt 12:47 · Matt 12:48 · Matt 12:49 · Matt 12:50 · Matt 13:55 · Matt 20:20 · Matt 27:56 · Mark 3:31 · Mark 3:32 · Mark 3:33 · Mark 3:34 · Mark 3:35 · Mark 15:40 · Luke 1:43 · Luke 1:60 32×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Matt 1:18 · Matt 2:11 · Matt 10:35 · Matt 14:8 · Matt 19:12 · Luke 1:15 · John 3:4 · John 19:25 · Acts 3:2 · Acts 12:12 · Acts 14:8 · Gal 1:15 12×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Matt 14:11 · Matt 15:5 · Mark 6:24 · Mark 6:28 · Mark 7:11 · Mark 7:12 · Luke 7:12 · Luke 7:15 · John 19:26 · Acts 1:14 · 2 Tim 1:5 11×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Matt 2:13 · Matt 2:14 · Matt 2:20 · Matt 2:21 · Matt 10:37 · Matt 15:4 · Matt 19:5 · Matt 19:19 · Matt 19:29 · Mark 5:40 · Mark 7:10 · Mark 10:7 · Mark 10:19 · Mark 10:29 · Luke 2:34 · Luke 8:51 26×
Accusative · Plural · Feminine Mark 10:30 · 1 Tim 5:2 2×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
literal biological mother in family relationship and honor commandment
figurative mother, one who does God's will rather than biological relation
literal mother in wisdom literature teaching filial respect and obedience
figurative use, Jerusalem as spiritual mother of believers, symbolic referent
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 83 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
μήτηρ is a primary word - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Mētēr carries nurture, ancestry, honor, and responsibility, but the passages resist stereotype. Timothy must treat older women with mother-like respect rather than exploit pastoral access. Lois and Eunice matter as women whose sincere faith shaped a younger disciple, though Timothy cannot merely inherit their trust. Jesus creates a family around obedience to God, offering real belonging to disciples while still honoring His mother and arranging her care at the cross.
Churches should celebrate faithful mothers and spiritual mentors, support those carrying maternal burdens, and provide family-like care for people whose homes are fractured or unsafe. They should not imply that childbearing defines every woman, romanticize abusive relationships, or use spiritual-family language to isolate members from lawful outside support.
Anchor passage
John.19.27
Doctrinal connections
- Incarnation: the eternal Son enters real human kinship and honors embodied family responsibility.
- Discipleship: obedience to God's will forms a new family around Jesus.
- Church ethics: familial language requires purity, honor, and protection in pastoral relationships.
- Faith formation: mothers and grandmothers can transmit Scripture-shaped witness across generations.
- Personal faith: spiritual heritage is influential but does not replace each person's response to Christ.
- Care at the cross: Jesus' saving suffering includes practical concern for His mother's future.
Mētēr is the ordinary noun for mother and may be used literally or analogically for a woman treated with familial honor. Context distinguishes biological parentage, ancestry, and community relationship.
From Old to New Testament
Mothers shape Israel's family histories, covenant instruction addresses parental teaching, and wisdom honors faithful maternal counsel. The prophets also use maternal imagery for cities and comfort without erasing literal motherhood.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain