A "root" (literally or figuratively)
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Ῥίζα means a plant's root and, figuratively, an underlying source, origin, or sustaining base. John the Baptist places the axe at the root of fruitless trees, announcing judgment that reaches beyond surface appearance.
Reader summary
Full entry for ῥίζα (G4491) · Open the biblical lexicon
Ῥίζα means a plant's root and, figuratively, an underlying source, origin, or sustaining base. John the Baptist places the axe at the root of fruitless trees, announcing judgment that reaches beyond surface appearance.
The BSB source-word alignment has 17 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include root (14), [its] roots (1), [the] root (1), root [ supports ] (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 3:10. Its strongest book concentrations include Romans (5), Mark (3), Matthew (3), Luke (2).
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
Ῥίζα means a plant's root and, figuratively, an underlying source, origin, or sustaining base. John the Baptist places the axe at the root of fruitless trees, announcing judgment that reaches beyond surface appearance. Seed without root withers under pressure, showing reception that lacks durable depth. Paul pictures a holy root supporting branches in his argument about Israel and Gentile inclusion, warning grafted-in Gentiles against boasting.
He also calls the love of money a root of every kind of evil, identifying a generative desire rather than claiming money causes every sin. Root imagery can describe hidden support, covenantal origin, moral source, or the point where judgment strikes; context determines the relation.
Ῥίζα names the hidden source that anchors and supplies growth. Judgment at the root, shallow faith, covenantal support, and money-love generating evils use the image in distinct ways.
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
John announces judgment at the root rather than cosmetic trimming, demanding fruit consistent with repentance from those relying on inherited privilege.
But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
The rocky-soil hearer receives the word quickly but has no root, so temporary enthusiasm withers when pressure exposes the absence of depth.
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Luke repeats the root-level warning within John's call to concrete repentance, refusing Abrahamic descent as a substitute for good fruit.
If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Paul says the root supports the branches and warns Gentile believers not to boast over broken-off Jewish branches or forget the mercy by which they stand.
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Money-love functions as a root producing many kinds of evil, and the verse traces craving toward wandering from faith and self-inflicted sorrow.
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. a "root" (literally or figuratively)
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 17 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
Read versea root, that which comes from the root
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.
ῥίζα is a primary word - no further derivation.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Roots remain hidden while their presence becomes visible through endurance and fruit. John the Baptist warns that judgment reaches the root of fruitless confidence, not merely its public branches. Jesus' seed imagery shows that quick response without depth cannot survive costly pressure. Romans 11 places Gentile believers in a posture of dependence: branches do not carry the root, and mercy leaves no room for boasting over Israel.
First Timothy locates another root in disordered love of money, a craving capable of producing varied evils and sorrow. Churches should cultivate deep attachment to Christ and His word, seek repentance with observable fruit, reject antisemitic pride, and address generative desires rather than managing symptoms alone.
Matt.3.10
Ῥίζα is the ordinary noun for a plant root and readily extends to source, ancestry, or generative cause. Genitives and the surrounding plant or moral imagery identify the relationship.
Trees rooted by water picture the righteous, prophetic roots carry messianic promise, and poisonous roots threaten covenant communities. Christ is David's root and sustaining Lord.